I researched how to get married in Vegas for two characters who want to do that and discovered that you cannot actually get accidentally/drunkenly/spontaneously married in Vegas and I will never be able to read books w/that plot device again😩
@SydneyBlackburn Yeah, as someone who once quite deliberately and soberly got married in Vegas, that plot device has always annoyed the heck out of me.
I had characters rush to marry in Vegas in one of my books (married by Elvis). But they did it on purpose, and with adequate time allowed for getting the license at the clerk's office.
😉
@SydneyBlackburn Yay, Elvis!
🙌
The thing with that cliche is that a different premise could seed a better story.
For example, I really like Leaving Las Vegas. It turned the indecent proposal and the rush Vegas wedding premise into something very funny and also heart-wrenching.
It only takes a little extra effort to subvert a cliche and it can be so rewarding.
@AmaryllisLanza Yeah, my characters were intentionally married (also by Elvis!) so while ruined as a plot device for me as a reader, as a writer, it didn't affect me/my characters.
I wish the authors still using it as a plot device would at the very least use a disclaimer saying "Yeah, we know this couldn't happen, but let's roll with it!"
Otherwise it just comes across as, "Yeah, I couldn't be arsed to look it up" and you wonder what else they half-assed.