They Had the Last Pre-COVID Wedding in Vegas!
We're approaching the fifth anniversary of the COVID shutdown. Meet a North Carolina couple who had one of the last weddings in Las Vegas before the city went dark!
Sometimes, thereβs just not enough time for something borrowed or something blue. Sometimes, you have to throw stuff in a suitcase, race to your twin sisterβs house to pick up your wedding dress, and book a last-minute flight to Las Vegas to say βI doβ before a pandemic officially shuts down the world. Just ask Casey Kerr β she knows that story all too well. Casey and her husband DJ may very well have been the absolute last bride and groom to exchange vows in the City of Lights before it was forced to go dark until further notice.
As we near the fifth anniversary of the COVID lockdown, weβre reflecting on some of the highs and lows of that jarring time. And fitting squarely in the βhighsβ category, hereβs one coupleβs tale of last-minute chaos, waylaid plans, and a wedding story theyβll continue telling for years to come.
Casey and her fiancΓ© DJ were already in the throes of wedding planning when news of the pandemic swept the world. In fact, theyβd already put down deposits for their venue, florals, and cake. Theyβd planned a rather large wedding, with a guest list of roughly 250 people.
βOur wedding was coming up that first weekend of May,β Casey tells us, βand around March 15, things in our area in North Carolina started shutting down. I started getting calls from some of our vendors, saying, βWeβre being told we canβt do it. At this point, weβll just have to see how things go.β It was really scary because COVID was starting to seem like it could be a really long-term thing.β
To a certain extent, we can all relate β the initial fear of unknowns that turned into questions about how to pivot in the face of something none of us had ever experienced before. And with their big day looming and plans falling through left and right, the couple had a decision to make.
βThe Sunday or Monday before, it seemed like everybody was starting to cancel, saying they would hold our 50% deposit and postpone,β Casey tells us. βI kind of started freaking out.β
But Casey and DJ leaned into adapting β they were the definition of flexible. βIβve gone to Vegas for a work conference almost every year, so Iβve been to Vegas a lot,β Casey says. βI had always seen couples getting married, and it looked fun. It always looked like they were having a good time. So, when I freaked out, DJ said, βWhy donβt we do the Vegas thing?β He started researching the news coming out of that area and said, βTheyβll probably be the last place that shuts down.'β
They launched into hyper-planning mode, grabbing Caseyβs dress and her twin sister on the way to the airport and not even phoning her parents until they were on the road.
With only a few hours of in-flight time to secure reservations, Casey paid for WiFi and got to work on a ceremony venue. βThere were two or three other places that I called outside the Tropicana, but theyβd either taken their last reservation, were full anyway, or were shutting down,β she explains. βSome of the chapels shut down before the casinos, which were staying open as long as possible. We landed on the evening of the 15th, and when we got in a taxi, the driver said the MGM casinos were closing down at midnight. I started flipping. I was like, βDid we really just tell our family we were doing this and we arenβt going to be able to?'β
But luck was on their side. And thatβs an understatement.
The next morning, the couple waited in an extraordinarily long line (they werenβt the only ones rushing to tie the knot!), then raced to the former Tropicana Hotel to book their ceremony slot. βThey were able to take us, show us the courtyard area, and give us options,β says Casey. βWhile we were sitting there waiting β we had to wait an hour until they got done with another wedding that day β we hit a little jackpot on the machine. We didnβt know what we were doing, but that amount paid for our whole wedding!β
Perhaps it was the luck of the Irish. After all, they ended up booking their wedding for the final time slot the following day β St. Patrickβs Day. βThey said as long as they werenβt forced to shut down, they planned on being open the next day,β Casey tells us, βand I said, βWe need whatever youβve got.'β
Casey was hoping for an early appointment, but the casino was booked. βI wanted it as early as possible because I was afraid they were going to shut down,β she shares, βbut all they had was the very last slot. We had to be there at 4:30 for a five oβclock wedding, and that was it. The woman told us, βIf your wedding is at five oβclock, then you guys are officially the last people who will be able to get married in Vegas if they close everything down tomorrow.β And it ended up happening.β
The following day, Casey, her sister Kristin, and her friend Jaqueline made the best of a somewhat frenzied scenario. They found a blowout salon in Vegas and snagged an appointment. βThe lady who was supposed to do my hair called out, and she was the only one who did up-dos, so a couple of the ladies got together and made it work,β says Casey.
βIt definitely wasnβt my favorite, but we didnβt have time to change anything,β she admits of the hairstyle. βMy sister and my friend Jackie helped me with my makeup. They also went to some shop in Vegas that was having a crazy sale, and they both got these cute blush-colored dresses. At the point when youβre starting to feel like itβs not even going to happen, I wasnβt picky about things. I was like, βIf we can just make this happen, thatβs my goal.'β
Fortunately, Casey had the gown sheβd always intended to wear β a beautiful Justin Alexander dress sheβd found in North Carolina at Anna Maria Bridal. And despite not having time for alterations, the dress was a great fit!
Casey and DJ finally got to say βI doβ in the courtyard at the Tropicana. βIt was sunny and 72 degrees; it was perfect,β gushes Casey. βEverything happened so quickly, and I was just going with the flow. After the ceremony, we ended up taking some photos. Then we had a limousine, so we rode around Las Vegas a little bit. We didnβt hire a photographer β I donβt know that I could have pulled that off. But we rode in the limo, and he dropped us off at the Las Vegas sign, and a legit photographer came up with a camera. And he took Venmo. So, we got a professional photographer, just standing in line!β
After the limo ride and spontaneous wedding photo session, the newlyweds headed back to the hotel. βWhen youβre in Vegas walking through the hotels, you hear all the noise and machines,β says Casey. βAnd when we walked back in, all the machines were completely blacked out. It was really weird. What we didnβt know was that while we were getting married, the governor of Nevada came on and said everything would be closing at midnight. No exceptions. So, when we got back to the hotel, they even had the slot machines completely turned off; they were trying to get people out. We always joke that our wedding broke Vegas. When we went into our wedding, everything was still hopping. And when we came out, it was a whole different film. It was night and day.β
In fact, they couldnβt even find a bartender for a celebratory toast, and their planned steakhouse dinner fell through, too. βWe were supposed to eat at a nice steakhouse, and we were looking forward to it β itβs inside Caesarβs Palace,β laughs Casey. βBut we ended up eating our wedding dinner at a place called Nacho Daddy.β
Originally scheduled to fly out two days later, the couple changed their flight plans and returned home to quarantine. βIt was very chaotic but intimate,β Casey tells us. βWe could actually focus on each other and not sweat a big crowd. We didnβt see that situation happening, but at the end of the day, it was a very relaxed, intimate setting and perfect weather. We couldnβt have asked for anything better.β
When the couple returned home, Casey admits it was a really scary time that put her in a different frame of mind. βThe wedding was fun, and then we were home, and COVID was going around, and we were hoping we werenβt sick,β she says. βWe were hearing about all of these different situations and feeling for the people who might have really bad immune systems and seeing reports on the news about the hospitals and ventilators. I had actively been creating my table settings [before we left], and I looked at my table settings and thought, βWhy was I so worried about that?β I was worrying that it wasnβt gold enough. How silly. It put things into perspective.'β
At the end of September, Casey and DJ gathered some family and friends for a reception. βWe had already paid for at least 50% of the deposits on everything, and it ended up that a lot of that was nonrefundable,β says Casey. βSo, we decided to have a little reception party. It was very untraditional. At that point, a lot of people didnβt want to travel because thatβs when that second wave β the Delta variant β came out, and it was stirring back up. We still had food and a DJ and played our wedding video.β
Casey and DJ finally enjoyed their cake, first dance, and so much more. βOne important thing that I didnβt get in Vegas β my dad walked me down the aisle,β Casey tells us. βEveryone stood, and it felt like a real ceremony again, even though we were already married. He walked me down, and we watched the wedding video with our friends and family. It was a little mock wedding.β
RESOURCES
Ceremony: The Tropicana Las Vegas
Reception Party in September: Tessentee FarmΒ Franklin, NC
Reception Photographer: Dani Hansen Photography (Assisted by Brittany Lofthouse)
Reception Cake: Sarah Cantrell Dills of Carolina Cake Company
Brideβs Dress: Justin Alexander from Anna Maria Bridal
STYLEBLUEPRINT RESOURCES:
Planning a wedding? Check out two of StyleBlueprintβs Wedding Resource Guides! (more coming):
- StyleBlueprint Nashvilleβs Wedding Resource Guide
- StyleBlueprint Birminghamβs Wedding Resource Guide
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.