Vegas Marries the Military 2026

From a Haunted House to Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel

I have watched a lot of couples stumble out of chapels at 2 a.m. still wearing their club wristbands. This story is the other kind of Vegas wedding.

Chloe Hegner and Kiara Cantlin are both active-duty U.S. Army soldiers from the Virginia and Maryland area. Their first meeting happened at a haunted attraction in Maryland, which is honestly the best meet-cute I’ve heard all year. Nothing tests chemistry like someone in a mask lunging at you from a dark hallway.

The relationship held through the hard parts of military life, including Kiara’s basic training. The two have supported each other through the demands of active-duty service. On Nov. 10, they’ll exchange vows at Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel at Vegas Weddings. They are the only couple in this year’s group getting married for the first time.

Vegas Marries the Military 2026 Winners

The Clark County Clerk and the Vegas Wedding Chamber announced six winning couples. Each one had to submit photos, a love story and details of their service. The chamber made the final picks.

The lineup includes:

• A sergeant who helped save six lives during the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas. Anyone who lived here that night knows what that sentence carries.

• A couple who married by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic and is finally getting the ceremony they missed.

• A Marine family relocating from Japan.

• Active-duty service members, veterans and reservists from Las Vegas, Alaska, the East Coast and Southern California.

Together, the six couples represent the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. Five of them will renew their vows.

Couples Marrying Couples

Here’s the detail I like best. Four of the six ceremonies will use what organizers call “Couples Marrying Couples.” Married officiant couples will perform the weddings and vow renewals.

That means two partnerships with real mileage standing on either side of the altar. Vegas does spectacle better than anywhere on earth. A pair of longtime spouses walking a newer couple, or a renewing couple, through their vows is a quieter flex, and a lovely one.

The Reception at the Vegas Event Center

After the ceremonies, the couples and their closest family and friends will gather at the Vegas Event Center. The party includes a buffet dinner, wedding cake, a DJ, a photographer, a videographer and custom decor.

There will be tributes from community leaders and dignitaries, including Clark County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya.

“Each of these couples has a remarkable story shaped by love, commitment, sacrifice and service,” Goya said. “‘Vegas Marries the Military’ is our community’s way of offering something meaningful back to those who have given so much. It is a powerful reflection of the wedding industry coming together to give these couples the celebrations and memories they deserve.”

How Free Military Weddings in Las Vegas Work

Vegas Marries the Military runs every year around Veterans Day. Military personnel and veterans apply with photos, their love story and details of their service. The Vegas Wedding Chamber then selects the winners. Local wedding and hospitality businesses donate the services that make the day happen.

The chamber is still looking for additional wedding and hospitality professionals to donate time, talent and services to the 2026 celebration. Think photographers, florists, stylists, bakers and anyone else who makes a wedding look effortless. For more on the city’s wedding scene and the Clerk’s office, head to weddings.vegas or clarkcountynv.gov.

Some context on why this town takes weddings so seriously: the Clark County Marriage License Bureau issued more than 70,000 marriage licenses in 2025.

If you run a wedding business in Southern Nevada, the move is to get your name on the donor list now. If you’re a service member or veteran with a story like these, keep an eye on the Vegas Wedding Chamber for next year’s contest. Nov. 10 will be one of the few days on the Vegas calendar where nobody is pretending. I’d take that over a bottle parade any night.