Las Vegas loves a V-Day business boom

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Valentine's Day is a busy day for Las Vegas businesses that profit from more than a thousand weddings and the increased demand for other romantic activities.

Charlotte Richards, chief executive and president of the Little White Wedding Chapel, said 10 ministers were ready Monday to handle the more than 100 scheduled weddings, compared with the usual 30 to 40 weddings for a Monday, the Las Vegas Sun reported Monday.

The Clark County Recorder's Office said 1,247 weddings were recorded in 2010 and 1,796 in 2009, far more than the 250 reported an an average day.

Meanwhile, Monique Romero, operations manager for Presidential Limousine, said Monday was expected to be one of the busier days of the year. She said customers took 1,596 rides last Valentine's Day.

Angel Chairez, owner of Rose Shack Florist, said she expected to sell a total of 3,500 roses on Valentine's Day and the preceding weekend, a sharp increase from the "maybe a couple hundred" sold on an average weekend.