Heartbreak hotels? Las Vegas chapels told to stop using Elvis for weddings
The licensing company that controls the Elvis Presley name and image is ordering wedding chapel operators in Las Vegas to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Authentic Brands Group sent ceaseand-desist letters in early May to multiple chapels, which are expected to be compliant by now. But with Elvis so closely tied to the Vegas wedding industry, some say the move could damage business.
“We are a family-run business and now we’re hanging with the big dogs,” said Kayla Collins, operator of LasVegasElvisWeddingChapel.com and the Little Chapel of Hearts. “That’s our bread and butter. I don’t get it. We were just hitting our stride again through Covid, then this happens.”
The Clark county clerk, Lynn Goya, who led a marketing campaign promoting Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said the order for chapels to stop using Elvis couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The Vegas wedding industry generates $2bn a year and officials say Elvis-themed weddings represent a significant number of ceremonies performed.
“It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry,” Goya said. “A number of people might lose their livelihood.”
One chapel last weekend had its Elvis impersonator change into a leather jacket, jeans and a fedora for a “rock’n’roll” ceremony, the Review-Journal reported.
Graceland Wedding Chapel, which performs 6,400 Elvis-themed weddings a year, had not been served a warning yet, according to its manager, Rod Musum.
In the cease-and-desist letter, the company said it would halt unauthorized use of “Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise”.
The letter also said “Elvis”, “Elvis Presley” and “The King of Rock and Roll” were protected trademarks.
In a statement, Authentic Brands Group said it had strong relationships with Elvis tribute artists and fan festivals and said there was “no intention to shut down chapels that offer Elvis packages in Las Vegas”.
“We are seeking to partner with each of these small businesses to ensure that their use of Elvis’ name, image and likeness are officially licensed and authorized by the estate, so they can continue their operations,” Authentic Brands Group said.
“Elvis is embedded into the fabric of Las Vegas history.”
The licensing company oversees the estates of other big names including Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.
The order should not translate into legal action against Elvis-themed stage shows in Las Vegas because impersonating someone for live performances is considered an exception under Nevada’s right of publicity law, said Mark Tratos, a local attorney who helped write the statute.
Presley became indelibly linked to Las Vegas in the 1960s and 70s. A 1964 movie, Viva Las Vegas, yielded a title track that became the city’s unofficial theme. In July 1969, Presley redefined the Vegas residency with his live comeback at the Las Vegas International hotel. What started as a four-week gig turned into more than 600 shows, running until December 1976.
Presley got married in Las Vegas in 1967, to Priscilla Beaulieu, now Presley.
Kent Ripley, whose business is called Elvis Weddings, said he had never run into this problem in 25 years of performing as Elvis.
“They want to protect the Elvis brand,” he said. “But what are they protecting by taking Elvis away from the public?”