Thank you, thank you to my amazing husband Scott Tilley for flying me to Vegas to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary. It was without a doubt one of the most epic trips we have EVER taken! Much of what happened in Vegas will definitely stay in Vegas, but the rest is here in this 'somewhat' clean-er-ish version of our trip to dirrrty Vegas! As we checked into the Paris Las Vegas hotel on Thursday and headed up to our room on the 30th floor, I could hear the Jersey Boys' song Sherry
playing in the elevator on my way up. And I thought to myself, Nice touch Paris. Nice touch.
The room was gorgeous, the views were spectacular, and we enjoyed French toast and mimosas for breakfast at Ile St. Louis which looked like an outdoor café, though it was actually just a re-creation on the casino floor.
We spent the afternoon gettin' pumped up for the evening with DJ tunes near the Eiffel Tower at the Paris hotel pool, and then set out on for a stroll along the Strip. We stopped by the Mirage Hotel and Casino, The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, and the MGM Grand which has a 45-foot, 50-ton lion in [its] pocket and baby he's ready to roar!
People close to me know how much I LOVE colored lights (Christmas lights, fireworks, neon signs at dusk, the Chinese Lantern Festival, etc.), so Las Vegas was a total feast for the eyes for me. The first time I saw the Bellagio Fountains (which were just across the street from our hotel) was to the overwhelming sound of Time to Say Goodbye
(recorded by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli) with powerful audio enveloping the entire block. The second time, I literally gasped as the water shot over a hundred feet into the air to the music of Bolero.
The third time I saw the Bellagio Fountain show (which was at night), I stopped briefly in my tracks amidst a crowd on the walkway over the street and shot one stunning photo. The fountains are so incredible; I could watch them for hours.
Friday was dubbed the Bachelor/Bachelorette Re-Party, and the festivities began at the Harley Davidson Café where over 15 custom motorcycles are on display including bikes from Billy Joel, Elvis, and Ann-Margaret; and a Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail ($500,000, 28-foot-high, 15,000-pounds) tops the exterior. Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, the café houses the The World's Heaviest Flag
(44,000 chain links, almost 10 tons, 40 feet from the ceiling) and a replica of the Captain America
bike seen in the movie Easy Rider. The evening culminated with Cirque du Soleil's sensual Zumanity cabaret-style show which was not only provocative and playful
as billed but also sensational, mystifying, and unexpectedly hilarious. I was wowed.
The Saturday of the our 22nd wedding anniversary was kicked off with a round of cinnamon fireballs and Sangria Rojo at Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina strip-side patio where we relaxed, chatted, and reminisced about our wonderful life together. After a change into wedding attire, the evening then progressed to Prime for a delicious lamb chop dinner at the Bellagio's beautiful four-star steakhouse. Then it was time for going to the chapel and we're gonna get maaarried ... Goin' to the chapel of love.
We made our way via limousine to the world-famous Little White Wedding Chapel where famous couples who've tied the knot at the historic location include Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Judy Garland and Mark Herron, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy, Slash and Perla Ferrar, Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, Joan Collins and Peter Holm, and more. During our vow renewal ceremony in the Chapel L'Amour, I cried as Scott said all kinds of mushy things about how much he loves me.
After the ceremony, our up-next destination was the Luxor Hotel and Casino to see the Fantasy showgirl revue. And oh my gosh, 1 dressed-up couple + 2 front row tickets = OMG. Total hilarity ensued when showgirls led Scott backstage and he reappeared later as Elvis singing Hound Dog
and doing the craziest lip curl, booty shake, and fancy dance footwork I have EVER seen him do. The crowd went nuts. I don't even remember the last time I laughed SO hard for so long. It was barely topped by the grand finale helicopter tour of the Las Vegas strip which was total sensory overload. So thanks for the wonderful memories, and viva Las Vegas!
