A new feature this year at Electric Daisy Carnival is a wedding chapel, which is not actually a chapel but an outdoor deck area tricked out with an arch made of fake flowers. Here couples can legally tie the knot -- or just take part in a commitment ceremony and be "rave-married" for the weekend.
In the past two days, eight couples have been legally wed, via EDC's partnership with the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. Dozens more have gone the EDC-fake marriage route, standing under the arch, trading candy rings and participating in non-legally binding celebrations of love under the glowing lights of the Ferris wheel.
We spoke to three of these couples on what getting EDC-married means to them.
Couple: Juliette and James
Why get EDC-married?: "We've been together for two, almost three years. This is a baby step towards actually getting married."
Editors note: These two then asked me to marry them, which I did, starting the vows with "by the power vested in me as a fellow raver." The three of us agreed it was lucky to get rave married under the full moon, and when I said, "You may now kiss each other" they locked eyes, each said "I love you so much," and I cried a little.
Couple: Names withheld
Why get fake-married at EDC? "We really love each other but we don't really believe in marriage so we got fake-married to go through the ceremony of it."
What were your vows? Her: "I said, 'Will you promise to cuddle me and cherish me and fake marry me?' Him: "And then I said, 'Will you promise to love and cherish me and hold me and have sex with me three to four times a day?'"
How are you going to celebrate your EDC marriage?" We're gonna go snuggle!"
Couple: Jocelyn and Paul
Why get EDC-married? "We met here last year. She came up to me in the crowd during Afrojack's set and said, 'Hey, you're hot. Do you want to dance?' We've been together ever since.'"
As fate would have it: "Paul and I are from the same hometown and we go to college an hour and a half away from each other."
What does EDC mean to you? Paul: "It just brings me back to the day I met the love of my life."
