One of the last weddings performed in public in Las Vegas was on St. Patrick’s Day. The groom wore a dark suit. The bride wore a rockabilly-style black halter dress. The minister was Slash from Guns N’ Roses — or, rather, a licensed officiant performing as the shaggy-maned, top-hatted guitarist. As ceremonies go at the Rock & Roll Wedding Chapel in the Rio Hotel & Casino, it was fairly traditional.
“They had an amazing time,” says Alexis Lopez, the chapel’s wedding coordinator. “And then we got kicked out.”
That day, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak had ordered a lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, closing casinos and dozens of other types of businesses deemed nonessential, from bars and gyms to hair and nail salons. “All gatherings should be postponed or canceled,” he wrote on Twitter.