Neon Museum Elopement

Julia and Bryan planned their Neon Museum elopement in just two weeks! We met in a brides group on social media when Julia was looking for a dress. After bonding over our shared love for David Bowie and horses, she found a photographer for her wedding! (It’s me, don’t worry!).

When they said they wanted Neon Museum wedding photos, I wasn’t surprised. You know how some people are just effortlessly ‘cool’? That’s Julia and Bryan. She rides Mustangs and Bryan is a pro skateboarder. They met as teenagers – Julia told me Bryan had shaved his eyebrows to look like Bowie and that was it for her. I didn’t even need all weekend to see how incredible they are together. Just the one meeting outside the church and I knew.

When I arrived at the Vdara hotel it was a hive of activity. Julia had her friends with her and Orion the Pomeranian stayed at her feet the whole time. I love animals so much and he was such a little darling. I’m pretty sure he loved posing for the camera – just look at his face! It is obvious where he gets his model good looks from! 

The Las Vegas Elopement

After some family photos we piled into the fancy white stretch limousine. This was my rockstar moment, in a limo in Vegas with a bride who even looked like my hero. The cheekbones!! Honestly. 

We arrived at the Little Church of the West just as the sun was setting behind the hills. Bryan was waiting with friends for his wife to be. His face when he saw Julia was such a joy to see. They shared a smoke and a hug, and then it was wedding time! I will take a brief pause here to mention how safe Las Vegas felt during the pandemic. This is not my first quarantine wedding, but it was my first quarantine wedding in Las Vegas! Masks were mandatory everywhere and the hotels provided so much. Even the officiant at the church kept his mask on to protect the happy couple. Quarantine weddings also produce unusual wedding photos, which I am 100% here for.

Considering he had not met the couple before, the officiant did a fabulous job and his words sounded so personal. Julia was accompanied down the aisle by her incredibly proud (and cool!) father and stepfather. There was some slight difficulty getting the rings on, which was hilarious! After a joyous first kiss as a married couple they bounded out down the aisle followed by their loved ones. 

Wedding Guests are the Best Guests

I would just like to take a moment to talk about those loved ones as they were a hoot! With smaller weddings and elopements I get to spend more time with guests. Both sets of parents were so fun, and Julia’s stepfather is from London so we had a chat about the homeland. He also gifted me a small Rolling Stones pin he was wearing, which was so touching and I’m proudly wearing!! Because of the athletes and skateboarders, cowboys and cowgirls, the wedding looked like something from a movie. 

You can imagine the hilarity that ensued during the group photos as I asked ‘the gentleman in the hat’ to move slightly. As you can see – there were lots of gentlemen in hats! Speaking of photos – I was able to shoot this wedding partly on film and my heart was so happy.

The Neon Museum

For years I’d been dreaming of a Neon Museum wedding since my first visit there in 2016. Julia and Bryan helped me fulfill that dream by choosing to have their photoshoot there. We were allowed fifteen minutes to take photos, and the countdown felt like a gameshow challenge. Quite fitting for a Las Vegas elopement!! This was an incredible photoshoot to wrap up an incredible wedding and the vibe was SO them. We hurried back to the A/C of the car and I dropped the new Mr & Mrs off at their hotel.

Please join me in wishing Julia and Bryan all the happiness in the world.

Vendor List

Photographer: MOI | Bride’s dress: Reformation | Veil & overskirt: Smitten Bridal | Wedding venue: Little Church of the West | Photoshoot venue: The Neon Museum | Film developing: The Darkroom