Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel

This is no veiled threat to Las Vegas, but the Gold Coast should take a tourism tip from Sin City when it comes to gambling on the wedding industry.

Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

Know what tourism trick the Coast is missing?

I do … literally.

While there’s no better wedding backdrop than our stunning city, we don’t exactly make it easy, let alone affordable, for lovers to tie the knot here.

Now, that’s not the fault of our town but the wedding industry itself, with data from industry group ABIA Weddings Australia finding that an ‘average’ wedding now costs $40,700.

Is it any wonder that marital rates are dropping faster than a bride’s nightie? Indeed, some three-quarters of Gen Z and Millennial couples admit it’s too expensive to get married in the current economy, according to a survey by the Thriving Centre of Psychology.

Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

But here’s the hitch … as the lifestyle capital of Australia, we can turn this wedding industry weakness into our city’s strength by packaging up the ultimate holiday upgrade – wedded bliss on the beach.

Considering the Coast is already an iconic destination for family-friendly holidays, we’re really overlooking one of the biggest trends in weddings worldwide.

From Posh and Becks to Jamie and Jools Oliver to, well, me and my husband … I can 100 per cent recommend adding a vow renewal to your next vacation.

Of course, we were lucky enough to make it a threesome with Elvis in Las Vegas, with our kids witnessing the whole event.

See, the biggest flaw in the whole marriage-then-baby-carriage plan is that your kids miss out on the biggest and best day … but we sure rectified that.

The absolute highlight of our four-night visit to Sin City was being driven by Elvis, aka celebrant and legendary performer Ron DeCar, to our 20-year vow renewal at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

With the two of us perched in the back of a classic pink convertible Cadillac, Elvis drove us straight through the doors of the chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard. Smoke billowed all around us as he grabbed his mic and started serenading “That’s All Right”, while we hopped out of the car and headed down the aisle where our two teens waited for us.

Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

Our ‘wedding’ dance was, of course, to ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, where our children could not help cringing, and then a final family dance to ‘Viva Las Legas’.

As far as family memories go, it was absolutely priceless. And, especially compared to virgin vows, affordable.

It was also incredibly easy to organise, we booked it just the day before, and the video and photos package we received were honestly better than the original from 20 years ago (to be fair, the original pics were on actual film that had to be developed).

Some might say that a Vegas vow renewal is clichéd, but I’d call it iconic.

It was such a personal and meaningful memento of what has been the best holiday ever for our family, and I’d love to see our city offer tourists the same sort of experience.

Because it’s not just a win for the wedding stars.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the wedding industry was worth $2.5 billion in tourism spending in 2022, with about 80,000 couples marrying in the city.

Mr DeCar, the king of weddings himself, reckons he officiates at a minimum of 150 Elvis weddings a month – including the nuptials of stars like Matt LeBlanc and Usher – with Vegas itself currently celebrating its 70th anniversary as the “Wedding Capital of the World”.

Now, we’ll never beat this US city at its own game, nor should we try, but there is more than just a little synergy between our towns. From casinos to sports to the whole ethos of having a good time, the spirit of Vegas is in our veins.

With elopements and vow renewals on the rise, now is the time for the Gold Coast to commit.

From the financial figures to the feel-good vibe that our Vegas vows gave us, it’s surely worth the city taking a gamble on the industry. All we need is to say I do.

Ann Wason Moore and Michael Moore renew their wedding vows at the Viva Las Vegas Weddings chapel, part of the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel.