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Is this the weirdest time in history to get married, or the perfect time? I alternate between believing either or, but either way, I just did it! My boyfriend and I – sorry, husband now – finally tied the knot. We eloped in Las Vegas, to be specific. This is not a time when I would dare ask a hundred loved ones to travel from around the country and sit closely at a table to celebrate my nuptials. In light of COVID-19, that is not very responsible. But, furthermore, that’s not something I ever wanted – neither of us did.
Planning a proper wedding was this awful, dreadful task that loomed over us – something we felt we’d have to do eventually, but would hate every moment of. We’re casual people. We don’t need a whole to-do. We’ve been together for seven years and at this point, we just wanted to get married! We didn’t want to put nine to 18 months of wedding planning between us and the status of married. I know it is a difficult time in history. A tense one. Protests took place along the very street our chapel sat on just two days before we got hitched. We wondered if we should cancel. But ultimately, we decided that now, more than ever, is a time to grow love. So that’s what we did.
People drove by and heckled us. Some were supportive, yelling “Congratulations!” and “Get it!” Some yelled the cliché but funny “Don’t do it!” We loved every second of it. Here’s what it’s like to elope in Las Vegas during this pandemic, in case you were thinking about doing it yourself, which many couples actually are, with more traditional weddings needing to be postponed.
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The Marriage Bureau
First off, the marriage bureau is open, so you can get married. You can file for your license online. The form takes all of five minutes. And then you just need to pick it up at the Marriage Bureau within sixty days of filing. Be ready with information like what cities your parents were born in and their names before marriage. And be ready with $77, which is what the license will cost. Most chapels in Vegas will require a Nevada-issued marriage license to marry you. So keep that in mind before running off and getting one in your home state.
