Not Another Guide

so i haven't been back online to write anything recently...  but i realized it's because i've been so dang busy with these summer weddings (and of course, constantly running after my 2 children).  it's two weddings in particular that i've been dealing with the most - my cousin's and my brother-in-law's.  i've done calligraphy (wedding invitation, bridal invitation, & placecards) for both, bridal shower planning, dealt with flowergirl dresses, bridal party attire...  a list of wedding details a mile long.  not to mention both these weddings are in southern california, so money spent on gas used driving back and forth is something i don't like to talk about...

but what's been the most time consuming is planning the bachelorette party for my cousin vanessa and the bachelor party for her fiance lee.  they want the traditional drunken debacles expected from las vegas bachelor parties, and debauchery is what i will give them!  since i live in vegas, it seemed only natural that i be the liason between them and this fun-filled (usually deemed sinful) city. 
i thought it would be fairly simple to plan both, since partying in vegas is usually cut and dry:  nightclubs, alcohol, limos, stripclubs, adult pools, more alcohol...  but i'm a big believer in getting the most bang for your buck.  i've already mentioned before that it's a lot easier to get around the las vegas strip when you have connections, and i fully intend on utilizing those connections!  it's actually amazing to me how much tourists are willing to spend on things that i can get comped or half-price.  lee's best man found a package at sapphire gentlemen's club for $1300+...  i set up a comparable package for $450.  insane.

weeks into planning these bachelor/ette parties, though, have proved a little more difficult than expected.

many of these deals i can get (always through a nameless contact in my phone labeled "so-and-so comped dinner/bottle/show/limo" given to me by a friend who has already gotten a deal from unnamed contact) are contingent upon how many guests will be attending.  and i know now that it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get an exact number of attendees in advance.  people are texting me saying, "i won't know if i work that day until early that week" or "i think i'm coming, but i'll get back to you soon"...  etc.  so that's problem number one.

problem number two is some people attending these parties are las vegas locals while a majority of them are from california.  las vegas locals get special discounts on certain things (i.e. tickets to chippendales - yes, i'm taking vanessa to chippendales.  if it's commonplace for the guys to go to a stripclub, i can let vanessa indulge in some almost-entirely-undressed man dancing on a stage, even if it's funny & unappealing to even imagine.)  so now i have to find a way to get a local's price for the californians.  not impossible, but i'll have to enlist the help of some friends with nevada driver's licenses.

my last problem, and most disconcerting issue, is that i'll get a deal from one person...  then a couple days later, i'll hear of a better deal that someone else got on the same thing.  for example, my girlfriend said she could get a buy one bottle-get one free deal at vanity nightclub.  sounded great!  but then another girlfriend talked to another hookup at that same club and got me one comped bottle on top of the buy-one-get-one-free deal.  this obviously worked to my advantage.  BUT.  that same friend set us up a cabana at daydream (the adult pool at the m resort) with a $450 food & beverage minimum.  sounds fine.  last weekend i went to daydream for a birthday bash, and the birthday girl got her cabana with a $315 food & beverage minimum.  um, hello?  please introduce me to the person who set up that deal.  for a savings of over $100, i'll shmooze with anyone you want.

the point is, you can find a lot of loopholes to get the best prices for anything you do in vegas.  you might have to know people to get the very best prices, but even if you don't...  take some time!  search on ebay for show tickets.  ask hotels about military or aarp discounts.  ask about summer specials.  whatever.  ask and you shall receive...  it never hurts to ask...  i can go on with cliche sayings, but i'll spare you.  for now i have to get back with my party planning...  good luck with yours.  :)

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Eric just bought a $100 gift card to Vegas.com for half the price on eBay because he thought it'd be nice for us to go to dinner and a show or something as a date...  get away from the kids and have our first adults-only evening in the past month (although it may be another month or so before I can even find anyone to take the kids for a night!).  Anyway, he told me to browse through the website to see what I'd like to spend the money on...

Perusing through all the options on Vegas.com made me realize how much crap there is to do in this town.  From helicopter tours to burlesque shows to golfing, tourists have an endless amount of things to choose from!  I was almost overwhelmed looking through the website, and I'm FROM Vegas!  I just kept clicking on link after link and everything started looking the same after a while.  Another thing that overwhelmed me was realizing that things get pretty pricey pretty fast around here.  It really does pay to know people who know people that get you into all those shows and whatnot for free (which we take advantage of with absolutely no qualms).  :)

After thinking about it, I'm sure that while on vacation at any point in my life, I paid those ridiculous prices (Maui, Italy, Monterey, Mexico...  okay maybe not in Mexico...), and I'm equally sure the locals were laughing all the way to the bank.  The things we do (or prices we pay) for a little luxury in life, huh?  Next time, I'll do more research!  Or better yet, I can use notanotherguide.com to get a local's perspective since I now realize the value in that!

I don't really know what my point is - I was just amazed at what this city has to offer.  I'm lucky that my husband finds these good deals, or else I don't know if anything we spend our money on would even be worth it.  Well, anywhere I go with Eric is worth it (and the audience goes "awwwwwww").  Can't wait for our date night!  Whenever it may be... 

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So my big project right now is planning my cousin Vanessa's bridal shower.  I've been oh-so-honored with the title "Matron of Honor," which totally makes me sound like an old lady.  But her sister - young, beautiful, and fresh as a daisy - is the Maid of Honor.  It's only right that in comparison, I - the older, married, tired mother of two children - takes on a more matronly title.  No matter.  I am only happy and excited to be taking part in her grand wedding, taking place in Downtown San Diego.  

Needless to say, I've got weddings on the brain.  Ever since I started planning my own wedding in 2008, I completely fell in love with everything to do with weddings.  It's actually made me seriously consider finding a wedding planning job (a difficult task for a journalism major with no event planning experience, but that's venting material for a different blog).  The thing about getting married in Las Vegas...  There's a stigma attached with the phrase, "We got married in Vegas."  It brings about the connotations of "elopement," or "shotgun wedding," and worse yet "elvis minister".  My mother got remarried in Vegas when I was about 12, and it was then that I realized that getting married here didn't have to include a drive-thru wedding chapel.  There are some beautiful places to get hitched here, both major casino resorts and small wedding chapels on The Strip included.

I see this all may be a little hypocritical, coming from a girl who got married in Laguna Beach.  But my husband and I have good reason for choosing a location in California.  We were living in Orange County when we got engaged, and we both have family in Southern California.  Most important of all, we thought if we had a destination wedding, we'd have have a smaller guestlist (which also doubles for the reason we had it the day after Thanksgiving).  A little devious, but our wedding was a lovely wedding with 75 guests - all people we knew really cared to be at our wedding during a holiday weekend.  Anyway, if Eric and I did choose to get married in Vegas, I have no doubt we would have found something just as perfect, especially because the choices here seem endless.  Maybe for some future anniversary, we can renew our vows here (hint hint, honey).

Back to reality.  Vanessa's wedding is this summer, my husband is the best man in his brother's wedding a week after, everyone's getting engaged...  it's madness.  I still love everything about it.  People say weddings are commercial, a way for big businesses and individual vendors to mark up their prices by exponential amounts...  But I can't help but give in to it all!  Oh well.  I'm just a sucker for anything lovey dovey.  I blame Disney princess films, not myself. 

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So is it totally dorky to be excited about starting my first personal blog?  Well, at the risk of being that dork, I am actually quite excited.  I don't exactly know who's interested enough to read anything I write, but maybe my blog will be purely cathartic, if nothing else...

So in my blogs I think I'll write about anything...  from mundane details of everyday life (for instance, I am currently craving sweet tea from Raising Canes) to the more interesting (such as my huband partaking in this years World Series of Poker - if he chooses to this year anyway).  And, keeping my fingers crossed, hopefully I can contribute at least one Las Vegas guide to this website.  I will feel completely accomplished and will believe in my heart of hearts that my journalism degree was put to use at least once in this lifetime.

So...  welcome to me! 

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