LAS VEGAS — Two years after hitting the wedding date jackpot with lucky sevens, it's all eyes on the nines in Las Vegas for 9-9-09.

Wedding officials in Sin City were preparing today for one of the busiest days of the year on a quirky date to get hitched — Sept. 9, 2009, or 9-9-09.

Jessica Skrutvold of Las Vegas said she and her husband-to-be, Chad Lyons, were expecting nine guests for their 9 p.m. wedding, which coincidentally celebrates her favorite number.

"The easiest day for my poor memory to remember was 9-9-09, and we've been doing everything last minute ever since," said the 31-year-old who works for a local insurance agency. "It was easy, and both of us can remember it and never forget."

Skrutvold said she called to book a chapel in March, and found the only open slots were for 8:30 or 9 that night.

Nine couples were to marry at the Madame Tussauds wax museum on the Las Vegas Strip at 9:09 a.m., while 99 more were waiting until 9:09 p.m. for a shared ceremony in the observation deck at the Stratosphere Tower. Each paid $99 for their wedding package.

Chapel of the Flowers spokeswoman Whitney Lloyd said the chapel booked 70 ceremonies for today, compared with 12 on Sept. 9 last year. She said three 9 a.m. slots were booked at least one year ago — an eternity by Las Vegas standards.

Employees normally off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the marriage services division of the Clark County clerk's office were called in to help quickly distribute licenses, Marriage Services Supervisor Cheryl Vernon said.

Vernon said 418 marriage licenses were issued Monday and another 416 were issued Tuesday by mid-afternoon, with the bureau staying open until midnight. The bureau issues an average of about 260 licenses per day.

While Wednesday was shaping up to be a busy wedding day, officials didn't think it would be as lucrative as July 7 two years ago or Aug. 8 last year, as weddings have declined for Sin City since 2004.

Couples often are surprised to find a line when they arrive at the bureau intending to marry on a quirky day, Vernon said.

"They think that the number combinations, that they're the only ones that thought of it," she said. "They're always surprised."

Nevada law allows couples to get their marriage license and wed on the same day, though the documents remain valid for 10 days after they are first issued.