Las Vegas drive-thru elopement in chic vintage car

In March, Aimee and Monica decided they simply didn’t couldn’t wait until it was safe to have a large wedding. So they decided to elope in Las Vegas.

“We wanted it to be all about us and sharing our love,” the North Carolina couple writes. In that vein, they did it all in secret, only sharing the news with loved ones after they were already married. Monica wore a pink dress and Aimee a burgundy suit. Since it was a drive thru wedding, they also rented a 1955 Ford Thunderbird so they could get married in style.

After the ceremony, they celebrated with a photo session on a dried out lake bed.

Tell us your love story!

We met through work and immediately became friends. We bonded over craft beer and Parks and Recreation memes. We eventually got together and are now raising two spoiled pugs in Raleigh, North Carolina. Aimee asked Monica to marry her during the pandemic and we were unsure of when we would actually be able to have a wedding. One night (after a few glasses of wine) Monica suggested going to Vegas and getting married! The idea was crazy but the more and more we looked into it, we thought it would be perfect for us. We didn’t tell our family and friends and we shared the news by sending them a picture that our photographer had taken.

How did you personalize your wedding?

Since we did not tell anyone that we were going to Las Vegas to elope, we were able to do exactly what we wanted and imagined. We wanted a simple ceremony and to spend time outdoors with our photographer.

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ couples?

Have fun with it!!!

Advice for vendors and venues working with LGBTQ+ couples?

We did a ton of research and looked at all of the vendors’ social media. It was important to us that we chose people who had previously worked with LGBTQ+ couples

What challenges did you face as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

The pandemic was the biggest challenge! We had initially envisioned a more “traditional” wedding with all of our friends and family. The uncertainty of when that would actually be able to happen, but also wanting to get married, allowed us to be creative.

Did you encounter any pleasant surprises as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

Las Vegas is extremely gay friendly! We were having our pictures taken on the street and so many people stopped and congratulated us. We truly felt welcome and accepted. Having never been to Vegas, we were unsure of how gay friendly this city was.