VEGAS WEDDINGS - TONIGHT ON 'NIGHTLINE'

The Marriage Pit: In Las Vegas — the wedding capitol of the world — the business of "I do" is quite the moneymaker. Second only to gambling, tying the knot rakes in an estimated $900 million per year for Sin City. With so much at stake, and so many competing chapels, the business of luring in love birds can be cutthroat. Outside the county courthouse, handbillers representing different chapels, wait in the so called "marriage pit," bombarding newlyweds, handing out flyers, and making a pitch for couples to get married at their chapel. It can all be a lot to handle as Chris Bury reports tonight on "Nightline."

Check it out and then check out my own experience getting hitched in Sin City back on 777.

Also check out this expose the LA TIMES ran a short while back.

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WEDDING CHAPEL WARS IN LAS VEGAS

I tied the knot in Vegas on 777. While the day was a frenzy because of the date, fierce competition for chapel wedding services has escalated into minor warfare between vendors, who are hiring packs of handbillers to stalk couples paparazzi-style and hurl frantic, Glengarry Glen Ross-like pitches at budding brides.

And even though weddings are still huge business in Vegas, a recent drop in marriage licenses has seen competition stiffen, and handbillers -- usually earning $10 an hour -- have been involved in scuffles ranging from fist-fights to stabbings. I DO remember seeing a segment on "Cops" about this and thought it was a wild notion - wedding chapel wars in Sin City. And although the Vegas industry of love is frequently commented upon, the sheer desperation is little-reported, making this an entertaining (if somewhat depressing) read.

Click HERE to read a recent probe at the LA TIMES.

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