GO BIG OR GO HOME, VEGAS-STYLE
alumni of this renowned establishment.
Forty years of marriage flashed past faster than the rolling barrels of a slot machine, with birthday parties, school fees, family holidays, first cars, designer clothes, etc, being agonisingly recounted, all that reduces one to an impecunious state later in life. The groom pleaded that as pensioners maybe desk lady could circumvent all these punitive requirements, but no, she dug in saying nothing was negotiable.
Alright, just forget it, we’ll buy some Californian sparkling and sip it straight from the bottle in the parking lot. Realising that we were not about to liquidate our pension fund, she came up with a brilliant idea. We could use the gazebo and park benches outside the worldfamous chapel for our economy-driven ceremony at a cost that could well suit our pockets. And, what may that cost be? We could use it at zero cost. What? In Las Vegas? Something for nothing? Lady Luck was looking down on us, we’d hit green on the roulette wheel.
Before desk lady’s medication wore off, we quickly assembled outside, best man, groomsman and bridesmaids then walked down the aisle followed by a hobbling couple who took up their places under the gazebo. In less than 60 seconds some endearments were exchanged, followed by some snapshots so we could be reminded of this special day. But before departing, some Japanese tourists insisted they take some real photographs to show folk back home what happens in Vegas. We hoped it would stay in Vegas. Oh well.
With that behind us, the next pursuit was to find an item of jewellery incorporating a ruby of minimal proportions with concomitant price tag. We found a pawn shop with an entrance fronting onto a parking lot. Out came trays of assorted sparkling stuff but only one piece, a bangle, had a small ruby set in it. The groom was in luck, his bride approved and, after some protracted bargaining, an unsatisfactory price was reached and money reluctantly changed hands.
All that remained was to celebrate this milestone in style by way of a wedding breakfast. Up the road a Denny’s Diner beckoned and there bride and groom shared the pensioners’ special, a dire concoction served by hungover waiters trying not too hard to recover from the previous night’s fun. No point in chilling after celebrating, the boys hit the closest casino and the girls went shopping.
A bow-tied fella manning a blackjack table succeeded in recovering the wedding chapel’s lost turnover in a matter of minutes. Seems like our luck had run out and it was time to saddle up and get out of town. — © Brian Carlin
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