James Bond is on call. So is Alice Cooper. Even Gene Simmons is available, as part of a package that includes poker chips, shot glasses, temporary tattoos and an inexplicable set of lanyards with golf passes.
However, in Vegas, Elvis Presley still rules.
Last week, American singer, songwriter, and actor, Joe Jonas married Sophie Turner, best known for her role as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones . And in proper Hollywood style, they did it in Vegas at the Little White Wedding Chapel with a pink Cadillac and an Elvis impersonator as officiant.
Curious about what it is like to be Elvis in Vegas? Meet Roland August, ‘The Mobile Minister’. He conducts weddings at multiple locations from Bellagio fountains to Red Rock Canyon. You may recognise him from his glittery Elvis cameo in Katy Perry’s ‘Waking Up in Vegas’ music video. And, though he loves his job, he explains why it isn’t all rock-and-roll...
You were ordained a minister and you now combine your theatrical background with ministry. Why make the switch when you were already a successful professional actor?
I was ordained over 10 years ago. I chose to be a minister after being pushed by the Viva Las Vegas Chapel owner to do a traditional wedding on a very busy day, when they did not have a minister available.
I had done many weddings as Elvis and other themed characters such as Jack Sparrow and Austin Powers, but I had never done a wedding as a traditional minister.
I did not know what to say, but I spoke from my heart about love and commitment. In that moment the feeling was so powerful and so much more positive than anything I had felt as a themed character. I immediately knew I had to become a minister in order to do this work!
Why choose to work in Vegas? And why is this city endlessly fascinated with Elvis?
Vegas has so many weddings that it’s very easy to work here in terms of profitability and ease of finding business. The fascination with Elvis in Las Vegas stems from the fact that Elvis performed here for so many years and still has the record for the most consecutive sold-out performances, back when he was performing at the Hilton Hotel. So people still equate Vegas with Elvis even after all this time.
- Haben Asghedom, Wedding Chapel Director at Bellagio Resort & Casino
- “Over 80,000 weddings occur each year in Las Vegas. It is still considered the marriage capital of the world and holds rank as one of the top wedding destinations. We hold several hundreds of weddings a year at Bellagio. Our demographic ranges from young couples in love for the first time to 50th-year vow renewals from all parts of the world.
- We book up to two years in advance and the average booking time frame is six months in advance. The time needed to plan your wedding in advance could vary on a scale from 0 – 100, depending on what the couple wants. For Bellagio, we have many resources and are also capable of putting together a beautiful ceremony within an hour’s notice if need be.
- We have hosted numerous interesting weddings and couples here: from politicians to famous entertainers and athletes, we have seen it all. Last year, we filmed a very special wedding for a same-sex couple that was officiated by pop star Kesha. The wedding was filmed and utilised in Kesha’s music video for her latest release, ‘I Need a Woman to Love,’ which was a part of MGM Resorts’ same-sex wedding song album, Universal Love.
Is it tough to continue to be a romantic when you’re in a setting that is so over-the-top glitzy and commercial?
I find it very easy to continue to be a romantic because I’m staring into the eyes of unconditional love every single day. The notion of Vegas with its commercialism and glitz is only part of the story. The energy of the city and the people coming here is totally positive and uplifting, so you feel good just being out on the street.
Are weddings here like the Hollywood stereotype, where people party, gamble, get drunk and get hitched, or is the reality quite different?
Couples come from all over the world to be married here for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s so easy: We only require one form of picture ID in order to purchase a marriage licence and that licence is only $77, so it is very reasonable. A couple can easily be married here in Las Vegas for under $200. So price is another alluring quality.
As far as getting drunk and getting married here like in the movies is concerned, that doesn’t happen as often because the marriage licence bureau is no longer open 24 hours a day. Earlier, a couple could go at midnight, purchase their license and literally wake up married the next morning. Now, they make it a point to not sell a marriage licence to anyone who is intoxicated visibly. And we as ministers are not supposed to marry them if they are visibly intoxicated. That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t happen, but the frequency has been lowered considerably.
Most people come here with the intention of being married quickly and easily, with no frills attached.
Established in 1951, Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas is the site of many "quickie" celebrity weddings
Have Vegas weddings changed over the years?
I’ve been doing weddings for 13 years now, and yes, I think they have changed. I believe they have become more upscale: couples are not flocking to the little cheesy chapels as they used to in the old days. They are looking for something fresh, more outdoors and casual, which reflects how they view themselves and their relationship… free and easy.
Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, USA. Michael Jordan and Joan Collins married in that chapel.
What is your wildest Vegas wedding story? Correction. Your wildest — printable — story.
A couple of years back, two people wanted to be married in the nude atop Red Rock Canyon, on one of the mountains there. So we hiked up early in the morning before anyone got there. They set up a tripod to videotape themselves, completely nude.
I get some weird weddings here. People are married as costume characters such as Woody and Jessie from Toy Story , or Superhero characters. There are many, many, many Gothic Weddings, people getting married as vampires and such. I have seen pretty much anything you can imagine under the sun.
My favourite weddings are when it’s just the two people here, alone with the sole purpose of getting married. To me, that is the wedding ceremony in its purest form, because they just get to look into each other’s eyes and focus on the fact that they are pledging their commitment and devotion to each other eternally.
