If you’re a regular reader of our blog (and we hope you are!), you might remember Amber and Cameron from March of last year. They’d planned a Colorado rock wedding–until they found their perfect spot in Sin City. To be fair, for these two, it’s more of a city of sensational love, of romance, of… well, you get the picture.
Our day started before we even got to see Amber. Her mom was our special escort, taking us back into the Sam’s Town hotel’s inner workings so we could have a peek at the wedding cake. Man! It looked so good, we didn’t want to eat it! The towering three-tier white cake had a band of gold-accented sugar flowers wrapped around it, making it look truly fit for a princess. You know when people talk about something looking too good to eat? This would definitely fit that description: we felt guilty even thinking about it.
After our preview, we took the glass elevators up to the seventh floor to greet Amber and her gorgeous wedding party–flower girls included. Her suite overlooked the great full-on atrium of Sam’s Town, and by that, we truly mean great. It doesn’t have the panache of the Strip, but honestly, we like it better that way, because it felt as if we were on top of the world. We got to see plenty of the cityscape-like view from the window, worlds away from what people think of as Las Vegas, and yet it was better than we could have imagined.
The hour we spent with the wedding party felt like a full day of magical moments on its own. The first time Amber’s father saw her, her mother helping her into her dress, embracing her and wiping away her happy tears; Amber’s little sister Jessica crying at the first glimpse of the dress and veil; Amber herself finally coming out in her pink champagne halter dress, buttoned with antique crystals; all of it was truly special.
When the hour was up, though, it was time. Amber was ready, with her makeup immaculate, her dress and veil impeccably set on her body. Her smile was unrehearsed, but perfect: happiness shines through, after all. Between that and the best bridal party anyone could wish for, Amber was ready. Her bridesmaids, all clad in paradisal plum, and Jessica, wrapped in lavender to match the best man’s vest, were there to support her. We made our way to the altar just in time to see the guests taking their seats, and as we walked down the aisle, our jaws dropped open.
We have to admit, we had been a little confused about the choice of venue. A casino? Sure, there are the flashing lights and the glitz and the glamor, but gambling halls aren’t really thought of as the perfect wedding destination.
But Sam’s Town?
God, Sam’s Town.
They say that your mouth waters when you think of good food. Is there something like that for thinking of an amazing view, of a space that really takes your breath away? That’s what we feel every time we think back on it, every time we look at our photos.
Sam’s Town has its own full-on atrium, towering city facades looking down on you as if benevolent watchers, trees and rocks stretching up with a waterfall creating the best backdrop anyone could ever ask for. Suddenly, this wedding didn’t feel like it was in a casino, or even in Las Vegas; it felt like a part of a movie, motion picture perfect.
So we waited.
And we watched as Cameron and his groomsmen made their way to the alter, standing properly in formation.
And then we looked up, past the city veneer and up to the six-story elevator where we could see her. Amber, traveling down to her second-story balcony ceremony. The burgundy drape separating the casino from the mezzanine suddenly pulled back, tearing our attention from the elevator, and in came the bridal party, followed by the couple’s two daughters, outfitted in dresses like Amber’s own gown. The flower girls.
Of course, they did their job, tossing petals from side to side, every bit as excited to be there as our lovely couple was. Down the aisle they walked, creating a path for Amber, and then: she emerged, her arm tucked tightly under her father’s.
His smile almost beat hers. We’re pretty sure he was trying not to happy-cry. 😉 It’s not often you come to the day to give your darling daughter away to the man of her dreams, after all! He gave her a tiny, heartfelt kiss on the cheek as he lifted her veil, and took one last look at her before she embarked on a lifelong journey with her new partner. We know we had to wipe away tears of our own!
No wedding is complete without the reception though: it was party time! Cocktails were poured, and food was served, and boy, did we eat well: ribs, mashed potatoes, rolls, salad, and even more: a meal fit for a king. Or, like we said about the cake, for a princess! It was fantastic, but even better? The champagne toast.
It wasn’t done with traditional champagne.
If we’re honest, we aren’t sure if it was intentional or not.
But this champagne matched Amber’s dress perfectly. Rosé champagne.
Remember the mouth-watering? Yeah, we mean that literally this time.
Of course, you have the normal toasts for a wedding: Amber’s mother, her bridesmaids and friends, Cameron’s groomsmen, all with heartfelt things to say, memories to share and well-wishes to be made. All of it was great, filled with happy tears and love abound.
The best toast, though? That was from Leon, Amber and Cameron’s six-year-old son. Some people don’t like children being at weddings–we’re not ones to judge!–but we know that we wondered what he’d say as he took the mic. “Mom and Dad… I love you…” was the first thing out of his mouth. Then he turned. “Grandma… other grandma… I love you.”
Weddings are about love–not just romance, but love. Leon got that. He looked at everyone in that hall that he knew and declared his love for them, and looked at Cameron’s relative Gabby, too, declaring her after a lifelong pause to be his best friend. Everyone had tears running down their faces. Leon truly understood what the night was about, in that strange way that only children really know how.
We might be a little biased, as mothers of boys.
We just hope that Leon can hold onto that. This will definitely be a wedding that we’ll keep memories of close to our hearts forever–each and every wedding is special, but this one was on a whole other level. Thank you, Amber and Cameron, for inviting us to be a part of your Vegas ceremony. We wish you all the best together, and send our love to you and your family.
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