When Mariela and Mat, who met in 2018 at a tattoo convention, decided to tie the knot, they knew that while they didn’t have a particular theme or vison in mind, they wanted something that incorporated their love for the desert, retro decor and tattoos. They found the perfect spot in downtown Las Vegas at the Sure Thing Chapel, featuring an officiant with a twist: Hellvis, the chapel’s resident ‘spooky and campy Elvis’ evil twin’. Everything else just fell into place after that.

“Hellvis played a big part in making our ceremony feel extra special”, Mariela shared. “We couldn’t recommend him enough! He had such a unique take as an officiant. It made the day feel really personal.” The ceremony included them swearing on the ‘unholy bible’ that was filled with jellybeans! Afterwards, they we went to Downtown Tattoos, located right next door, to get matching dice tattoos bu artist Linnea.

While they had originally considered a destination wedding in Mexico, bringing all their loved ones with them, when the pressure of planning got too much they decided a Vegas elopement was must more their speed. with plans to bring their families from two different provinces. “There was a lot of coordinating going on, trying to bring everyone together,” Mariela explained. “But when the opportunity to elope came up, we knew it was the right choice for us.”

“Plan your wedding for you!”, they advise. “There will always be outside pressures and opinions when the planning begins but stay true to yourselves as a couple. At the end of the day everyone will be happy for you. Everyone involved just made the whole day feel so special. Our day started out with picking up our marriage license at the Las Vegas marriage bureau and the whole atmosphere of the office was so loving and really set the tone.”