Goodbye, bridal room.
Inside the wedding chapel at the Luxor, it’s now referred to as the “pamper room.” Gender-neutral paperwork and alternatives to the traditional bouquet and boutonniere accommodate same-sex couples ready to tie the knot.
The number of couples choosing to say “I do” at the resort is up about 10 percent this year, an increase the staff attributes to same-sex weddings, according to MGM Resorts.
It’s $14 more expensive to get married in the wedding capital of the world.
Clark County commissioners on Tuesday approved raising the marriage license fee and putting the money toward efforts to market the Las Vegas wedding tourism industry.
The decision increases the total cost of a marriage license to $77.
The next step is for County Clerk Lynn Goya, who sought the increase, to work with the wedding industry and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on how best to spend the money. The plan will be submitted to county commissioners within 90 days.
It’s part of a long-term effort to preserve and grow the Las Vegas area’s reputation as the wedding capital of the world. The wedding industry brought a $2 billion economic impact to the region in 2013, and 4 percent of visitors to Las Vegas come to attend a wedding, according to the convention authority.
CARSON CITY — Las Vegas is losing ground as the “wedding capital of the world” as more destinations around the globe try to tap into the business of love and money.
A bill pending in the state Legislature is aimed at reversing that trend by authorizing Clark County commissioners to raise the cost of marriage licenses, with the money earmarked to promote wedding tourism.
“Wedding tourism is a core industry in Las Vegas. It’s part of our international brand,” state Sen. Ruben Kihuen told members of the Assembly Judiciary Commission during a hearing Thursday.
At A Little White Chapel in downtown Las Vegas, owner Charolette Richards is gearing up for what she calls, “an exceptionally busy day of weddings.”
More than 100 weddings are booked this Valentine’s Day at the 64-year-old wedding chapel but Richards said she is expecting closer to 200 with drop-in traffic.
“It is recognized as the busiest day of the year in our business,” she said.
Clark County issued its 1,000th marriage license to a same-sex couple Wednesday.
“Congratulations Christopher Barnson and Daryl Reed on being the 1,000th same-sex couple to receive their marriage license in our great county,” County Clerk Lynn Goya said.