Amongst the various glitzy montages in Baz Luhrmann ’s Elvis , there’s one moment that stands out: a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it glimpse of Olivia DeJonge in a pearl-encrusted wedding dress as she marries the King of Rock ’n’ Roll at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. “ Priscilla ’ s wedding dress was made in-house by my team, who examined hundreds of photos and recreated it exquisitely,” costume designer Catherine Martin told Vogue ahead of the film’s release. “It’s divine.
” Even before Elvis hit screens, whirlwind Vegas ceremonies had experienced something of a renaissance post-pandemic. In a year when many long-postponed weddings seem to be on steroids, the allure of a no-frills Sin City ceremony has never been stronger – as evidenced by Bennifer ’s elopement to The Little White Wedding Chapel earlier this month. A popular destination for celebrity weddings since 1932 Long before Colonel Tom Parker orchestrated the Presleys ’ “ I Dos ”, Vegas had earned a reputation as a go-to destination for impromptu nuptials after relaxing its marriage laws in 1931 – part of a wider effort to bolster tourism to the sparsely populated state that included making gambling legal.
Clara Bow , considered one of Hollywood’s first It girls, married fellow actor Rex Bell in Sin City in 1932 – the first celebrity wedding on the Strip. The Little Church Of The West opened a decade later, and remains there to this day – serving as the backdrop for both Cindy Craw.