“Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get married…”

Vegas is the “Marriage Capital of the World”. More than 120,000 marriages and at least another 50,000 renewals and commitment ceremonies are performed each year. You can choose from a traditional wedding, a themed ceremony, or even a drive-up. You can be married by Elvis, have Johnny Cash or James Brown serenade you, ride into the chapel on a Harley or be married by The Godfather and have wedding attendants dressed up like mobsters. You can get married in a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, flown out to Valley of Fire, or say your vows hovering right over the Las Vegas Strip. There are wild, wacky weddings and charming sweet weddings, but celebrities and everyday people continue to flock to Las Vegas to get married. You can find wedding planners at the chapels who will arrange the ceremony, provide flowers, photographer, wedding cake, limo, music and even arrange your honeymoon stay, complete with show tickets and meals.

Celebrities have chosen Vegas for years to tie the knot. Four of Mickey Rooney’s 8 marriages happened here, two of Judy Garland’s 5, and one of Elizabeth Taylor’s 8 (that was to Eddie Fisher). Vegas’ own Tony Curtis married three times here, once at the Riviera, once at the Sahara and once at the MGM. Cary Grant, Redd Foxx, Barbra Streisand, Kirk Douglas, Wayne Newton, Clint Eastwood and even Brigitte Bardot, who came here from France to avoid the press, all said “I do” here. In 2007, Pamela Anderson wed Rick Salomon, the other half of Paris Hilton’s sex tape. The marriage ended in an annulment two months later. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf married in a private wedding in their Vegas home, and they’re still together and seemingly very happy.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order for the draft in the mid 1960’s, it set off a mass pilgrimage to Vegas. The order stated that men 19-25 years old who were married after midnight were subject to the draft because Johnson needed additional manpower to fight the Vietnam War. In Vegas, couples could try beat the clock, because there was no wait for blood tests or a marriage license. On August 26, 1965, 132 couples came not only from California, but also Newark, Pittsburg, Chicago and Denver to get married before midnight.

It was Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu who got married here in 1967 that helped make Vegas a national hot spot for weddings. They flew from Palm Springs to Vegas at dawn and got married at 9 a.m. in a private suite at the Aladdin. Word has it, that Elvis had to borrow $15 to cover the cost of a weekend wedding license, because he never carried cash. After the ceremony, a hundred guests joined them for a breakfast banquet fit for the “The King” and his bride. To this day, Elvis impersonators abound and they have become a mainstay at all chapels, large and small.

Vegas is all about fun, and why not have a wedding here that’s fun, too? Prices vary according to your desires: like renting a wedding gown and tux, and some couples might want receptions. The Minister fees (around $50) and tipping of the limo driver is usually not included in package prices. Found on their websites were packages from $25 for a drive-thru to $10,000 for wedding and reception for 100 people. With more than 50 chapels in Las Vegas, we chose just a few to excite your curiosity.

Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel seems to have the most themed weddings. A favorite of mine would be The Rocky Horror Wedding with Minister Dr. Frank-N-Furter singing “I’m just a Sweet Transvestite” for the opener and “There’s a Light in the Frank-N-Furter Castle” sung during the lighting of the unity candle. Then join Riff Raff and Magenta dancing and singing the “Time Warp” after you become man and wife. If Italian Amore suits you, be blessed by The Godfather while he tells you about loyalty to la famiglia, (your family). The room will be decorated like an Italian restaurant with red and white checked tablecloths, candles and bottles of Chianti. A James Bond theme? Your mission is Marriage, and 007 will perform the ceremony. A spectacular sports car entrance, Bond Girls dancing and singing, lasers and fog, and maybe even an ice cold vodka martini after the vows, will make this James Bond marriage a thriller. Speaking of “Thriller”, a Michael Jackson impersonator will sing two of his famous songs and then perform the ceremony. Feeling like Cleopatra? You can arrive on Cleopatra’s Throne, carried down the aisle by slaves, while a beautiful belly-dancer performs for the groom. King Tut is the minister during this Egyptian Affair that includes hieroglyphic displays, theatrical lighting and fog. If you’re a Twilight junkie or Anne Rice aficionado, the Vampire Theme might be too cool to pass up. Aerialists, dressed as vampires, fly high to symbolize the eternal love you hope yours will be. Cees and Kathy, who perform as vampires in the show “Bite” at the Stratosphere, do a beautiful aerial duet. A vampire minister unites the two of you while you light the unity candle. Count Dracula could also perform the ceremony. Maybe you’re both “rockers” and you love the rock music of Steven Tyler, Springsteen, Madonna or Billy Idol. The Rock-n-Roll Wedding includes being married by a Rock Star as Minister. Or alternatively, the Woodstock Wedding will take you right back to August, 1969, when there was peace, love and the classic rock music of Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Impersonators can be added onto any wedding for an additional $350.

“Love me tender, love me dear, tell me you are mine…”

The Little Church of the West has been voted “Best Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas” for 16 of the last 17 years. It is also the oldest chapel on the Las Vegas Strip. In the movie Viva Las Vegas, Elvis and Ann Margret recited their vows at the Little Church of the West. Many famous celebrities married here, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Dudley Moore, Red Foxx and Bob Geldof. The couple that had been known to wear vials of each other’s blood around their necks, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton, both wearing blue jeans, married here in a 20-minute ceremony in 2000. It was Angelina’s second marriage and Billy Bob’s fifth. Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford exchanged wedding rings sculpted out of aluminum foil and Richard promised to serve Cindy breakfast in bed for the first six months. David Cassidy of The Partridge Family married Kay Lenz here also. None of the three above marriages lasted, but then again, they were all celebrities. Faithfulness has never been their strong suit.

A Little White Chapel is probably the most famous chapel known around the world. You can choose to have your ceremony performed in ten different languages including: French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Greek, Portuguese, or Korean. For thirteen years it touted a marquee claiming that Joan Collins got married there. Then it got considerable press when Britney Spears married her hometown friend, Jason Alexander. Wanting to do something wild and crazy, getting married at 5:30 a.m. seemed to fit the bill. The bride wore torn jeans, a crop top and white baseball cap. When the news reached Britney’s mom, she had the marriage annulled and it was maybe the shortest marriage on record…fifty-five hours. Michael Jordan and Juanita also got married here at 3:30 a.m. in 1989. With both the bride and groom wearing blue jeans, she got a five-carat diamond put on her finger along with the customary husband and wife kiss. Little White Chapel was the first to have a drive-up where you can get hitched without leaving your car. You can drive-up in a courtesy limo called “Cherub’s Chariot” or you can even have a drive-thru Bikers Special on Harleys. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, and Slash of Guns and Roses are some of the celebrities that married here.

Graceland Chapel has become a landmark Vegas wedding site, since it has been around for over fifty years and it bears the name of Elvis’ famous estate. Jon Bon Jovi got married here, as did Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus. Members of popular groups such as Def Leppard, KISS and Deep Purple also chose this chapel. Graceland is the home of the original Elvis wedding. Elvis impersonator Brendan Paul is the owner of the chapel and upon request he will walk the bride down the aisle, give her away and then sing a few of Elvis’ famous songs. Getting married by Elvis has become a Las Vegas tradition, since Elvis and Priscilla exchanged vows in Vegas too. The “Can’t Help Falling in Love” Wedding is one of their most popular ceremonies. Traditional weddings are also available in English, Spanish and French.

A Special Memory Chapel is wonderful for a traditional wedding. It’s reminiscent of a New England-styled chapel, complete with steeple, and really looks like a church. It has pews with padded red seats, stained-glass windows, lots of dark wood and can seat about 87 people. There is also a short staircase where the bride can descend, making an elegant entrance. They also offer a drive-up window and perform about 300 weddings a month there. If the thrill of adventure is in your blood, you might try getting married on the floor of the Grand Canyon. A Special Memory will pick you up at your hotel and then a helicopter will take you 4,000 feet below the rim to the Grand Canyon’s floor. You will see the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on your flight and after the ceremony you are returned to the helipad, where a limo luxuriously gets you back to your hotel in style. The Vegas Nights Helicopter is an exclusive way to get married. You will take a breathtaking flight over the Las Vegas Strip and say “I Do” up in the air. A photographer will take photographs on the flight, as well as on the ground. Other adventurous couples can choose packages to Valley of Fire, high up on Mount Charleston, or at the Grand Canyon Ranch.

Chapel of the Flowers is where the six-foot-seven-inch-tall bad boy of basketball, Dennis Rodman, married Baywatch babe, Carmen Electra in 1998. Even though he carried her piggyback into the chapel, it wasn’t enough to make the marriage last very long. They were divorced in 1999. This chapel was named the prettiest chapel in Vegas by Brides magazine, and the Las Vegas Review Journal named it “Best Chapel”. The property features a waterfall, kissing bridge, gazebo, an ivy arch, and a veranda with breathtaking fountains. They offer everything you could imagine, including receptions that range from sparkling cider in plastic flutes to a fancy Brazilian dinner with unlimited amounts of roasted meats and sizzling skewers brought to your table, along with fresh salads. Chapel of the Flowers is traditionally serious about their weddings and are proud of their packages, even inviting every couple married there to come back as often as they’d like to renew their vows for free.

Cupid’s offers getting married by James Brown, the man in black: Johnny Cash, or Elvis, as well as a traditional minister. A Johnny Cash impersonator will sing three songs from a list of Cash’s tunes. It might be “Jackson”, “Ring of Fire” or “Walk the Line”. Then Johnny will walk the bride down the aisle and Johnny’s famous wife June Carter can be either the bridesmaid or witness. For a different experience, Cupid’s will pick you up in a private stretch limousine and take you to beautiful Red Rock Canyon, making the perfect backdrop for an outside wedding from sunrise to sunset. Cupid’s says they offer “a traditional church wedding at a chapel price.” They also offer a special wedding for couples blending pre-existing families. The children can become a part of the service and are given a small token to let them know the parents are marrying them as well. SLV

CLARK COUNTY
MARRIAGE LICENSE BUREAU

201 Clark St. • Las Vegas, Nevada
Hrs: 8am-Midnight, 365 Days a year

Issue 48 featuring: Cali Logan, Tori Black & Monique Alexander and Lux Kassidy