Cosmopolitan’s pop-up chapel offers weddings on a whim

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join together this man and woman in holy matrimony because she likes the numbers "2-1-12."

"I like the way they sound," says the mystery bride before her Feb. 1 wedding. She and her husband hope to keep their marriage a secret for a year. "And we wanted something easy for him to remember."

In Las Vegas, a cool anniversary date is as good a reason as any to get married. Well, aside from the whole "being in love" thing. But at the Strip's newest wedding chapel, Pop-Up Wedding Chapel in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, you don't even have to be in love to get hitched. You can say "I do" strictly for the privilege of cutting in line at the nightclub. Or to declare your undying devotion to your BFF before you move to London. And yes, people have married for both reasons, chapel workers say.

Recently, two friends -- one married, the other single -- even contemplated marriage just to get the chapel's cake pops. The nuptials were abandoned after they discovered the delicious confections are available in the gift shop for $2 each.

Of course, such weddings aren't legally binding, not without a marriage license. But the Pop-Up faux ceremonies have turned out to be a popular draw, outdoing traditional weddings almost 3-to-1.

"The chapel is a new twist on a Las Vegas tradition, the impromptu wedding," says Lisa Marchese, chief marketing officer for The Cosmopolitan. "Whether you want to come in and renew your vows, get hitched or even just try marriage on for 24 hours with a faux ceremony, it will undoubtedly be a memorable experience."

Virginian Chanity Elliott, 25, will never forget her faux marriage to her real fiance, Todd Askins, 35. Their wedding is planned for May 5 but after she and a friend stumbled onto Pop-Up and became part of a stranger's vow renewal ceremony, Elliott was hooked. She wanted to get hitched.

"I called my fiance and said, 'Let's get married tonight,' " she recalls of that January night. "I couldn't talk him into doing the real thing but the Pop-Up ... was so cool."

The chapel, which opened in December, faces the Strip. Pedestrians can stop and watch real, live weddings through the giant windows, which adds to the quirkiness of it all, says chapel associate Eloise Negrete. The employees' white tuxedos, sans tie, also lend a touch of chic to the atmosphere.

There are three packages that come with a variety of party favors and perks. The Hitched in a Hurry, $80, comes with two cans of champagne, two eraser rings and one picture from the photo booth. On a Whim costs $125 and comes with the eraser rings plus a silk bouquet, T-shirt, two photos, four cans of champagne, party favors and two cake pops. Going to the Chapel, $195, is the premiere package. It comes with a bottle of champagne, eraser rings, silk bouquet, two photos, party favors, two T-shirts, six cake pops and VIP entry for four to the Marquee nightclub.

The line to the club often wraps through the casino, Negrete says, and a few people have gotten fake-married just for those club passes.

The Pop-Up concept is based on a phenomenon that started in retail in the early 2000s and has since gained in popularity, Marchese says. These experiences would "pop up" unannounced, draw customers quickly and then disappear or morph into something else.

"It keeps things fresh and creates a must-see, moment-in-time opportunity to experience something unexpected," she adds.

The mystery bride and groom who really got married on Feb.1 chose Pop-Up because it was so casual and fun. The bride, 26, saw it on Facebook. The couple are locals who wanted to get secretly married to avoid putting a financial burden on the groom's family.

"I think it's funny, the whole idea that people can just come in or stand outside and watch," she says.

The couple met online while playing "World of Warcraft" three years ago so they're into quirky experiences, the bride says. Plus, she was able to bring her 3-year-old son and daughter, 4, and let them run loose during the ceremony.

And run loose, they did. Up and over the raised platform they ran, behind Pastor Pete as he said the things ministers say while they're marrying people. The boy, who was chosen to be ring-bearer, clutched two oversized, diamond-shaped eraser rings in his tiny hands as he frolicked.

Each Pop-Up package comes with two tokens that couples put into an antique gumball machine to retrieve their "wedding rings," which are ridiculous and fun.

Only a few minutes into the ceremony, Pastor Pete called for the rings. The little boy ran away.

"What do you need these for?" he yelled at his parents as they coaxed him into handing them over.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @StripSonya on Twitter.