Beat the Heat with these COOL Wedding Ideas

In honor of the blistering heat we've been experiencing out here in Las Vegas, I've decided to post some creative ideas to keep your guests cool during hot spring and summer weddings.

Program Fans: By using inexpensive popsicle sticks you can make your wedding programs double as a fan for your wedding guests. They'll be thanking you!

Popsicle Bar: Nothing is more refreshing after a warm ceremony than a delicious fruit popsicle. Serve them alone or in a glass of champagne. Cocktail pops are also a fantastic treat. Recipes are all over the web, like this one for Cherry Apple Whiskey Sour Popsicles.


Block the Sun: Purchase some mini tubes of sunscreen to hand out to your guests so they can lather up! A sunburned guest is an unhappy guest.

Provide Shade: Whether its trees, umbrellas, or tents, provide your guests with some shade to hang out under.

Ditch the Heels: Nothing is worse than wearing high heels for hours on end. Well, maybe wearing heels for hours in 100 degree weather is. Provide your guests with flip flops, so they can kick off their heels and really enjoy themselves! Coordinate them with your wedding colors.

Most of all, on a warm wedding day remember to keep a positive attitude. It may be hot, but it could be worse... like pouring rain!

Themed Wedding: Wizard of Oz

I love using costume jewelry to add something unique to your bridal ensemble. While cruising Tarina Tarantino’s site I saw her Wizard of Oz collection and was immediately inspired!

For a Wizard of Oz wedding you’ll need:

• Red sparkly shoes
• A yellow aisle to walk down (follow the yellow brick road!)
• Blue checkered linens
• Picnic baskets—fill with flowers for centerpieces or give them away as favors!
• Light pink bride’s maids dresses (Glinda the Good Witch)

Your color scheme should be an array of colors. Oz is green; Dorothy’s shoes are red, her dress is blue; the road is yellow; she has a silver companion; Glinda wears pink! I think you get my point.

Have your bride’s maids carry a star wand instead of bouquets. Have the grooms men (three would be perfect!) wear a grey suit, a brown suit, and a black suit representing the tinman, the lion, and the scarecrow. If you’re really into your theme you could have your ring bearer and flower girl dress like the munchkins.

Label your tables

• Kansas
• Munchkin Land
• Oz
• Glinda’s Wand
• Tinman’s Heart
• Cowardly Lion’s Courage
• Scarecrow’s Brain
• The Witch’s Broom
• etc.

Don’t forget to have the sayings “There’s no place like home” and “Lions and tigers and bears” somewhere at your reception.

Mandalay Bay Wedding Chapel

This month I had the pleasure of meeting with Ada at Mandalay Bay. Working as the Chapel Director for over five years she's seen thousands of weddings. Under her direction the chapel has won several awards including The Bride's Best Wedding Chapel 2008 and The Knot's Best of Weddings 2011.

The Mandalay Bay Chapel is home to three rooms. They are beautifully decorated in a monochromatic minimalistic tone. The decor is identical, however their sizes differ. The Platinum Chapel is the largest and can accommodate up to 100 guests. The Gold and Silver Chapels can hold up to 50 guests. Mandalay Bay's Chapel does about 1,500 weddings each year.


Mandalay Bay also offers "weddings by the water". Say "I do" on Las Vegas' only beach. The world famous wave pool will create a beautiful backdrop for your ceremony. These weddings are possible Sunday through Thursday at 7 or 8pm. Weddings by the water can accommodate up to 150 guests. Ada does about 200 weddings on the beach each year and she wants more!


Mandalay Bay is also starting to host weddings at Minus 5 Ice Lounge. The bar and lounge is kept at a constant temperature of minus five degrees Celsius. The decor is mostly crystal featuring several ice sculptures made from pure Canadian ice. Saying your vows in this icy wonderland would be truly unforgettable. The Ice Lounge can accommodate up to 150 guests in a reception setting.

Other reception venues include the 1,500 square foot Vista Suite or any of Mandalay Bay's several restaurants. Mix restaurant is located at the top of the hotel, providing breathtaking views of the strip. Aureole is a four diamond restaurant that boasts a menu of seasonal dishes, as well as a four-story wine tower complete with its own Wine Angel Stewards who gracefully retrieve the wines. Shanghai Lilly is also a beautiful choice with unique decor featuring ancient forms of Asian leisure with romantic lifestyle themes.


Mandalay Bay is also home to the world-famous Chef Vincent Pilon. Born in France, Chef Pilon has years of experience and has become a Master Chocolatier. His expertise will make your wedding cake and desserts to die for.

With over 25 wedding packages ranging from $750-$23,000, we can help you find the right one for your wedding. Mandalay Bay also has its own floral department, photographers, catering and pastry chef on-site, so you don't need to worry about anything on your big day!

Hard Rock Cafe: Las Vegas Boulevard

Do you want to have a rockin' wedding? If so, this venue is for you.

Boasting original outfits, microphones and guitar picks used by music legends such as Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Tina Turner, Elton John, and Madonna, the Hard Rock Cafe is one of a kind.


Located on the second story the cafe provides a panoramic view of the strip. Take photos with New York New York, Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, and City Center in the background without moving more than a few yards!


The Hard Rock Cafe is very reasonably priced. To buy out the entire third floor the Food and Beverage minimum is $25,000. This can also include retail in the store located on the first floor. The third floor can seat up to 450 guests or accommodate up to 800 for a reception setting. With over 20 monitors, with two separate feeds, you can have a slideshow or music videos running throughout your reception. Custom menus are available, including a buffet style dinner.


Outdoor weddings are possible at the Hard Rock Cafe! Celebrate over the famous Las Vegas Boulevard with up to 65 guests on the patio. The venue also has a chapel! Featuring dozens of photos of famous couples, from Yoko Ono and John Lennon to Elvis and Priscilla. The chapel can accommodate up to 85 guests for a ceremony and 100 for a reception. For a smaller wedding specific areas can be used. The Cavern Club can hold up to 60 guests and the Iron Curtain Lounge can hold 30-40 guests. In the Iron Curtain Lounge your guests can even play with the Microsoft interactive touch screen tables!

Overall this venue is extremely diverse. Indoors, outdoors, big, or small, Simply Weddings by Brit Bertino and the staff at the Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas can make your wedding visions a reality.

Introducing the New Tropicana!

The Tropicana Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1957. The desert resort soon became the unchallenged "Tiffany of the Strip," a metaphor first used by the Saturday Evening Post. Over the years they expanded, adding two 100+-room wings, a theater, the 600-room Tiffany (now the Paradise) Tower, and more.

It spent many years as one of the strip's most prized properties, but in 2010, the new owners, Toronto-based Onex Corp. and former MGM Grand and movie studio executive Alex Yemenidjian, decided the Trop needed some revamping.

The owners put millions of dollars into the renovations, giving the resort a new South Beach Miami motif. With bright floral carpeting, waterfalls, and the new Club Nikki, Nikki Beach, and Cafe Nikki, the Tropicana is making a comeback.

We were lucky enough to score a visit with Victoria Nuner, the Tropicana's on-site wedding coordinator.

First things first, we headed to the tiki hut-style wedding chapel. Seating up to 80 guests, its the perfect spot for an intimate ceremony.


Next we cruised on over to check out the NEW Trop's event space. With over 60,000 square feet of flexible space, including a 25,000 square foot Grand Ballroom, wedding planners and brides can let their imaginations run wild!

After talking some logistics we headed over to some of the resorts top attractions. Staying in line with its new theme, the Tropicana is now home to one of South Beach's most popular nightclubs, Club Nikki. Along with Cafe Nikki, and Nikki Beach, guests can party inside, party outside, or have a delicious meal!

Club Nikki boasts 15,000 square feet of fun. Along with Nikki Beach, guests can stay cool indoors or have fun in the sun, or under the lights of Las Vegas. Its all white color scheme makes it the perfect setting for a wedding, providing plenty of flexibility to add your own colors and decor. Nikki Beach has climate-controlled teepees in the place of private cabanas, making the venue ideal for weddings year round. Its truly the place for a one-of-a-kind wedding. The club even has a swing that can circle around the room, where their champagne fairy usually sits.


For a more intimate reception, Cafe Nikki is your answer. Its a smaller venue with a more relaxing feel, with a patio that makes it perfect for a temperate fall or spring wedding.


The Tropicana wants to help Simply Weddings by Brit Bertino give you the wedding of your dreams. They have no vendor restrictions which allows us to find the best choices for you and your groom!