Last October, Rosalyn Reades and Stephanie Quarles walked down the aisle at their destination wedding in Las Vegas. The two lovebirds are both ER doctors who met while working at the same hospital, but sadly, they didn't have a rom-com style meet-cute in the doctor's lounge. "It's not Grey's Anatomy. I wish it was," Rosalyn confesses jokingly. Instead, their love bloomed slowly, spending two years as friends before ever entertaining the idea of dating.
Although Stephanie thought she was straight at the time, she was the one who first realized there might be something more between them. On a long flight from her home in Dallas, TX, to China, she had time to think about her growing feelings for Rosalyn. "I had to make some decisions because I was a heterosexual lady until then," says Stephanie, who was 32 at the time. "And so, you know, this was going to be a life-changing event in many ways." Rosalyn, on the other hand, came out when she was 18, so when Stephanie finally divulged her feelings, she remembers thinking, "You don't mess with straight women.”
Danforth Neal
Luckily, she changed her mind, and after dating for 10 years, the two finally got engaged. Then, it was off to the races to pick the perfect city for their dream wedding destination. They decided on Las Vegas because of the beautiful weather and the hotels' all-inclusive packages offered with their wedding venues. "We didn't want to have to be going back and forth and doing a lot of planning," Rosalyn explains. The pair also wanted to choose a city where guests could kick back and have fun. “We said, ‘Where can people come and have a good time, and when they get there, they’re there to have a good time, right?’ And that is Las Vegas,” she says.
Danforth Neal
Danforth Neal
Danforth Neal
Once they had settled on the perfect destination, they flew to Las Vegas for a whirlwind tour of the spectacular hotels. The couple explored various venues, including Wynn Las Vegas, which boasts exquisite salons and a private courtyard adorned with ivy. They also considered Aria, offering the option of a poolside wedding for a tropical ambiance or a ceremony in the Villosa chapel, featuring a ceiling adorned with stunning chandeliers. However, both Stephanie and Rosalyn were won over by Caesars Palace. Stephanie fell in love with the Roman-inspired architecture, while Rosalyn, initially drawn to Bellagio for its fountains that could be synchronized with wedding music, was eventually won over by Venus Garden at Caesars Palace. Surrounded by trees, the garden feels intimate despite being in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. "Out of the places in Vegas, it was the best one [for us]," she says.
Danforth Neal
Danforth Neal
On their big day, the two brides said their I do's in front of 60 of their closest friends. Both women wore white, though Rosalyn went in a less conventional direction, choosing a strapless jumpsuit with a sweetheart neckline and separate tulle skirt. Stephanie stunned in a white gown with crystal filigree details, a high slit, and a dramatic train that took up the entire width of Caesars Palace's grand staircase, where the couple posed for their first photos taken by Danforth Neal. "In my mind, I knew I was only going to get married once," Stephanie recalls. "Go big or go home."
Danforth Neal
Danforth Neal
After the emotional ceremony—which included a tribute to Stephanie’s late parents—the brides and their guests were shuttled to Ghostbar on the 55th floor of Palms Casino Resort for their reception. They were originally planning to host their reception at Bellagio’s PRIME Steakhouse which has a view of the Fountains of Bellagio, but when they first saw Ghostbar they knew the nightclub atmosphere would be perfect for their guests. The pair loved having all of the club's doors open to take advantage of the breathtaking view of the Las Vegas Strip from the top of the hotel and that there were even speakers outside. "It was such a vibe," Rosalyn says. One of the couple's favorite moments of the night was when the musician they hired started playing K-Ci & JoJo's "All My Life," and all of their guests stopped eating and started singing along.
Danforth Neal
In thoughtful retrospection of their enchanting wedding, Rosalyn and Stephanie acknowledge how lucky they were to be able to have their wedding in a destination that treated them with equality. Wedding planning can be a daunting task under the most ideal circumstances, let alone when you're an LGBTQ+ couple. Inclusivity was vitally important to Stephanie and Rosalyn, who knew they had picked the perfect city when every hotel they visited in Las Vegas rolled out the red carpet for them. "I feel like we were treated like any other couple," Stephanie recalls. "I did not feel like it was any different." They were able to craft the wedding of their dreams while also creating enduring memories in a destination that allowed them to stay authentically true to themselves. And although their magical wedding is over, they already dream of a return trip to explore more of Las Vegas.
