Contact:
Lori Nelson, R&R Partners, (702) 318-4209/349-0625 (cell)
Erika Yowell, LVCVA, (702) 892-7664

April 21, 2005

Las Vegas Centennial to marry 100 couples in the "Wedding Capital of the World"

Wedding bells will ring in Las Vegas June 6-9 as 100 couples from around the world are treated to a wedding experience of a lifetime to help commemorate the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration. The twosomes will tie the knot in a joint ceremony under the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas on June 9.

The Centennial Committee has partnered with Southwest Airlines to pay tribute to the "Wedding Capital of the World" with "Once upon 100 Weddings," in which 98 couples outside of Las Vegas and two lucky local couples will win a wedding package that includes wedding nuptials, bachelor and bachelorette parties and a host of wedding gifts provided by local retailers. Southwest Airlines will provide roundtrip accommodations for each couple and hotel accommodations will be provided by the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino.

"This is an exciting Centennial event because couples from all over the country will get to experience the greatness of our city first hand," said Mayor Oscar Goodman, chairman of the Centennial committee. "What better way to begin your life with someone than in the most dynamic city in the world as it celebrates its Centennial?"

Las Vegas has long lived up to its name as the "Wedding Capital of the World," and the selected couples will join the ranks of millions of couples who have tied the knot in Las Vegas during the past 100 years. In 2004 alone, the Clark County Marriage License Bureau issued 128,250 marriage licenses in Clark County, including Las Vegas, Laughlin and Mesquite, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Some of Tinseltown's biggest names have also said their "I Do's" in Las Vegas, including, Elvis and Pricilla Presley, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward and Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme.

The two lucky Las Vegas Valley couples will be selected by the Centennial Committee through an online contest. Interested couples must submit an essay (500 words or less) describing their personal love story, why they are compatible and their secret for a long-lasting marriage. A jury comprised of a local marriage counselor, a divorce attorney and a couple who has been married for 30 years will judge the essays and select the winners. The winning couples will be named the end of May.

As part of the national promotion, 92 couples will be selected from Southwest Airlines/Las Vegas feeder markets including Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Chicago, Phoenix, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego and Houston through a variety of television and radio promotions in those markets. They will be flown to Las Vegas courtesy of Southwest Airlines.

"Southwest Airlines is known as the LUV airline and what better way to celebrate LUV than with the LUV capital of the world - Las Vegas," said Michelle Reimherr, Southwest Airlines promotions specialist. "To celebrate Las Vegas's Centennial, Southwest has partnered with the city to give couples a chance to get married in Las Vegas. Our winners will be able to tie the knot without breaking the bank!"

Six additional couples will be chosen by promotions in Las Vegas' top international markets, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, France and Australia. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) will manage those promotions.

Couples selected to participate in "Once upon 100 Weddings" will be treated to an entire weekend of wedding festivities, including bachelor and bachelorette parties provided by MGM Grand's Studio 54 and New York - New York's Coyote Ugly respectively. Each couple will also receive a host of wedding gifts, including a $100 gift certificate from David's Bridal (a $599 gift certificate for the winning Las Vegas couples), show tickets provided by La Femme at the MGM Grand and individual ice cream wedding cakes by Cold Stone Creamery.

It takes many partners to pull off an event of this magnitude. A special thank you to Southwest Airlines, Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, LVCVA, Fremont Street Experience, Coldstone Creamery, David's Bridal, BV Wines, Celebrity Coaches and Costco.

Sponsors of the Las Vegas Centennial include Beaulieu Vineyard (BV) Wines, which is also celebrating 100 years of wine-making; American Express, the official card sponsor of the Las Vegas Centennial and Nevada Power Company.

To learn more about the Las Vegas Centennial or to download an application and list of contest requirements, visit the Centennial web site, www.lasvegas2005.org .

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Editor's Note: The backdrop used for today's press event is a mural called, "Will You Marry Me?" and was created as part of the Centennial's City of 100 Murals program. The mixed media mural, a tribute to Las Vegas as a wedding mecca, was created by 60 students at Richard Bryan Elementary School under the direction of their art instructor, Annemarie Casey. The students created the mural using wood, glass, acetate, ink, paper and paint.