Las Vegas Surprise Vow Renewal - Lance & Donna's 35th Wedding Anniversary

Lance came into Las Vegas with his wife Donna on a business trip, and that was all she thought it was, strictly business. But she was in for the surprise of her life. Lance and Donna have been married for 35 years, and in that time Lance has never been able to surprise her. He decided it was time to change that!

Lance, with the help of their three children and spouses, set up a surprise vow renewal ceremony in Las Vegas for Donna.

Lance surprised Donna on their helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, telling her he had planned a vow renewal ceremony. When they arrived back at the hotel, all three of their children and spouses were standing there. She had no idea they were all in town and couldn't believe they were all standing in front of her! Her kids had it all lined up. Heads Will Roll Salon came to do her hair and make-up. Her children helped her get ready and put on the gown they had picked out for her from Rent The Runway.

And then, it was off to the desert for their vow renewal ceremony. Donna had been told it would be performed by Elvis. She wasn't super excited about it, but she was trying to be nice and appreciative. I took Lance and Donna away from the predetermined ceremony location to do some extra couple photos. This way Donna wouldn't see who was actually going to be performing the ceremony until it was starting.

When their children and the officiant were all set up and ready they called us out of the bushes (literally, we were stomping all around these cool desert bushes)! And as Donna turned the corner, she realized it wasn't Elvis. Instead, it was their dear friend and minister, Wayne, who had married them 35 years ago at the Homewood Church of Christ in Birmingham, Alabama. Wayne and his wife Carolyn flew into Las Vegas from Alabama for this special occasion!

Donna was in shock and so excited to see it was NOT Elvis and was instead the man who had married them, as well as all three of their children. It was the sweetest moment to capture and the perfect final touch to the whole surprise! 

This bridal bouquet, by Sara with Cultivate Goods, was Hawaiian inspired since that was their honeymoon destination 35 years ago.

So many things that day almost went wrong, but thankfully it all come together perfectly. There were a few close calls of almost seeing the children before the surprise on the day of the ceremony. So Lance would have to point in a different direction to keep Donna from seeing her children.

Wayne and Carolyn were set to fly out of Alabama the morning of the vow renewal ceremony, but their flight got canceled. They finally, hours later and with the help of a friend who worked at Southwest, were able to get seats on a flight to Vegas that would arrive just in time. When they landed, they changed their clothes in a restroom and then headed straight for the desert. They showed up at the ceremony location with about 20 minutes of sun remaining. Phew, the timing could not have been any more perfect!

It all ended up working out wonderfully! Lance pulled off the most romantic, sweetest surprise, EVER!

Photography | Kristen Kay Photography

Florals | Cultivate Goods

Minister Wayne | Heritage Place Church

Hair and Make-up | Heads Will Roll

Bridal Dress & Sash | Rent the Runway

I feel so honored to have been a part of something so sweet and magical! Thank you, Lance, for this perfect surprise idea. And huge shout out to Donna & Lance's oldest daughter, Stephanie, for finding me on Instagram and being so wonderful to work with on this surprise!! You were ALL such a joy to capture and hang out with for the evening! Thank you for making my job so fun!

This stunning Las Vegas Vow Renewal was featured on Bridal Musings, a beautifully curated wedding blog!