The Cosmopolitan Hotel – Laura + Craig – Las Vegas Wedding Videographers

 

Craig is an attorney and an Accountant working for a small CPA firm in North Dallas.  Laura is a Sales Executive for Marriott International currently working in Fort Worth Texas.  Laura is also known as the Wedding Whisperer as she has planned 100’s of Weddings and knows all of the secrets to a successful Wedding.

Craig and Laura met on Match.com, it was her first week on the site and Craig vowed it would be his last.  When Laura popped up as a Match for Craig he was immediately mesmerized by her beauty especially a striking pose of her alongside a Maserati.  He contacted her straightaway and did not have to wait long for a response.  Laura was equally impressed with Craig’s profile and invited him to email her through her Gmail account.  Their witty exchange via email drew tears of laughter and the daily phone calls began immediately and lasted for hours at a time.  It took nearly a week for Craig & Laura to coordinate their first date, but they already felt as though they had known each other for years.  As a matter of fact they discussed ideas for their wedding before they even laid eyes upon each other. Who said online dating doesn’t work?

For their first date, Craig and Laura met at Roaring Fork for drinks and Appetizers before heading to her friend’s house for Game Night.  “I felt like I knew Craig so well, it was like 3^rd date conditions, I was ready to introduce him to my closest friends” explained Laura.

The wedding day was memorable in every way, but for Craig it was when he saw Laura walk out onto the balcony escorted by her father.  Before the couple said their I do’s, Craig included that “All I could think was how stunningly beautiful she looked and how lucky I was that she was going to marry me, I never felt so happy in my life.”

Craig & Laura thought their Wedding Day was absolutely perfect, but their most favorite part of the day was having both sets of parents with them, especially Laura’s dad who had never flown before. Laura stated that “I loved feeling like a princess spending the afternoon in the Spa getting my hair and makeup done.  I did not have anyone with me since there were no brides maids but the staff made me feel really special.”  When Craig and Laura went to pick up their marriage license the day before the ceremony, they were thrilled to encounter a gay couple also at the Courthouse obtaining their marriage license.  Craig approached the couple at the counter and said “I told my girlfriend we would not get married until it was legal for everyone to get married, thanks a lot guys” he quipped sarcastically.  All jokes aside, Craig and Laura were thrilled with the fact that Nevada had recently passed marriage equality.

To couples planning their wedding, Craig and Laura advised “If I could offer one piece of advice to other couples planning their wedding is do not sweat the small stuff.  Ultimately it just comes down to the two of you, the where, the when and the who do not matter at all.  It’s about making that commitment to be on each other’s team supporting one another for life, no matter what.”

“Choosing our wedding location and date was a real challenge, none of our friends or family live in the area, the closest are over 3 hours away so we realized immediately it was going to be expensive for our guests to share in our celebration.”  said the couple. Laura had already planned to take Craig to Las Vegas to see Bruno Mars in celebration of his birthday and Craig suggested that they simply get married while in Las Vegas.  It took some convincing since Laura is a Certified Wedding Planner but when she realized that being married was truly all that was important to the two of them, location, date and attendees no longer mattered.  As an employee of Marriott International Laura had selected the Cosmopolitan Hotel, a Marriott property, for the birthday weekend, then later upgraded the room to a large suite and planned to hold the ceremony out on the Terrace at sunset overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.

Vendor selection remained critically important to Laura as she wanted to capture the Celebration in both photos and film to share with loved ones who would not be there with them on their Wedding Day.  Laura has worked extensively with wedding vendors in her line of work and searched diligently for just the right ones.  “If I was getting married in Fort Worth I know exactly who I would hire, but in Vegas I was starting at Square One with my research” recalls Laura.  Craig selected the officiate for the ceremony based on reviews and photos as well.  “Craig has a keen sense about people, he can accurately vibe them out based on their photos and he was spot on when he selected Kymberli Smith, she was very cool, super professional, responsive and a wonderfully warm spirit, she immediately made us both feel comfortable”.  The Wedding Video was the MOST important detail for Laura, so once that was selected she asked Memory Lane for a photographer recommendation and both she and Craig were very pleased with Larry Ankeny of Las Vegas Photo Group.  “Everyone was professional and focused, we wanted a quick ceremony followed by photos and video on the strip and our photographer and video team worked extremely well together which made the whole event stress free for Craig and I.” added the couple.

Laura discovered Memory Lane Video online through researching various websites and found their work to be the most impressive.  “I remember my first phone call with Ricky, he was quick to respond which is important to me and I really loved his energy.  I can hear the passion in his voice, I knew instantly that this was the videographer for me”, Laura shared with a smile.

Laura and Craig knew more than anything that they simply wanted to become husband and wife, nothing else mattered to them.  Through open communication and a common goal of making their marriage a reality with little stress, little expense and no drama their decision to elope to Las Vegas was an easy one and when asked to describe their day, they both respond without hesitation “PERFECT”.

If Laura and Craig were to give their advice to couples planning on getting married, it would be to “remind them that the day is all about their love and the beginning of their lives together. In the end, nothing else matters.”

Laura & Craig based their decision to book Memory Lane Video based on the quality products and services they viewed on the Memory Lane Website.

No other video companies came close to being considered for the wedding video.  Craig and Laura only wanted the best for their special day and they found it..

On the Wedding Day the thing that Laura and Craig most admired most about Memory Lane Video was how well they coordinated the whole process creating a seamless event.

Video was significantly more important to Laura and Craig than any other element on the wedding day including Wedding Dress, Location, and photography. Video was number one to them.  “Someday our parents will no longer be with us, but we will always have them in our wedding video.   We can relive our Wedding every day, we just wish our parents had made a wedding video. There is no price you can place on those memories.” said the couple.

Craig and Laura are planning a 2 week trip to Italy for their Honeymoon where they plan to roam across the countryside discovering food and wine along the way. Wow, that sounds incredibly fun!

• Cosmopolitan Hotel

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