Viva Las Vegas

I know the suspense is killing you and you’re wondering why, how, as if… Jake the experienced traveller possibly could miss his flight… well the secret is surely out by now.

The reason we ‘missed our flight’ home to Berlin is because, on our last night in New York I was sipping on my apple-infused old-fashioned in this pokey romantic bar in the ‘meat packing district’, reminiscing about the amazing past week we had just had in New York and how this was all to come to end tomorrow, when the waiter handed me a message that said “Let’s get married in Vegas”. At first I thought the waiter was trying to tell me something, until I noticed the handwriting and the smug grin on Naomi’s face and instantly the constant joking suggestions of how easy and amazing it would be to wed in Vegas turned into a reality!

Even though at first I thought ‘great joke Naomi’, it just started feeling right. We talked about it and decided, as amazing as it is to have the massive wedding with all your family and friends present and one million dollars in debt later, we came to the realisation that this is the most special moment in our lives and this one tiny moment should be experienced and shared with just us, and of course Elvis! It all just felt right and as much as there was the constant voice of Mumma Rita (being the angel on my shoulder of course) telling me it is not the traditional thing to do, I thought of how rules are made to be broken and this is actually my dream come true and we had no time to waste. It was now or never! We had to do it and we couldn’t expect our family and friends to pay all this money to share this with us overseas, so we decided to go for it and just have a huge wedding party when we return to Australia. I think I vouch for all when I say the reception is the best part of the wedding anyway!!

So we skulled the last of our swanky cocktails, jumped on the subway and got on the phone to change these flights. Flights changed, new ones booked to Las Vegas and no idea what we were actually doing, we told our new friends who we were staying with our sporadic idea and they were all for it and were so excited for us which helped to settle our nerves a bit. They were so lovely and supporting and made us a love bed on the floor of their gallery for one more night in NYC before our flight the next day to Viva Las Vegas!!

The whole plane ride I fought the gut wrenching nerves and kept on telling myself this was the right decision and how amazing to one day tell the grand children “Grandma and Grandpa got married by Elvis”!

We landed in ‘Sin City’ close to midnight, picked up our hire car and drove to the Flamingo Casino for our first night in this buzzing city.

We woke up in the morning and decided to make some rough plans. As easy as it sounds to walk in and get hitched, we still needed to know what we were doing! So we jumped in the car and drove out of the city for a drive along Route 66. We were headed to the Grand Canyon for a night of sightseeing and a chance to think and plan without the distraction of the lights and noises of Vegas!! The drive was so magical and the whole experience was just so special. Driving and stopping in hick ghost towns, eating buffalo burgers at an amazing diner called Road Kill and the romance of the Grand Canyon at sunset. The day’s events slightly calmed the nerves and helped us decide and plan the most important day of our lives!

Back in Vegas I managed to hook us up with possibly one of the best deals I have secured for myself in my travel agent life – I sweet-talked our way into an upgrade to the penthouse spa suite of the MGM Grand Casino with the most breath-taking view over the strip and the never-ending desert of Nevada. We took a visit to the marriage registry office, signed up for my new title as Naomi’s husband, chose our chapel and our Elvis and walked in and said our “I do’s” and sealed the deal which made me the happiest man in the world to have the most amazing beautiful and caring wife for the rest of my life. The whole experience was a dream come true and I am glad the beans have been spilled and everyone knows our news and I can happily tell the world Naomi Jankowski (Cassar!) is my wife!!! – Sorry Mum you can now maybe understand how it just happened! xx

See more Wedding photos on the photographers blog - Aussies tie the knot Vintage Vegas style {Naomi + Jake}