Joey and Crystal's: My Dad's Vegas Wedding Weekend!

In early February, my dad got remarried in Vegas. I don't know where the idea came from, but he decided that he wanted to tie the knot at an Elvis chapel there. Although Vegas is not my first choice for a weekend getaway while pregnant and with a toddler, it was a pretty convenient 4-5 hour drive for us and I couldn't miss my dad's big day!

I expected it to be a pretty small event and I was really surprised when over 20 people RSVPed - including my Great Aunts who live in upstate New York. I guess it's hard to say no to an Elvis wedding weekend in Vegas. This made me even more excited about the weekend - to get the chance to spend time with family and see my dad get married!

We left SD on Thursday night around 6pm so Jack would sleep in the car. He's had a few bouts of car sickness lately and we were hoping to avoid a mess if he slept most of the way. As we drove there, I couldn't help but thinking about how strange it was that this was Jack's second time to Vegas before his second birthday. How many kids can say that?! Last year around this time we were there to see Joey's sister and husband who were there for a conference.

We arrived at the Mirage around midnight and even though Jack was sleepy, he was mesmerized by all the lights and sounds. I definitely felt like a bad parent pushing a stroller through a casino at midnight. We got to the room as fast as possible and tried to get some rest for the big weekend.

FRIDAY DAY

On Friday morning, my dad was up bright and early exploring the casino and running errands so we met him for breakfast. The casino across the street had a Hash House A Go Go - a very popular breakfast spot in SD that is always too busy for us to try out - and it seemed like as good a time as any to go.

After breakfast and a short nap, we went to the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden at the Mirage to see the dolphins, tigers, and lions. It was overpriced, like all things in Vegas, but it was conveniently located in our hotel and we knew Jack would enjoy seeing the animals. We started with a little underwater viewing of the dolphins. Jacks was loving it!

Then went over to see the many exhibits of tigers. Jack has been obsessed with his little stuffed tiger at home lately and he seemed excited to see the real thing.

We found a tiger made out of a bush and Jack really wanted to ride it. He begged me for like 5 min. "Ride? Ride? Tiger? Ride?"

Then back over to the dolphin pool to see their training session. Again, mesmerized.

We spent almost 2 hours there total and Jack loved it, so we felt like we got our money's worth.

FRIDAY EVENING WELCOME RECEPTION
Around 4pm we headed to the lobby bar for a little welcoming reception for the wedding guests. We told people to meet us there to say hello and grab a drink as they came into town. My brother Jason from LA was there with his date, as well as many of my dad's friends.

We quickly found out that children were not allowed in the lobby bar (oops, I forgot to check ahead of time) so Joey lingered for a few minutes on the other side of the wall and then took Jack to ride the escalators in Caesars, which he loved, while I stayed and caught up with my dad's friends that I hadn't seen in forever.

I had also created little information handouts for the guests so everyone knew the plan. My dad loved the little Elvis cartoon and is planning on framing a copy.

It was a good turnout. Lots of my dad and Dawn's friends from Georgia and Florida could make it along with a lot of Dawn's family.

The bride and groom-to-be seemed excited but a little nervous. I think they were having a mild case of cold feet!

Joey came back with Jack and we hung around a little more before grabbing dinner with my brother and Aunts, just as they arrived from the airport. Here's a picture of Jack with his grandma to be - or Mimi as we have been calling her. :)

After dinner, Jack and I went to bed while Joey met up with the wedding party for a night on the town...

FRIDAY NIGHT OUT!

Joey met up with my brother, dad, Dawn and some of their friends and they all took a cab down to old Vegas. At my dad's request, Jason brought jello shots from LA - it wouldn't be a party with my dad with out them!

I'm not exactly sure what happened after that but by the looks of the pictures I saw on my brother's facebook wall and on Joey's phone, it appears they went to a biker-ish bar where both my soon to be step mom and Jason's date danced on the bar....

And then the guys ziplined down the strip

So it looked like a pretty fun night!

SATURDAY MORNING

The next morning, I knew Joey would be tired so I took Jack down to Starbucks for breakfast while Joey slept in a bit. I love taking Jack to coffee shops. He is so adorable to hang out with and very easy to please as long as I can find yogurt and fruit.

Around 9am, we met my Aunt Lorraine and Bev and headed to the Hoover Dam. It was on their bucket list and we didn't want to hang around Vegas with a baby anyways. It was a beautiful day.

My aunts did the Dam tour while we hung around - riding the escalator and walking around.

Jack climbed up on the same compass he crawled on just a year ago. He was having a blast running around it in circles saying "I'm a monkey! Ooo Ooo. I'm a monkey!" He's such a little goof.

2015

2014

We were so happy when Jack fell asleep in the stroller. It's hard to get in those naps on the go!

We met back up with my aunts and headed back to Vegas to relax before the main event that night.

SATURDAY EVENING - THE BIG EVENT!

Back in the hotel room, we took a little rest and started to get showered and dressed. Jack quietly entertained himself with his puzzles while we got ready. He's such a good boy lately!

He wasn't too crazy about putting on his little vest outfit though so we had to sweeten the deal. A sucker did the trick - but we had to cover him from head to toe to keep him clean.

Here we are, all dressed up.

We met the family in the lobby and headed over to the chapel.

Everyone looked so nice. :)

We drove ourselves but caught a glimpse of my dad and brother in the limo on the way over. Nice ride!

The exterior was a little underwhelming but about what I expected.

My aunt Bev and I posing by all the Elvis memorabilia.

A couple shots of the ceremony location. It was a small room that held about 30 people.

And a couple shots of the guests waiting for the fun to begin!

My dad and Dawn were officially married by a minister before the ceremony in another little room. I was one of the witnesses.

And then it was time for Elvis to put on the show. He came in singing and dancing. He was quite the character.

My dad's friend Lenny walked Dawn down the aisle.

Elvis gave a little spiel about love and was pretty entertaining.

Jack and I had front row seats!

He performed a few songs, danced around, and put on a good show. My dad was a little uncomfortable at first and didn't really know if he should dance or just stand there - but he warmed up as it went a long.

He announced them husband and wife, they kissed, and they walked down the aisle - almost like a real wedding!

After the ceremony, we hung around to take a few family pics. This one is all family - both my side and Dawn's.

And one of just me and my brother with my dad. We missed you Ken!

Before we left, Jack got a chance to meet Elvis. He LOVED him. He was so entertained during the ceremony and after kept asking "Where Elvis go?" and looking all around the building for him. It was so cute. He's got to be one of the only 2 year olds who knows who Elvis is!

And like that, they were married and we were off to the reception to celebrate!

SATURDAY NIGHT - THE RECEPTION

We booked the lounge at the Planet Hollywood in Caesars for the reception. Nothing fancy, just a couple hours to mingle and have some appetizers and cupcakes.

Here's the happy couple as they arrived.

Joey with my aunts.

My brother Jason.

Me and Joey.

Jack took to my Aunt Bev quite well and she entertained him most of the night.

Jack was quite popular in general really. He was the only kid and he got lots of attention!

Jack got his fill of junk food too. Mac and cheese, calamari, chips, potato skins...yikes!

About an hour in, a few people gave a toast to the new couple...

And we did a little cupcake cutting.

Jack thoroughly enjoyed his cupcake! (Double yikes!)

After that, the guests started to thin out so we said our goodbyes. It was almost 10pm and we needed to get our munchkin to bed! Here's a picture of me and my brother.

And one with my Dad and new step mom!

We got back to the hotel room and Jack fell asleep as soon as he hit the sheets...but the night wasn't over yet. Joey went down to the casino to play a little craps and I tried to go to bed. About an hour later, my little Jackpot was throwing up in his crib! He was so tired that he just laid in it and tried to keep sleeping. Y-U-C-K. I frantically cleaned up the mess and got him back to sleep as clean as I could. An hour later, he did it again! At this point, I needed help and Joey came to the rescue - with lightening speed I must say! I felt so bad. I felt like we were awful parents, letting him eat all that crap and make himself sick! :( Lesson learned. But then again, he's not the first person to overindulge in Vegas...so I guess it was a fitting experience.

SUNDAY

As you might imagine, Jack was still exhausted the next day. We went for a morning walk and he fell asleep in the stroller. Poor little guy!

We had plans to meet my dad and family for brunch at 11 but Jack needed his sleep so Joey stayed behind with him - and took a little nap himself - while I met up with the small group.

My aunt Lorraine gave the newlyweds a nice gift...

And we enjoyed a leisurely 3 hour champagne buffet brunch. Although no champagne for me :(

For the rest of the afternoon, we just spent some time with my Dad and Dawn in the hotel room. Mimi spent some time bonding with Jack.

About 45 min before it was time for us to leave, I decided I wanted to do a little gambling too! I'm not a gambler at all and the only thing I even like to play is video poker. I found a machine, put in a $20 and gave it a go! I had great luck and ended up winning about $100 in just that short time! Cha-ching! It offset some of Joey's losses at the craps table. Or at least justified my numerous Starbucks purchases.