It started, of course, as a Wild West story. In 1930, only 5,165 people lived in Las Vegas, while 8,532 people resided in the whole of its larger district, Clark County. The economy was failing amid the Great Depression, and with little industry left in the dusty railroad town, it was some real Grapes of Wrath shit. In the thick of both regional poverty and Prohibition, Vegas leaders needed something to tax, but also were looking to create the infrastructure needed for a tourist economy. So in 1931, when the Strip was still known as Highway 91, Gov. Fred Balzar made history by legalizing all forms of casino gambling for the first time in almost 20 years. In turn, he established Vegas as a city where rules, inhibitions and restraint weren’t welcome.
He applied this mentality to weddings and divorces, too. As of 1931, Clark County instituted the most lenient marriage policies in the country. Unlike other jurisdictions that required blood tests and waiting periods before licensing marriages, Las Vegas expedited the process, allowing for legal marriages to take place in a day.
With that ease also came accessibility. According to this Bugsy Siegel biography, which recounts how Siegel galvanized the creation of modern Vegas by opening the Flamingo Hotel in 1946, in the 1940s, Clark County had a marriage license bureau installed in the train depot and kept the county clerk’s office open 24 hours a day. (By the way, Prohibition wasn’t repealed until 1933, so unlike the boozy debauchery we associate with Vegas today, those early Vegas weddings didn’t involve alcohol. At least not legally.)
The efficient legislation worked. The promise of an easy wedding attracted tourists to the desert and the local economy began to improve quickly, at least for the time period. In 1939, 5,305 marriage licenses were issued in Clark County, matching the number of Vegas residents at the start of the decade. In 1941, just two years later, 21,000 Vegas marriages were performed — or about quadruple the number from just two years prior.
When it opened in 1942, the Little Church of the West was referred to as “The Hitching Post,” one of many chapels to pop up at the time, all of which wanted to cash in on the emerging market. But while the chapels before it were opened in repurposed buildings, the Little Church of the West was the first intentionally designed chapel, featuring Victorian lamps from 19th century railroad cars and other decorative elements that attracted guests looking for a beautiful experience. Today, it’s the oldest building on the Strip, and still one of its most popular wedding locations. It was good enough for Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere, who got married there in 1991.
Contrary to my understanding of celebrity marriages in Vegas before this deep dive, which undemocratically prioritized Britney Spears, impulsive celebrities rushing off to Vegas for quickie weddings is hardly a new concept. In fact, Clara Bow, the face of the Roaring Twenties and the first woman dubbed an “It Girl” following her charismatic performance in the 1927 film It (not the one about a killer clown), married actor and rancher Rex Bell there in December 1932. And while non-celebs flocked to Vegas for more discreet weddings, celebrity weddings in Vegas were used as advertising, encouraging fans to follow in the footsteps of their favorite stars.
Although if you were looking for discretion, Vegas was sure to provide that, too. At a time where communities were smaller and family structures stronger — or at least more rigid — people who wanted to wed without the support of their families considered Vegas a safe space. Without relatives or gossipy townspeople around to interfere, couples considered transgressive because of their differences in class, caste, race or religion could marry peacefully. Same goes for couples of the same class, caste, race and religion whose families just happened to fucking hate each other.
In 1963, Ann-Margret and Elvis Presley checked into the Sahara for an extended stay to film a movie reported to be one of Steven Spielberg’s favorites — Viva Las Vegas. Presley was already a legend and Margaret was hot off the release of her debut Bye Bye Birdie, meaning the two superstars garnered a lot of press for Las Vegas. So much so that before the film’s release in 1964, tabloids widely ran photos of the two having a Vegas wedding of their own. Of course, it was just a scene in the movie.
Plenty of celebs did for real though, so here’s an abridged list:
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (1958)
Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon (1965)
Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow (1966)
Presley and Priscilla Anne Beaulieu (1967)
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis (1987)
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley (1989)
Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy (1989)
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (1996)
Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra (1998)
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf (2001)
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan (2003)
Spears and Jason Allen Alexander (2004)
For others, it’s the kitsch factor, especially when it comes to celebrity impersonators and themes. Do you dream of the Blues Brothers marrying you? How about Marilyn Monroe? Elvis? What about Zombie Elvis? They’re all waiting for you in Vegas, basically 24 hours a day. There’s even the “Wassup Pussycat” option, complete with your own Tom Jones. Or you can straight cosplay with a Camelot or Intergalactic Superhero motif. A lot of geeks must marry in Vegas, especially during CES.
Not into kitsch? Vegas still has plenty of options. Take the Run Through Wedding Race, an annual event held outside the convention center where a hoard of couples marry during a half or full marathon. Some renew their vows during the run, too.