Lovebirds are flocking to Las Vegas to propose inside gondolas, atop a faux Eiffel Tower and overlooking an enormous fountain. DERRIK J. LANG travels to Sin City to find out why.
Everyone knows Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world.
But with mega casino-resorts like The Venetian, Bellagio and Paris now offering all-in-one proposal packages and entertainers such as Blue Man Group and Toni Braxton welcoming audience members to pop the question in front of everyone, maybe Vegas is becoming the proposal capital of the world, too?
In 2006, the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau issued 112,531 marriage certificates, an average of about 131 an hour -- a number that quadruples on Valentine's Day. However, that's nearly 10,000 fewer Vegas marriages that happened in 2005.
While there are no statistics on the number of marriage proposals that happen in Vegas, it's obviously far easier to ask "Will you marry me?" while overlooking one of Vegas' natural or manmade vistas than to orchestrate the entire wedding ceremony there, well, unless you're just really nervous.
WITH THIS RING
Over the past decade, Sin City has moved away from its spur-of-the-moment seedy reputation to showcasing real-life luxury. The city's marriage bureau is no longer open 24/7. Fancy restaurants have replaced strip clubs. And towering, themey buildings have usurped gaudy neon signs.
"Las Vegas has more of the aspirational attractions that are suited to those moments now," says Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman Erika Pope. "We've been famous as a wedding destination for decades and decades. I think the evolution of Las Vegas' luxury hotels and restaurants and nightlife over the past several years has lent itself to becoming a romantic destination for other occasions, too."
Pope isn't just referring to proposals, honeymoons and wedding vow renewals. Last year, Vegas topped a survey from BabyCenter.com as the No. 1 baby-making vacation destination. Why has Vegas become the go-to locale for such life-changing events?
"It's such a romantic place," says Tamara Miller, who recently accepted her boyfriend's proposal on the gondola ride at The Venetian. (Watch the asap video at right to see the proposal.) "There's so much to see, so much beautiful scenery to take in. I couldn't imagine a more romantic proposal."
SWEET SPOT
Melissa Drumheller, entertainment talent manager for Paris Las Vegas, became a de facto proposal consultant after her department took over operation of the resort's Eiffel Tower replica in 2003. She regularly fields calls from men who want help planning the perfect proposal inside the observation deck atop the 540-foot-tall structure, the site of hundreds of proposals a year.
"Some do it quietly and don't tell us," says Drumheller. "They just buy their tickets and go to the top. And some try to plan some very interesting scenarios that involve our help because we have very strict rules and county codes to adhere to."
The strangest proposal to take place above Le Strip? A wannabe groom proposed to his girlfriend while clad in full Scottish attire -- kilt, bagpipes and all -- and "played a little jig" after she said yes, according to Drumheller. Talk about culture clash.
Proposing in Vegas can range from inexpensive to costly. Standing on the sidewalk in front of The Bellagio's fountain show is free while renting Paris' observation deck across the street is $2,500 an hour.
The ring, of course, is not included.
Derrik J. Lang is an asap reporter and blogger for The Slug
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