Some great articles submitted this week. Keep ‘em coming, people!

• Artthailand presents Nirvana is waiting….. posted at artThailand. Beautifully written and great photos to illustrate.
• Artthailand presents Road to Barcelona » Park Guell of Gaudi posted at artThailand. [Pics] Been there!
• Jerry Stearns presents The Seine River is A Must-See When in Paris posted at Life After 50 Travel. Totally agree, a night cruise is especially romantic.
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Profit From The Weak U.S. Dollar With Currency Plays And Other Strategies posted at The Digerati Life. Finance-related but applies to travel to/from the US with good advice.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents 10 Money Saving Travel Tips for Fall. . . or Any Time at All! posted at Fly Away Cafe. Smart, thinking-outside-the-box tips.
• Mary Jo Manzanares presents Your Concierge Can Charge You Up posted at Fly Away Cafe – Where travel is a way of life. (Mary Jo, I know you sent more articles but the limit is two a week!)
• The Free Geek presents The Ultimate Guide to Getting Comp’d in Vegas posted at Free Geekery. If only I’d read this before my trip to Vegas a month ago! Oh well.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Chicago Chow posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Marilyn Terrell presents Honorable Mention: Tuco Tours posted at Intelligent Travel.
• Greg Wesson presents A Tale from Nowhere posted at Greg Wesson’s Esoteric Globe. A lovely snippet about an off-the-beaten-path trip.

If they’re in Vegas, feeling giddy from the flashing lights and abundance of wedding chapels, they might get married, forgetting momentarily the wrath that will greet them from parents once back home.

So, can you just walk into a chapel and marry? Not quite. But it is remarkably easy. As someone who has walked down a Vegas aisle, I’m going to reveal all.

How do you get a wedding permit?

First you pay a quick visit to Clark County License Bureau, a 15-minute cab ride from The Strip. You wait in a short queue for a license which costs around $50. If you’re a US resident you need your Social Security Number and photo ID. If you’re from outside the US you’ll need your passport. You fill in a form each, pay your bill and head to a chapel.

Which chapel to choose?

If you’re staying in a hotel it most likely has a chapel. However, they can be fully booked due to the popularity of Vegas weddings (over 120,000 a year). Don’t worry – there will be plenty of hawkers outside the License Bureau trying to cajole you into going to their chosen chapel, with limo additional.

There are budget chapels, there are drive-thru chapels, there are chapels with Elvis. How did we choose our chapel? Via the Yellow Pages. How romantic.

What happens at the chapel?

You enter (either having booked, or for some you can just walk in like we did), present your new license, choose how many frills you want with your wedding (flowers, photos, etc) and pay first and sign the marriage certificate.

Then it gets kind of surreal if it’s just the two of you, the minister and the witness (who’s usually the receptionist). They play the wedding march, you walk up the aisle – I was in jeans – and then you hold hands and repeat those classic vows. Next, you’re married! There’s cake and champagne, but you have to hurry it up before the next couple arrives.

Why marry in Vegas?

Well, it’s kind of wacky and fun. It’s cheap, if you’re already in Vegas. It’s certainly a relaxed affair. If you’re an introvert, it means you escape the crowds. But of course many people have a planned Vegas wedding with friends and family.

What are the cons?

If your parents have been dreaming of your special day for years… well, you’re letting them down. But you can always have another ceremony later.

It’s also not particularly romantic. It’s a bit cheesy. You might be cheating yourself of a wonderful day where you dress up and be the center of attention at home. But it’s personal choice.

And if you’ve just met the person that night… you’ll be waking up with more than a hangover. You’ll have a new spouse!