Unusual Las Vegas weddings: Get married by plane, ship or coaster

By Richard N. Velotta

Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Las Vegas is known as the “Marriage Capital of the World.”

Clark County issues an average of 315 wedding licenses every day. That’s more than 100,000 betrothals a year.

While most ceremonies take place in chapels, including many on the Strip, Las Vegas is famous for its over-the-top weddings.

Here’s a list of some of the more unusual places to get hitched:

• 

  Courtesy of Treasure Island

  On a pirate ship

  Treasure Island calls ceremonies aboard its pirate ship “Song Ship Weddings.” The ship’s captain performs the ceremony, and it’s fairly common for members of the ship’s crew to swing into the scene on ropes.

  Some brides and grooms dress the part for the festivities.

  And when it’s all over, they really can call each other “mateys.”

• 

  Heather Cory

  While skydiving

  When men say they fell for their wives, they probably aren’t speaking literally.

  But, if they really want to take the plunge into married life, they can arrange a ceremony with Vegas Extreme Skydiving.

  The company has a skydiving preacher who performs ceremonies on a plane as it ascends to jump altitude.

  Once the final “I do’s” are said, the married couple takes the plunge, arriving to a party with well-wishers in the drop zone.

• 

  Courtesy of Maverick Helicopters

  By helicopter

  Maverick Helicopter offers a Grand Canyon wedding package that takes couples to a plateau overlooking the Colorado River for marriage ceremonies.

  The romantic setting is enhanced by having the event at sunset, followed by a flight back to the night lights of Las Vegas.

  Couples should keep in mind the Grand Canyon isn’t in Nevada, and they need a marriage license from Arizona.

• 

  Courtesy of the Silverton

  In an aquarium

  Some married Las Vegans who bought during the real estate bubble have found themselves in a home that's underwater.

  But it’s rare to find a couple who takes their wedding vows underwater before making their home together.

  At the Silverton casino-hotel, couples can marry in a 117,000-gallon salt-water aquarium with 5,000 exotic fish witnesses.

• 

  Leila Navidi

  In the sky

  The Stratosphere offers an assortment of thrill rides on top of its 1,148-foot tower.

  They also can form the backdrop for weddings.

  Couples can tie the knot at the Chapel in the Clouds on the 103rd floor, at indoor or outdoor observation decks at levels 108 or 109, or on a private balcony overlooking the city from the 112th story.

  There’s also a thrill ride package for couples who want to say, “I do,” before riding the Big Shot, Insanity, SkyJump or X-Scream attractions.

• 

  Leila Navidi

  On a roller coaster

  New York-New York offers couples a chance to get married while falling on a 67-mph roller coaster.

  For $600 in the morning or $700 in the evening, the resort will block out 15 minutes to conduct a wedding ceremony between screams. That includes a minister.