Priscilla Presley's Vegas Chapel: Elvis Not Included

Wedding venue 'all first-class,' will not include red velvet
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 7, 2015 10:24 AM CDT
Priscilla Presley's Vegas Chapel: Elvis Not Included
   (Todd Williamson)

The King will not appear at Elvis Presley's Graceland Wedding Chapel that is coming soon to Las Vegas—exactly how Priscilla Presley wants it. The woman who wed Elvis in Sin City in 1967 made one thing clear before unveiling the latest wedding chapel to bear his name: No Elvis impersonators. Presley knows some might prefer a jumpsuit-wearing, sideburn-donning wedding official with a bit of swivel to his hips. But she says such a move would only cheapen the place. "This is all first-class," she said recently. "This is not a joke." That means no red velvet, Presley said. "Graceland Presents ELVIS: The Exhibition—The Show—The Experience," including the chapel, opens April 23 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino, the same property where Elvis performed several hundred sold-out shows between 1969 and 1976.

Officials say the chapel is part of the first permanent exhibit of Elvis artifacts outside Graceland, and authenticity is what it offers, per Presley, who she seems keen on ridding Vegas of the over-the-top, tacky image of her late ex-husband. "Elvis had a lot of class," she said. "He was a beautiful specimen of a man." Even a six-week show that aims to replicate his concerts will feature an actor with a 24-piece band, not an impersonator, Presley was careful to note of performer Martin Fontaine. "He's not trying to be Elvis Presley," she said. One lucky couple will get a Presley in their wedding party opening day, however: Priscilla Presley will attend the nuptials of the winners of a contest announced by the Today show yesterday. "I'm going to make sure it's done right," she said of the wedding. (More Elvis Presley stories.)

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