For more love stories like the Gonzales couple, check out this year’s news coverage on the event.
On Thursday, Nov. 7, the Vegas Wedding Chamber hosted its annual Las Vegas Marries the Military event. Six couples were selected to receive free ceremonies and vow renewals, with one or both members serving as active duty or retired U.S. military members across several branches.
Alongside their families, the couples celebrated their ceremonies at chapels across the city, and gathered at a reception at Anthem Country Club in Henderson afterwards. Each couple received a two-night stay at a Las Vegas hotel following the celebration.
A Love Story: Gabriel and Rosslyn Gonzales
One local couple was able to realize their dream of holding a wedding ceremony after a fun, unconventional marriage. Gabriel and Rosslyn Gonzales renewed their views at Little Church of the West for the event.
Gabriel is active duty military and has served over 21 years in the Air Force. He met Rosslyn on a dating app while she was living in her home state of Oklahoma. Gabriel got a permanent change of station (PCS) order to move to Las Vegas in 2023. While driving through Texas for the move, their moving van was about to run out of gas. Luckily, it stopped in front of a courthouse in Amarillo, TX, and they decided to get married right then and there.
In the same spirit as their vow renewal, the ceremony was led by a cowboy for a judge, complete with a belt buckle and hat. Afterwards Gabriel and Rosslyn were on their way, but not before asking the judge for a small favor.
“We had to get gas and come back to the car,” Rosslyn says, laughing. “We had to ask the judge to give us a ride.”
Fun and Loving in Las Vegas
The couple has been together for three years. They note that their similarities are what brought them together.
“We just had a lot of similar values,” he says. “That was a big part of it, knowing that our values match, and that’s something that we could share for life.”
“We were a good match,” Rosslyn says. “If [a couple] has the same values, and also the same kind of mindset, that’s key to having polarity.”
The couple applied for the Las Vegas Married Military wedding a year and a half after their marriage in Amarillo, TX. They saw the post on social media and since a ceremony was “something they hadn’t had yet,” according to Gabriel, they took the opportunity to apply.
Gabriel and Rosslyn were joined by their family, who traveled from destinations as far as Chihuahua, Mexico and as close as Vegas itself. Elvis (Brian Mills) himself conducted a bilingual ceremony, singing classics like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and “Viva Las Vegas.”
Following their ceremony, the Gonzales couple spent two days at Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The couple will be heading to Bali for their honeymoon next year.
Las Vegas Marries the Military Events
For official contest rules, and to stay up-to-date on upcoming events, visit the official Vegas Wedding Chamber website.