The Backstory // A Las Vegas Elopement

Have you ever wanted to secretly run away and get married? Chances are the answer to that question just might be yes, especially if you’re reading this post. And are you guys in for a real treat today. Whatever you do – don’t miss the video of this Las Vegas elopement below…

Just over two years ago, Samantha and Ben contacted me and wanted to know if I’d be willing to shoot a wedding, but not share any of the images…just yet. They were eloping, but their friends and family didn’t know. Now, this request is NOT uncommon – at all! Lots of clients have asked me to wait to share images for one reason or another, and it’s never a problem.

They mentioned that they would have their own videographer with them – a friend of theirs – Tony Delgadillo. And I thought that was super cool! How fun to have photo and video of your elopement – something special to share later with friends and family that weren’t able to attend. However – what came out of this story was something unlike I’d ever seen. The raddest Vegas elopement to date?! These two sent me the video below earlier this month and I literally laugh-cried so hard I woke my baby up. #WORTHIT – hit play!! ❤️

I’ve watched their film like 12 times. Do you want to hop on a private plane and come to Vegas and get married and also do allthethings? Well, I’d love to be there if you do – and I bet Tony would come and make an awesome Las Vegas elopement film for you, too – if you ask realllllyyyy nicely! Read below for Ben and Sam’s story, as told by them!

How did you guys meet?

We both moved to LA in 2012 and ended up working for the same production company. When we first met, Ben pushed his accent super hard to impress Samantha… her response: “What are you?!” We were best friends long before we started dating. After a year in the US, Ben’s visa was expiring on Christmas Eve. We drove across the country to Samantha’s hometown in Massachusetts, before Ben skipped the country to Canada! We didn’t know how long until we’d be reunited. Ben headed home to New Zealand – after 9 long months apart he came back to LA so we could be together for good!

How long were you engaged?

Ben proposed in Joshua Tree, at the start of a Thanksgiving road trip in 2017. BUT… we had already been married for months! Despite this, Samantha was surprised… (note: these two are clearly quite funny)

Why did you wait to tell friends and family about your formal paperwork date?

With Ben’s visa needing to be renewed every 2 years, we finally talked about eloping so we could lock him down. Samantha suggested we go big in Vegas, so we started planning the ultimate Vegas wedding – Elvis, Cadillac, machine guns, etc. We wanted to turn our “legal” wedding into an amazing fun adventure. At the same time, we always wanted to celebrate with a “big” wedding with our friends and family, especially as our parents had never met in person – so we figured why not have the best of both? We didn’t want to steal the thunder of the LA wedding, and (because we’re evil) we thought it would be fun to surprise our guests. It seemed the most fair to keep the secret from everyone!

We wouldn’t change a thing – having our Vegas elopement was a perfect intimate celebration as a couple, and took a lot of the pressure off planning our LA wedding. When we got married with our friends and family, it was the first time we’d really had all of the most important people in our lives in one place. Luckily, everyone took the surprise really well – definitely made for a memorable reception!

What do you guys like to do on the weekends?

We love to travel together and capture our adventures on camera – we’re both a couple of video geeks, and shoot and edit our travel vids together (posted at @benzoandchaos). Samantha often works weekends as a camera operator for live video game broadcast, so when we do have weekends off together we fill them with mimosa brunches, Netflix binging, beach days, too much coffee, and video games.

What emotions or vibes were you hoping to portray in your Las Vegas elopement session?

Surprise, ha! For our Vegas video we wanted to capture all the madness of a crazy and jam-packed 2 days. When we planned our LA video, our main priority was getting great reaction shots of our friends and family when we finally hit them with the big reveal.

Why did you choose the desert for your Las Vegas elopement?

We knew that the ultimate elopement destination would be Vegas, and only a quick plane ride away. We thought that holding the ceremony in the desert would be a really cool and unique setting, and also bring an intimacy through its remoteness. Stark contrast to the rest of Vegas! The photos came out incredible with a pink caddie and a red-suited Elvis in the barren landscape. We also loved the downtown Vegas street art for some cool city settings.

How did you choose your venue in LA?

When we were searching for a venue in LA, Samantha found Millwick and immediately started crying… it was the perfect oasis in the middle of downtown LA, and suited our casual style and guest count perfectly. It has a great industrial quality combined with walls of greenery, and plenty of quirky decor for some amazing photo settings.

Vendor Love

VEGAS
Elvis: Little Vegas Chapel – @thelittlevegaschapel
Videographer: Tony Delgadillo – @tony_delgadillo
Dress: Dress the Population – @dressthepopulation
Locations:
The Neon Museum – @theneonmuseumlasvegas
Battlefield Vegas – @battlefieldvegas
Skyline Helicopter Tours – @skylineheli
Jetsuite X – @jetsuitex

LA
Photo: LOVE + WOLVES CO – loveandwolves.co
Flowers: Sybil Sophia – @sibylsophiafloraldesign
Caterer: Hungry Bear Catering – @hungrybearcatering
Coffee Cart: Cappuccino Man – @thecappuccinoman
Bartender: The Whaling Club – @thewhalingclub
Coordinator: The Joy Parade – @the_joy_parade
Dress: Anais Anette – @anaisanette
Suit: Ted Baker – @ted_baker
Invitations: Minted – @mintedweddings
Cake: Susie Cakes – @susiecakesbakery
Music: Subito Strings – @subitostrings, DJ Art – @itsdjart
Venue: Millwick
Videographer: Creative Bliss Events – @creativeblissevents
Officiant: Evan Dollard – @evandollard
Makeup: Kassandra Karr – @kkarrmakeup
Hair: Ginger Watson – @hairbygingerwatson

Now it’s your turn! I want to hear about your wildest Las Vegas elopement dreams – even if that is just the two of you standing out in the desert with just an officiant. Call me and spill the details! Click below to contact me directly and hold your date! 🥰