The Wedding Capital of the World™ issued its 5-millionth marriage license since Clark County was founded in 1909. The license was issued on Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022, to Mayra Ramirez, 40, and Luis Pantoja, 39, out of Patterson, Calif. To commemorate this historic and exciting milestone, Clark County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya, along with the wedding and hospitality industry, has launched a year of celebration dubbed Five Million Love Stories to honor all of the couples that are part of this Las Vegas Legacy.
“We’re so excited to be able to share this momentous occasion with Mayra and Luis, but it isn’t just this one couple, but the five million love stories of all the couples that came before and made the decision to marry in Las Vegas. It is their legacy that turned us into the Wedding Capital of the World,” said Clark County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya. “Couples who married in Las Vegas are part of our history. If you were married in Las Vegas, YOU are part of our history. We are reaching out to our couples from all over the world and inviting them to send us their stories.”
For being the 5-millionth couple, Ramirez and Pantoja received a host of gifts from throughout Clark County to commemorate this special occasion, including a Key to the Las Vegas Strip and a proclamation in their name presented by County Commissioner Tick Segerblom. They also received a return trip to Las Vegas to come back and join in the Five Million Love Stories Celebration: World’s Largest Vow Renewal later this summer. The couple’s gifts include:
- 2-night stay and spa package at Paris Las Vegas
- $1500 roundtrip airfare on Allegiant Airlines for a return trip to Las Vegas
- Autographed metal print of the new Marriage License Bureau Mural by local artist Jerry Misko
- Official Diamond Five Million Love Stories Ring from Michael E. Minden Diamond Jewelers
- Tickets to The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil
- $150 dining certificate to Bootlegger Las Vegas
- $100 shopping certificate to Fashion Show Las Vegas
- VIP admission to the Five Million Love Stories Celebration: World’s Largest Vow Renewal at Caesars Forum
“We are in shock! I never win anything so this is huge, and it’s a great way to start off our life together,” said Ramirez.
“It means good things are coming,” added Pantoja. “We wanted to keep things stress free and just us, not the big wedding — guess this is a little bigger now!”
The couple already had their ceremony planned and were married later in the day, were able to pass on a free wedding package to another lucky couple, Brianna Cloy and Trevin Patton out of Antioch, Calif. The two won a free wedding at Chapel of the Flowers, complete with limousine transportation, fresh floral, photos and live online broadcast so their family and friends back home can watch and be a part of.
Five Million Love Stories: A Year of Celebration
Clark County is kicking off a series of yearlong special events spearheaded by the Office of the County Clerk and in conjunction with the Las Vegas wedding industry, resorts, LVCVA, the five municipalities within Clark County and Harry Reid International Airport in celebration of this epic milestone, and all the couples that make up Las Vegas’s Five Million Love Stories that helped to make Las Vegas the Wedding Capital of the World.
The first to launch is a photo sweepstakes put on by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority for couples that are part of the city’s Five Million Love Stories to share their story.
Nearly 5 million couples have tied the knot in Las Vegas, from celebrities to young couples in search of the perfect wedding venue. They’ve walked down the aisle in traditional gowns, vintage jackets, sleek satin dresses, and everything in between. For over half of a century, Las Vegas has been known as the Wedding Capital of the World. If you got married in Las Vegas, your story is a part of that incredible history – and we’d love to hear it. Couples are encouraged to upload a picture and share their love story at www.visitlasvegas.com/five-million-love-stories/ or share through Instagram by posting their Las Vegas wedding photo along with their love story and include #5MLoveSweeps to enter. Profiles must be public to participate. One lucky couple each month will win a second honeymoon and vow renewal in Vegas.
The Five Million Love Stories celebration continues all year long so stay tuned for details in the coming months as we announce our Lucky in Love Instagram program and contest, a history of Las Vegas weddings exhibit, historic bus tour, Wedding Row and more, all culminating in the Five Million Love Stories Celebration: World’s Largest Vow Renewal later this year at Caesars Forum.
About the Marriage License Bureau
The Marriage License Bureau, a division of the Clark County Clerk’s Office, is in downtown Las Vegas at 201 E. Clark Avenue. The Bureau has issued more than 77,000 marriage licenses last year and is typically the busiest in the world. On average, more than 600 marriages take place on Valentine’s Day each year. Couples can find a directory of wedding services and vendors at WeddingChamber.Vegas, pass.fivemillionlovestories.com and VisitLasVegas.com/Weddings. The wedding industry is also an important component of the local tourism economy, as people coming to Clark County to attend a wedding or get married generate more than $2.5 billion in annual economic activity, including on lodging, entertainment, dining, and other non-gaming activities.