The Story Of… The Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas

 

 

Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen

There is a wedding chapel in Las Vegas where many famous people got married. While on tour, Jon Bon Jovi (a huge Elvis fan) eloped to Las Vegas and married his high-school sweetheart there. Elvis himself visited the place prior to his marriage to Priscilla to see if the chapel was suitable. It was built as a family home in 1927 and in 1939 a part of the house transformed into a wedding chapel called McKees Chapel, then it became Gretna Green and in 1977 it became The Graceland Wedding Chapel. In 2022 it became the world’s first Elvis themed wedding chapel officially licensed by the Elvis Presley Estate. The owner, Brendan Paul, is an Elvis impersonator, so if you want to elope to Vegas and get married by him, do it here!

KB: Tell me how the Graceland Wedding Chapel was founded.

Graceland Wedding Chapel was actually built as a family home in 1927 by a Scottish family that immigrated to the USA. In 1939 they transformed part of the home into a wedding chapel and called it McKees Chapel to capitalize on the popularity of quick/elopement style weddings that Las Vegas had become famous for during that era. The chapel was renamed to Gretna Green in 1947 after the famed Scottish village known for elope style weddings. The prior owner changed the name to Graceland Wedding Chapel in 1977. It’s crazy when i think about how it all started and where we are today, the oldest chapel in Las Vegas!

KB: How did you become the owner of the chapel?

Back in 1995 or so, I was a struggling Elvis entertainer that was singing Elvis’s songs on the streets and overpasses on the Las Vegas strip. I would work every day until I made $100. That was my number. One day, when I was not working, my fiancé and I went to Graceland Wedding Chapel to see where Jon Bon Jovi was married. Yup, Jon was married at Graceland. When I walked in, the owner looked at me (my blond hair was died jet black like Elvis, and I had the signature sideburns) and asked if I could sing & play guitar. He explained that his Elvis impersonator was working 7 days a week and they needed a backup 2 days a week. I jumped at the opportunity but had no idea at that time where that decision would lead to. Several years later, he offered to sell the chapel to my partner and I and the rest is history.

KB: Have you been an entertainer your entire life?

I have always been an entertainer first and foremost. And I have become quite proud to be an Elvis impersonator & owner of the chapel. Thank you very much! My business partner Dee Dee oversees the day-to-day operations and finances, and I am the primary Elvis entertainer for the chapel along with several other terrific impersonators. It’s a perfect fit for our business model.

KB: Which celebrities got married at your chapel?

Wow, there are so many that have walked through our doors. Some to get married, some to renew their vows and others just to take a tour of our now somewhat iconic chapel. Jon (Bon Jovi) married his high school sweetheart here, and he returns to say hello frequently. Other celebrities we have seen include Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode), Aaron Neville, Ande MacDowell, Rob Zombie, Billy Ray Cyrus, Meatloaf. And most recently, David Harbour (Stranger Things) & Lilly Allen. These are just a few.

KB: I heard Elvis visited the chapel in 1967?

I think it was actually late 1966 or early 1967. Elvis was in Las Vegas for an incognito visit and stopped by the chapel unannounced. He walked in with his entourage and began chatting with the owner (who happened to be a big Elvis fan). Elvis had mentioned he had passed by many times and always wanted to come by as the chapel reminded him of home. He was looking for the perfect location for his wedding to Priscilla. While he said he loved the charming feel of the chapel, it was just a bit too small for his 200 plus guest list. (He ended up marrying at the Aladdin). But before he left, the prior owner mentioned he would love to rename the chapel to Graceland one day and Elvis loved that idea. It was about 10 years later (late 1977) that the chapel was officially renamed Graceland Wedding Chapel in memory of The King. That’s the same year we conducted our first Elvis themed ceremony.

KB: What movies does your chapel appear in?

We love welcoming film crews to our chapel. Two of the biggest productions to film at the chapel were “Fools Rush In” and “Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas”. These were really big productions. Many guests have also heard that “The Hangover” was filmed here. While we love when they ask this, it’s actually not true. The chapel seen in The Hangover was built specifically for the movie. I met the set designer while they were in Vegas filming, and he told me that Graceland was used as inspiration for the chapel in the movie. When you look at them both, side-by-side, inside and outside, they are very-very similar.

KB: How did your wedding chapel survive the Covid pandemic? A lot of places went out of business.

Covid was a very tough time for everyone as you surely understand. Never in our wildest dreams (or nightmare) did we see this ever happening, Covid forced us to cancel somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 ceremonies for couples from all over the world. Imagine the world shutting down and we had to answer phone call after phone call from crying brides. It was horrible. So, I got together with my business partner Dee Dee Duffy and our General Manager Rod Musum to see what we could do. Something… Anything… We decided to set up Vow Renewal & Non-Legal ceremony packages that we could conduct via Zoom for couples anywhere in the world. I performed these “virtual ceremonies” in an empty chapel on Zoom every day. For couples from the USA, Canada, Italy, the UK, we even had a couple from Ukraine. It was amazing and provided couples and families a way to connect with one another remotely to celebrate a happy occasion.

KB: You have an obvious love for Elvis. Talk about it.

Elvis who? Just kidding. You know, I had always had respect for Elvis, but I would not have considered myself a fan, at least not in my younger years. Back then, I was a college student at UCLA and had an underground punk band called Iconoclast. Yes, I had big-spiked blond hair and was a bit rebellious in my youth. That was the music I was into. One day my girlfriend (who was a hairdresser) thought it would be cool to dye my hair jet black. On the way home from her salon a car pulled up next to me and shouted ‘Elvis” and was taking pictures of me. I called her immediately and said we need to fix this. That was a funny day. But that hair and the sideburns also got me my first Elvis gig for $300 bucks to sing Happy Birthday (as Elvis) to a female student’s birthday party. That was a lot of money for me back then… Today, I really do love Elvis and appreciate how his music catalogue and persona changed rock n roll music forever. He is iconic. And I am thrilled (that in a very small way) I can help keep his music and image alive.

KB: Why should people get married at your chapel?

Because all the big Las Vegas hotels are just too darn expensive. (Just kidding). Our management, our staff, everyone here at Graceland Chapel – we pride ourselves on providing a truly amazing experience for visitors. All of us understand that this is a very special day for couples and their guests, and if we can’t deliver a wonderful experience for all of them, we are not doing our job.

Check out the chapel’s website: HERE

Find it on Facebook: HERE

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