Ben and I chat often via instant messenger while we are at our respective jobs. I hadn't chatted with him for a couple of weeks, and when I logged in and asked him if anything was new, he had quite an interesting response. He said that he and Louise were getting married in Las Vegas in about three weeks. He said they decided to get married there to avoid any immigration issues (Louise is from Scotland). I told him that Angel has been talking about going to Las Vegas anyway, so if he didn't mind some company we'd like to come. He spoke to Louise, and the plan was set.

[I arrive on the scene]

Angel and I arrived in Las Vegas around 4pm on Friday. It's been such a cold winter in Chicago that the warm sunny weather was sweet. It wasn't long before we had a few drinks and were walking around the strip, taking in the atmosphere.

[Much frozen booze at dinner]

Angel and I went into a bar and got ourselves one of those yards of frozen margarita. We waited to meet up with Ben and Louise. Angel also called a friend of hers from college, Patrick. We had dinner together, and then we took a walk around. Since Patrick works at Bellagio, he gave us a guided tour with an inside perspective.

[A fine picture of us]

Angel made me include this picture. I personally didn't think it was anything special, but she said that she looked hot. Notice that I am wearing shorts. The weather was perfect, mid 70's during the day, mid 50's at night.

[Ben nearly falls]

Ben and Louise had been drinking for many hours in Las Vegas. They arrived early in the morning to begin taking care of their wedding errands. They mentioned how interesting the other people at the line to get the marriage licenses were. We were taking their picture just as they reached the end of walking escalator. Ben and Louise went to see "O" (Cirque Du Soleil) so we said goodbye.

[In the Bellagio]

Patrick walked us through the Bellagio. Here we are in the big atrium. The picture turned out a little strange, since I put my camera on the night setting. Bellagio is pretty nice inside, but I hear it costs an arm and a leg to stay there. We stayed at the Monte Carlo. We walked around the casinos and did a bit of gambling.

[Sigfried & Roy; and us]

The next morning Angel woke me up early in the morning. We ate breakfast and took a walk down the strip. It has a different feel in the early daylight hours. After the walk we went to enjoy the pool area of our hotel. Thirty minutes on each side produced a nice darkening effect on Angel. My head got burned (as can observed in later photos).

[Lunch time]

After enjoying the pool, Angel and I got some food and ate in our room. When on vacation I do enjoy a nice size crumb danish after lunch. I watched the Illinois basketball game and she took a nap, although I woke her up to watch the last few minutes. NOTE: I'm not an Illinois fan, but I wanted to relax and watch TV. Also note that my forehead is beginning to show a little redness.

[Video games before the wedding]

About an hour before we had to begin getting ready for the wedding, I called Ben and asked if he wanted to go and play some video games. Angel was helping Louise do her hair, so we didn't have much to do. I assumed the casino would have a nice arcade, but it was a piece of shit. Most of the games were old. One redeeming quality was the air hockey table. We played a few games and then went to our rooms to get ready. I require extra time due to the fact that I am not skilled at tying a tie.

[With these rings...etc, etc]

Angel and I were the only guests at the wedding, and we each were given some duties. I recorded the event with Ben's digital camera. It was small and difficult to keep steady, but lucky for me the entire ceremony took less than five minutes from the point of bride entering to husband and wife leaving. Angel's job was to take a few pictures and to present the rings. Applause was also difficult at the end since Angel was the only person able to clap, and she also had to take a few pictures.

[I wait after the ceremony]

When the ceremony was over, the minister told us to wait outside by the payphones for a few minutes while Ben and Louise took some wedding photos. We waited there for a few minutes. Notice that my head is now bright red. It was a little painful at this point.

[More waiting]

We took a few more pictures of ourselves while we waited. I figure that if we are going to go through all the trouble of dragging these clothes around the country and getting dressed up, might as well capture the moment. Like my tie? Angel picked it out so that it would match her dress.

[Husband and wife arrive]

After about ten minutes Ben and Louise showed up. This picture is about as close to a reception as was had that night.

[After dinner]

After the reception, we went to dinner together at an Italian restaurant in the Monte Carlo, The Market City Cafe. After dinner we went out on the casino floor and did some gambling. I am happy to report that I was finally able to attend a wedding without having to do the chicken dance.

[Buffet time]

The next morning we met up to enjoy the buffet. We went over to Aladdin because our shuttle bus driver told us they had a nice buffet. It was quite outstanding. Ben remarked it was the best buffet he had encountered. We stuffed ourselves for at least an hour.

[I love the Game King]

As happens throughout the day, Angel and I spent some time gambling. This machine is the only one I used when I was in Vegas. I like the video blackjack. The machine counts my cards and I don't have the pressure of a dealer looking at me.

[A show for adults]

On Sunday evening Angel and I went to see Zumanity. It's a adult circus thing. I enjoyed the comic antics that happened by a small troop of actors at the beginning of the show and during the transitions. The MC was also and interesting character, a tall drag queen with tons of attitude. As for the acts, they were typical circus things with a boob sticking out here and there.

[After the show]

We got some drinks and went to go watch the Bellagio fountain show. We waited there for about fifteen minutes only to find out that it was deemed too windy for the fountain.