How to pull off a micro wedding in Vegas, baby!
Melbourne couple, Kat and Tarquin, did just that. And, as a couple who got engaged at a heavy metal festival in Germany, their big day was never going to be ordinary.
For their wedding, they rounded up 18 of their closest friends and family and flew halfway around the world to tie the knot in Vegas!
Kat says, “I am originally from Adelaide, Tarquin is from New Zealand and we both live in Melbourne so deciding where to have the wedding in the first place was tricky.”
“When we started looking into having something small in Melbourne we soon learned how expensive it was going to be and realised we would not be able to have our wedding here as well as our dream honeymoon of road-tripping around the States.
We had always joked about getting married in Las Vegas and one night we decided – let’s just do it!
We nearly decided to get married by Elvis, but after quite a bit of research I happened to stumble across The Neon Museum. It is an amazing graveyard of old vintage signs from Las Vegas ranging from the 1930s to today.
The ceremony was short, sharp and shiny. It was a mixture of traditional and non traditional. My Dad walked me down the aisle but to Whitesnake. My brother was the ring bearer. We acknowledged those who were unable to attend, my grandparents who had passed and wrote our own vows that were fun yet meant a lot to both of us.
Afterwards we went to The Arts District for photos and joined our guests on the rooftop patio at Carson Kitchen where we had great food and drinks overlooking downtown Vegas.”
Kat and Tarquin’s first six weeks as a married couple were spent road tripping around the US in a giant truck. They hit Texas, New Orleans, Memphis, Miami, Seattle and Los Angeles before heading reluctantly back to Melbourne.
Including outfits, hair, makeup, rings, transport, the ceremony, reception and photography, the wedding cost $13,000 – A steal compared to the $54,000 that Australian couples spend on their weddings on average, according to the One Fine Day wedding expo.
Kat has some advice to share: “Don’t feel guilty about wanting to do something small for you and your partner. A lot of people get caught up in wanting to please other people and you get lost in the day. My friends who are married have all said 'the day goes so quick' and it really does.”
“I personally could never really understand the need to completely stress out planning and spending an absolute fortune on just one day. I wasn’t one of those girls who have planned their wedding since they were 12. Our day was exactly what we wanted and we were lucky enough to spend it with some of our closest friends and family.”
Kat, who is a graphic designer and owner of Two Crows Creative, is not someone who settles for ordinary. Together, we designed a black diamond engagement ring in a hexagon-shaped rose gold setting and a white gold double band.
“As a graphic designer I love and appreciate the design process. I knew I wanted something different that was a combined engagement and wedding ring and wasn’t something I would be able to find in a store. Having my ring custom made and working with an amazing jewellery designer like Fairina allowed me to get exactly what I wanted within my budget.”
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