Vegas dream wedding takes place in Burnaby

It looks like Burnaby resident Danielle Callaghan won't be having a blue Christmas now that her dream of a Vegas wedding has come true.

The 28-year-old was going to marry her fiancé Jim Mellish in Las Vegas last summer, but the pair had to return home due to an illness in the family, Callaghan told the Burnaby NOW recently.

"On July 10 we left, we went to get married in Las Vegas Nevada, and we went there and a few days later, right before the wedding one of our family members got very, very ill and they said we had to come home to say our goodbyes, so we left right away," she said. "We left with intentions of getting married and unfortunately our dreams and wishes that were all planned and paid for didn't end up going through."

The couple wasn't able to recoup any of the costs, so they decided to approach a local casino and see if they could have a simple wedding there instead.

"Jim and I always wanted a Las Vegas wedding and we had to come home from Vegas, so we thought the next best thing is the Grand Villa Casino," Callaghan said.

But, as casinos are not known for their subtlety, Callaghan's plan for a simple replacement wedding turned into a Vegas-style extravaganza once Grand Villa decided to help.

"They got back to me and they came up with these big elaborate plans and I was like, 'oh my good Lord, I've been blessed. This was God's plan to get us married after all these years,'" Callaghan said.

And so, a year after getting engaged at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Callaghan and Mellish were able to have their dream wedding ... all without leaving home. The couple tied the knot Dec. 7, after a week or so of planning by the casino.

"Grand Villa is paying for everything. It's a blessing from God," Callaghan said. "Jim and I are getting married on Dec. 7, and seven is our lucky number here at the Grand Villa."

Kathryn Rehm stepped in as marketing manager of Grand Villa at the end of November, and the wedding was her first assignment, she said.

"I heard about this wonderful girl getting married, and so I just wanted to make it work for her, so we set aside two rooms for her at the Delta," she said. "We ordered up an Elvis because she almost cries when she talks about Elvis marrying her and it's adorable. And we thought showgirls would be fun to bring that Vegas vibe. And then we're getting some pink flowers because pink's her favourite colour, so it's actually me being a wedding planner right now, which is really fun."

Elvis hosted the wedding and serenaded casino guests afterward, according to Rehm, and the couple had dinner at Personas Café.

Rehm is getting married this summer, she said.

"I'm actually getting married in June, so I have some experience planning," she said, adding she thinks this is the first wedding the casino has held.

Though it required a lot of planning in a short amount of time, Rehm said it seemed like perfect timing, during the season of giving.

"We thought why not give back to someone who couldn't get a wedding done in Vegas due to unforeseen circumstances, so we wanted to help out, just a good deed," she said. "It's the holiday season and we thought, why not make someone else happy?"

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