Having run out of ideas on how to make my day job more tolerable, I finally made up my mind that after four years at the same company, I would have to start looking for a new job. Being on a temporary work Visa from Canada, this was not slated to be an easy process. I had heard through the Occupational Therapy grapevine of gossip that after your third visa renewal it is a lot more difficult to convince U.S. officials at the border that you are working temporarily in their country. Apparently they tend not to believe you and give you a maximum of three months before you have to leave the country for at least six months.
This was not a good option for me because I have a love, a dog, and very happy life in Portland. Tyler and I decided that we would have to get married sooner rather than later, so that if I was given that three month ultimatum, I could stay in the country under his permanent work visa.
Being as I was already planning a destination wedding for forty people in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for February 2011, I delegated the planning of the civil ceremony to my practical husband-to-be. He quickly decided it had to be done in Las Vegas, Nevada as we had traveled there together many times and always had a great time. One Saturday night in September we sat down at the laptop and looked at many cheesy websites showing couples holding hands in hot air balloons, hot pink cadillacs, helicopters...you name it.
I was of the opinion that we should keep it low-key, as I wanted to save the b
ig emotions (and big money) for February. We were lucky enough to stumble upon the Little White Wedding Chapel and its very convenient drive-thru wedding option for $129 U.S. We booked it immediately for October 9th, 2010.
Me being the excitable social connector that I am, I immediately invited my twin sister (and boyfriend), an old friend from elementary school and her husband, and my great Portland friend and her husband. It was a random assortment of people and was likely to have increased in size quickly if Tyler had not taken me by the shoulders and gently shook me back to reality by saying, "Meg, lets keep it simple, all these people are already coming to Mexico, right?".
So we kept it at eight people, which happened to be the exact number of people the limousine could seat to/from the chapel. We booked a flight and hotel (Treasure Island) and then I searched and found a hot little white dress and a gorgeous white shirt for Tyler to wear with his suit.
Sitting in the Portland airport on our way to Vegas, we agreed that for the duration of the trip, we would suspend the "Massage a day" challenge. As those of you know who have been, in Sin City the days and nights run into each other and we knew we would be drinking, partying, and getting married!
