Graceland Wedding Chapel - the inside story
In our exclusive interview we talk to Brandon Reed, the general manager of Graceland Wedding Chapel, about the perfect Vegas wedding, Jon Bon Jovi and a love of rollercoasters.
Q: So how did you get into the wedding business?
Fifteen years ago my wife and I were living with a physician and his family in their basement apartment while attending graduate school. I was near completion and still didn't know what I was going to do and the conversation came up that his father owned a wedding chapel on The Strip in Vegas of all places, and needed someone to run it for him.
If you'll pardon the pun, it was a suitable marriage for both of us; he was desperate to find someone to run his business and I was desperate to find a job! I worked at that particular chapel for 7 years and moved on to another chapel, of which I owned 50%. It was a wonderful oportunity while it lasted; unfortunately we didn't own the land we were sitting on and we were literally standing in the way of progress. After almost 50 years, we lost our lease and had to vacate due to a high rise condominium project scheduled to be built on our location. I'm finally glad to say that my place of permanence in the Las Vegas wedding business is Graceland Wedding Chapel.
Q: What is the history of your chapel?
Graceland Wedding Chapel is one of the oldest, most recognized wedding chapels in Las Vegas. In the early 1950's the chapel was known as "Gretna Green Wedding Chapel" until a change of ownership in the 1970's prompted a name change to "Graceland Wedding Chapel".
Graceland Wedding Chapel was the first chapel in Las Vegas to introduce the now World Famous "Elvis Wedding Ceremony", which has enjoyed huge recognition and success. Last year (2005) yet another name change has taken place not to replace the Graceland name, but to be co-branded with the original name. "A Storybook Wedding Chapel" has been introduced as the shared name of the chapel to convey to brides and grooms everywhere that while there are ceremonies that include Elvis taking place at the chapel, the predominant type of wedding ceremonies taking place at the chapel are more traditional.
Q: How many weddings do you perform each year?
A Lot! Last year, there were over 120,000 marriage licenses issued in Las Vegas alone, making our town the number one wedding destination in the world. Graceland Wedding Chapel performs a little more than 6% of the total (between 7,500 - 8,000 weddings annually).
Q: What are your tips for a great Vegas wedding?
Remember to keep things simple - it's what the Vegas wedding is all about! Planning your special day in Las Vegas should be uncomplicated. The ceremonies are relatively short and can be on the festive side; a time of celebration, from the inexpensive to the elaborate. We have an excellent staff that specialzes in paying attention to details, so planning your wedding via satellite location is not only possible, but happens every day here with brides all over the world.
Q: Is there anything the bride and groom should be wary of?
As with any city, there are scam artists that prey on the unaware or uninformed. Recently, a trend has developed at the Marriage License Bureau (couples have to obtain their marriage license here) and other outlets around town where they are approached by 'wedding specialists' who sell them everything for nothing at various chapels around town. Rule of thumb: if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
Q: What's the oddest/funniest experience you've had when performing a wedding?
There are many from which to choose! Probably one of the top ten weddings that I'll remember always is when I was approached at the chapel by an elderly couple wishing to marry. They had a request to include both of their dogs in their ceremony; each were to serve as the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. Each dog had a collar that had the respective wedding ring tied to it and both animals were the best behaved I've seen before or since that time.
Q: Have there been any celebrity weddings at your chapel we should know about?
You bet! Our signature celebrity is Jon Bon Jovi. Not only did he get married here, but he renewed his wedding vows here too (along with his brother and his wife). As part of a nation-wide radio promotion, he and 75 other couples from across the US were flown to Vegas and renewed their vows at Graceland Wedding Chapel after which he performed a private concert in our back parking lot, causing the Strip to be sectioned off and traffic re-routed for 2 hours! It was quite a spectacle! The neighbors thought it was pretty cool to have Jon Bon Jovi performing in their back yards too!
Other celebrities we've married: country and western singer Billy Ray Cyrus; Ace Frehley from KISS; Aaron Neville; members of bands including Deep Purple, The Beastie Boys, The Thompson Twins, and Def Lepard. A couple of famous movies have been taped in part here at the chapel as well. "Fools Rush in" with Selma Hayek and Matthew Parry along with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" with Cameron Diaz and Johnny Depp.
Q: So why should people choose the Graceland Wedding Chapel to get married?
Our number one commitment is service. We believe it's unmatched in the wedding industry here in town, so that's the first reason. Second, is our location and appearance. We're right on the Strip in the middle of it all; kind of a tranquil oasis set in the middle of the frenzy of Las Vegas. We're that quaint and romantic little chapel that you can find in your own home town perhaps or something you've seen on postcards. We've got state of the art digital DVD and photography technology, professional limousine service, fresh or life-like silk flowers, freshly baked wedding cakes and we can feature our ceremonies live on the internet for friends and relatives that could not attend your ceremony.
Q: What is your favourite part of your job?
I have the opportunity to travel quite a bit, as a big part of our marketing emphasis focuses on the international traveler. Becoming familiar with the wedding customs and traditions of other cultures is fascinating to me. I also work with the greatest people. We've all had the jobs where we go to work and are forced to 'deal' with those we don't like or otherwise find intolerable. That's just not the case where I work. I consider them all like family to me and think that's a pretty rare thing!
Q: As a local, do you have any tips about what visitors should see and do when they're in Vegas?
There's so much to see and do when you're here. I have people email me all the time asking where they should eat, what show they should see, or what sites to see outside of Vegas. Here's a brief run down of what I would cram into a weekend if you're limited on time:
- Eat! Olives at Bellagio is one of the best restaurants in the country. Make sure you make reservations (you have to do it in person) to sit outside on the terrace in the evening overlooking the fountains and the lake. If that doesn't light your fire romantically, I don't know what will! Another fantastic restaurant is across the street at Paris, Las Vegas called Mon Ami Gabi. Great atmosphere and good food too! Lastly, I can't NOT recommend Lawry's The Prime Rib here in town. Unlike any prime rib you'll ever have. Wait! One more thing! The Buffets! The best are at: Bellagio, Paris, Mirage, Wynn and Mandalay Bay.
- Thrill Rides! There's the attractions on top of the Stratosphere if you're into death defying-spot your pants-screaming like a little girl-hair-raising fun. These rides give a new meaning to 'extreme'. Also, there's the coaster at New York New York and Sahara hotel/casinos.
- Downtown's Fremont Street Experience. Hard to describe and you'll not find anything like it in the world. The canopy that covers the street has over a million computer generated lights that put on a different show every hour and a half from 7pm util after midnight every day of the year.
- Natural wonders. For a taste of nature, you can't come all this way and not see the Grand Canyon, one of the 7 wonders of the world. You can get there by helicopter (I would recommend this over the fixed wing aircraft) or you can drive - it's about a 7 hour drive each way. Helicopter is the best; we use Papillon Helicopters and Heli-USA; both are excellent companies to work with. Or, if you just want to drive out of the city for a bit, you can head due west for about a half hour and you'll run into Red Rock Canyon State Park, which is a beautiful desert preserve with picturesque red sand stone mountains. A mountain biker's and hiker's paradise!
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