LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Las Vegas has carried the title of Wedding Capital of the World for more than seven decades, drawing couples from around the globe to tie the knot in the desert.
“Clark County became a county in 1909 and almost immediately became a destination for couples wanting a simple, quick, stress-free wedding,” said Clark County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya.
The county’s wedding business got a big boost from Nevada lawmakers in the 1930s when they relaxed the state’s marriage laws to remove both the blood test requirement and the waiting period. The start of World War II brought another spike in ceremonies in the 1940s.
By the 1950s, Vegas had become the place to get hitched.
Celebrity weddings boost Vegas profile
“We were called Honeymoon Highway. We were called the Niagara Falls of the West. And we found a document from the London Daily Herald in 1953 that called us the Wedding Capital of the World,” Goya said.
The Valley’s proximity to Southern California contributed to its popularity with celebrities. Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Paul Newman’s nuptials all raised Vegas’s profile. When Elvis Presley married Priscilla at the Aladdin in 1967, a tradition was born.
Brian Mills, president of the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber and an Elvis officiant, has been performing Elvis weddings for 25 years.
“There’s no limit to the types of couples who want Elvis weddings,” Mills said. “I have couples that are 18, 19, 20 years old, and well into their 70s and 80s, and it depends, some just want the Elvis experience and are not necessarily huge fans, but they know it’s synonymous with Vegas and want an Elvis experience, and others are huge, huge Elvis fans.”
Endless wedding options available
Not every couple wants the Elvis experience, and Las Vegas offers endless options for engaged couples.
“We always ask our brides and grooms, what does your fairytale wedding look like? They tell us, and we listen. And then we customize their wedding based on what they tell us,” said Deidra Duffy, who owns the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Downtown Las Vegas with her husband.
“The main thing that makes Las Vegas the Wedding Capital of the World is, you can do any kind of wedding that you want. Two of you can elope alone, you can have 200 people and spend $50,000 at a golf resort if you want to, and everything in between,” Mills said.
Convenience and affordability drive popularity
Las Vegas makes getting married convenient. The marriage license bureau is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. until midnight, Goya said.
“I think that a lot of people come here because they’ve heard about how cool it is, but the truth is, it’s very easy. It’s very easy for a couple to come here, get their marriage license, and get married in the same day,” Duffy said.
Special events have brought wedding services directly to couples.
“EDC hosted a party on the patio for couples visiting the marriage bureau. Formula One also created a special wedding chapel within its facility,” Goya shared.
Las Vegas has also figured out how to make wedding flexibility affordable.
“Some come here because it’s an all-inclusive type of place. They can tie their honeymoon and wedding into one, have a fun vacation at the same time they get married,” Mills said.
“They don’t have to spend all their money on just a wedding. You can have just as gorgeous a wedding for a fraction of the cost,” Goya said.
“And then they can honeymoon here, and then they have a chance at winning enough money to retire when they get home. It’s the best of all worlds,” Duffy said.
Last year, the wedding industry contributed around $2 billion to the Valley’s economy. Fifty dollars from each wedding license issued goes to Clark County domestic violence prevention programs.
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