Why is Las Vegas the fastest place to get married in the world?

In addition to being known as the "Casino City of the World", Las Vegas in the United States is also known as the "Wedding Capital of the World". It is easy for people to get married here. After covering the 76th Academy Awards ceremony, the reporter took a trip to Las Vegas to interview with curiosity how this city provides fast-food-style one-stop supporting services for people to get married. Las Vegas is part of Clark County, Nevada. The reporter conducted an unannounced but fruitful interview at the Civil Marriage Registration Bureau of the county without prior contact.

Getting married is like eating fast food

Someone vividly said that the ease of getting married in Las Vegas is like eating fast food. In the office building of the Marriage Registration Bureau, couples of young people, middle-aged people and old people are busy filling out marriage forms. Some are very different in age, and some are carrying cradle with sleeping babies. People who entered this office were in pairs. When the staff saw me coming alone, they looked at me with puzzled eyes. After I explained my purpose, the female staff member asked me to wait while she went in to contact her supervisor. A few minutes later, a woman about 50 years old walked out of the inner room.

This woman is Cheryl Vernon, the general manager of the Clark County Marriage Registration Bureau. She has 30 staff members. Cheryl said that in 2003, 119,124 couples came to this office to obtain marriage licenses, 65-75% of whom were outsiders and foreigners. The office charges $55 cash for each marriage license issued.

How easy is it for people to get married in Las Vegas? Cheryl said frankly that people don’t need to take a blood test or wait to get married here. They only need to spend 10 minutes to fill out a form to receive a marriage license. Those who are impatient can walk to the wedding church diagonally across the road or to the right and spend 10 minutes. -The wedding can be completed in 15 minutes. In Las Vegas, it only takes half an hour for people to get married.

The registry office that never closes

How does Clark County provide services for those getting married? Cheryl said proudly: We are open and working every day, 365 days a year, without a day off. From Monday to Thursday, it opens at 8 am and closes at 12 midnight. We are here to serve people around the clock every Friday and weekend, as well as on statutory holidays and Christmas, and people can come in and apply for a marriage license at any time. She said that usually 200-300 couples come to register for marriage every day, about 500-700 couples come every day on Fridays and Saturdays, and 300-400 couples come to collect marriage licenses every day on Sundays. The most people getting married here are Californians. They like to drive to Las Vegas to get married on Thursday, travel for two days and then return to California on Sunday.

In order to avoid being followed by the news media, those movie stars like to operate in a black box. They often come here in the dead of night or in the deserted early morning to apply for a marriage license and hold a wedding ceremony, waiting for the media to smell " After the taste of "star", the stars have long since disappeared. When pressed by reporters, Cheryl said that Hollywood movie stars Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie had registered their marriage here, but unfortunately they later parted ways. In the early morning of January 3 this year, the 22-year-old famous American singer "Britney" Spears and her childhood friend Jason Alexander received a marriage license and held a wedding here. In less than two days, this The newlyweds went to Clark County Family Court to annul the marriage, becoming the celebrity who was married for the shortest time.

6 children and a wedding

At 6 o'clock in the evening, a bride and groom from Vermont came to get married. The man's name is Donny Wood. He is 40 years old and owns a construction and decoration company. The bride's name is Heather, she is young and beautiful. While the bride was still dressing up and changing into her wedding dress in the bathroom, the reporter interviewed the groom. Downey said that he and Heather have six children, the youngest of whom is only five months old. He revealed that he and Heather had a failed marriage, and this was their second wedding and would be their last.

I asked him quietly, how do you feel now? he said, very excited. I joked, you have been living together for more than 10 years, are you still so romantic and excited? Downey said: Of course, we understand each other, so I can't wait any longer. Although we live together every day, we cannot get married every day.

When the bride took the groom's arm and walked into the church, the pastor presided over the wedding ceremony for them. There was also a female photographer at the scene. I sat in a corner of the church and watched the excitement. After the pastor briefly preached the importance of love and marriage to the bride and groom, he asked the bride and groom to exchange wedding rings. The pastor asked the passionate groom: Are you willing to marry this woman as your legal wife? The groom said: I do. The pastor then asked the tender bride: Are you willing to accept this man as your legal husband? The woman said: I do.

Exciting Helicopter Wedding

The wedding chapel in Las Vegas can also organize luxurious and exciting full wedding services for wealthy people. Due to the small size of the aircraft and its limited carrying capacity, there was only one pilot, a couple and a pastor who volunteered to go. The wedding time is usually before lunch or before the sun sets, with the sunset and colorful clouds dancing in the sky.

When the helicopter flew over the Grand Canyon, the priest presided over the wedding ceremony for the bride and groom, and then the plane returned to Las Vegas for a 90-minute ride. The fee was US$2,500, of which US$1,000 went to the helicopter company. The pastor's income is the $75-100 tips given by the bride and groom.

Helicopter weddings are exciting, but sometimes risky. On February 20 this year, the propeller at the tail of a helicopter failed. The pilot flew at high speed before making an emergency landing at the airport, scaring the bride and groom half to death. In contrast, it is safer to hold a wedding in a hot air balloon. It can seat 6 people, the flight time is two hours, and the fee is US$1,700. In addition, the church will use a luxury limousine to take the bride and groom to Fire Canyon for the wedding, which takes three hours and costs US$1,500.

Find a passerby to be a witness

What proof is needed to register a marriage in Clark County? Cheryl, the director of the county marriage registration bureau, said frankly that no proof is needed. As long as both the man and the woman say they are not married, we will believe them and issue a marriage license to them. As for whether they lied to us, it is none of our business. We only issue marriage licenses and it is other people's business to investigate whether they are bigamous. Many Mormons in Utah, USA practice polygamy, and some of them come to Las Vegas to get married. If the law is broken, prosecutors will be on their side, Cheryl said.

After receiving a marriage license, people must hold the wedding within one year, otherwise it will become invalid. When a marriage ceremony is held in a professional church, in addition to the couple and the officiating priest, there must also be a witness. However, couples who come to get married are often not accompanied by any relatives or friends. The witness can be provided by the church or a stranger can be picked up on the street to witness. Of course, the bride and groom are required to tip the witness, usually $50. Wedding chapels are blooming everywhere

After leaving the Clark County Marriage Registration Office, the reporter discovered that there were two wedding chapels within 100 meters nearby. I walked into the Vegas wedding chapel by the way, and the young person in charge, Ed, warmly received me. Looking through the records of this wedding church, 535 couples got married here in February, mainly from the United States, but also foreigners, and many Hong Kong couples. In order to meet the needs of Hong Kong couples, the church will also mail them a notarized marriage certificate two weeks later, indicating that their marriage is legal.

According to reports, there are 104 professional and semi-professional wedding chapels in Las Vegas. When it comes to wedding expenses, Ed said that a wedding in the United States costs an average of $17,000. In Las Vegas, people spend an average of $250 to hold an ordinary wedding in a church. The church can provide a priest, flowers, music, and a photographer to help take 50 photos with a digital camera. The pastor can receive a $50 tip from the bride and groom for each wedding he officiates, which is his entire income.

Convenient marriage and easy divorce

Las Vegas was once nicknamed the "Divorce Capital of the World." Later, Clark County changed the law, making it more difficult for people to get divorced here. Nowadays, the "Divorce Capital of the World" has been taken by Las Vegas' neighbor Reno. It is said that there is a "River of Rings" there, and the estranged mandarin ducks like to throw their wedding rings into the river when they divorce. But Cheryl said that it is still very simple for people to get divorced in Las Vegas today. As long as one of the couples has lived in Las Vegas for 6 weeks, the Family Court can dissolve their engagement.

The young bride is 12 years old

When talking about the oldest couples here to register for marriage, Cheryl said that the oldest American groom is 101 years old, and his old bride is 90 Get ahead. This happened a few years ago. The youngest bride is only 12 years old. The reporter was surprised and asked: Why are child marriages allowed? Cheryl explained that because there was a court order, we just followed the rules. Based on a petition from the child's parents, the court held a hearing. The judge made the decision on child marriage for many reasons. The girl may be homeless and may mature prematurely and require adult care. Some brides are only 15 years old, but the groom is 49 years old. Generally, the age difference between these teenage couples is 5-8 years. When children reach the age of 16, they can go here to get a marriage license as long as their parents agree.

When night falls over Las Vegas, the casino ushered in its most energetic and charming moment. While people are keen on gambling in hotels and casinos, it is also the time when couples are busy getting marriage licenses from the Clark County Marriage Registration Bureau and holding weddings on the streets and in wedding chapels inside casinos. The wedding service industry has become the third pillar industry in Las Vegas.