On the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada, is the quaint little mountain town of Mount Charleston.  There, you’ll find a retreat from the Summer heat in the city. The temperatures at Mount Charleston are always around 30 degrees cooler than on the strip. There are plenty of hiking trails, skiing and snowboarding slopes during the Winter months, a few restaurants , camping, and even a historic little church up the mountain. There are wild burrows running around the town and it feels like life just slows down a bit when you get up there. Kendra and Ted opted for an intimate ceremony at Mt. Charleston with us due to restrictions in California that prevented them from having a larger wedding. Hear from our couple below on why they couldn’t have imagined their wedding day any differently after eloping in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING? Stress free, timeless, and simple

THE PROPOSAL: Ted and I went on a weekend trip to Monterey, CA. We went to the aquarium and ate at our favorite restaurant, Lalla Oceanside. After dinner, we went for a walk on the beach. As I was looking at the full moon, Ted got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. 

THE VISION:We both fell in love with the photos of Mount  Charleston. We loved the background of trees and the canyon. The fact that Mount Charleston is typically 20 degrees cooler than the vegas strip sold us! 

THE PLANNING PROCESS: Initially, Ted and I wanted to get married in Las Vegas, however, I had second thoughts and wanted to have a more traditional wedding. We planned to get married on 5-15-20 locally, however, Covid 19 forced us to cancel. After planning an entire wedding, I couldn’t imagine going through the process again and having the date remain unknown due to the state restrictions. At this point, I realized that the traditional wedding didn’t matter. All that mattered was Ted and I getting married and being surrounded by our family. I contacted Emily from Elopement Las Vegas and started planning! Emily and her team made planning so easy. All I had to do was pick a location, date, cake flavor, and provide photos of bouquets I liked. On the day of the wedding, I felt so relaxed and stressed free. I literally did not lift a finger the entire day. It couldn’t have been more perfect. 

YOUR OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES: I purchased my wedding dress before Ted even proposed. We always planned on having a short engagement and I didn’t want the dress to be a hold up, since it can take 6 months to arrive. I looked online and found the gown on Allure Bridal’s website. I contacted various bridal stores and Bellasposa had it in stock. When I went down to visit family for Christmas, my mom and I went to try it on. I loved how elegant the dress looked and the lace details. I wanted to add rose gold jewelry to the dress and found the earrings and bracelet on Etsy. Ted’s outfit choice was much simpler as he already had a navy blue suit, which he looked very handsome in. 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS Ted and I are gluten free and requested a gluten free cake. One of the major downsides of gluten free, is that desserts aren’t as moist and the texture is more dense. As Ted and I were cutting into the cake, the top layer started to slide off. Eventually we were able to cut a piece, but the photos our family members took are priceless. You can tell by the look on Ted’s face that he was scared I was going to knock the cake down. The coordinator said this our first test as a married couple, to work together to cut the cake. Well, it sure was! 
Or
We opted not to do a first look. Initially, I wanted to take a moment before the ceremony, just him and I, but we didn’t have time since hair and make up ran later than planned. However, it worked out perfectly. To see his face as I was walking down the aisle for the first time in my dress was priceless. 

ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES: Wedding planning tends to become extremely stressful for couples. Not only do you want to plan the wedding of your dreams, but you also find yourself trying to please others. It is important to remain grounded and focus on what you and your future spouse want. At the end of the day, the small details do not matter. All that matters is being married to your person. 

Photos by Lianna Marie

If you are interested in our all-inclusive intimate wedding & elopement packages in Mount Charleston, Nevada contact us here!