US
Las Vegas weddings could set new record on New Year’s Eve due to ‘specialty date’
Las Vegas wedding venues are gearing up for a potentially record-breaking New Year’s Eve due to an unusual date pattern.
This Sunday falls on what is known as a “specialty date” because, when written in American style with the month first, the date is 12/31/23, which has a repeating 1-2-3-1-2-3 pattern, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
To top things off, the date coincides with a day already famous for blowout celebrations, as people bring in the new year – with some choosing to join together in matrimonial bliss.
“It’s a double whammy,” said Melody Willis-Williams, president of Vegas Weddings, which operates multiple venues.
“Anytime you get these specialty dates, they’re always hugely popular. But tie that in with New Year’s Eve and it’s a showstopper.”
Vegas Wedding’s The Wedding Chapel is preparing bespoke decorations for New Year’s Eve. Pic: AP
Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve married his long-time girlfriend Guilia Marra in Las Vegas in November. Pic: AP
Las Vegas, in Clark county in southeastern Nevada, is famed for its enormous casinos, opulent hotels and entertainment venues, and novelty architecture, including a glass pyramid.
Every year tens of millions of people flock to America’s so-called “Sin City” for its shows, gambling and pool parties.
On a typical New Year’s Eve in the party town, around 450 to 550 couples tie the knot, according to the Review-Journal.
The existing record number of 4,492 marriages in the city was set on 7 July 2007, with a specialty date of 07, 07, 07.
In second place is the 11 November 2011 – also known as 11, 11, 11 – when 3,125 couples said “I do”.
Ms Willis-Williams’s company alone expects to marry more than 120 couples on 12/31/23.
Five of those couples will wed just as the clock is counting down to midnight.
They will follow in the footsteps of famous couples who got hitched in Las Vegas including Elvis and Priscilla Presley, and Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
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The first practice session of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is halted after eight minutes.
Couples who marry on specialty dates in Las Vegas describe them as “magic dates” that are easy to remember, according to Clark county clerk Lynn Marie Goya.
“I think the celebration that has a group dynamic is really appealing,” Ms Goya said.
“When everyone is in line and they’re all getting married and excited about being in love, it just enhances their own experience.”