The True Story Behind Elvis and Priscilla Presley's 8-Minute Wedding
We cannot believe how much they paid for that cake!
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On May 1, 1967, superstar Elvis Presley married his bride, Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony.
The wedding party had been staying at Elvis's Palm Springs home. Shortly after midnight, the group boarded two private planes bound for McCarran Airport, according to the memoir Elvis: My Best Man, written by The King's longtime friend, George Klein. At 3:30 a.m., friends accompanied the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. Presley to the county courthouse to get their marriage license.
The couple exchanged vows at the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas, attended by only a handful of guests. Afterward, friends, family, and business associates from MGM, RCA, and the William Morris Agency gathered for an over-the-top breakfast reception. It was an unconventional wedding for an unconventional couple.
Though the couple divorced on October 9, 1973, their wedding remains one of the most talked-about affairs of the 20th century. Read on for more details about their relationship and, of course, their now-iconic wedding.
They first met when she was 14.
Elvis and Priscilla met in 1959 in Germany, where Elvis was serving in the army and Priscilla's family lived on the base (her father was an Air Force Captain). They kept in touch by phone after Elvis returned to his Graceland estate in Memphis, and Priscilla's parents allowed her to move there at age 17 on the condition that they'd eventually marry, according to The Elvis Encyclopedia.
There were rumors Elvis didn't want to get married.
According to the biography Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley, Elvis's cook said she found him crying about the upcoming wedding. She asked why he couldn't cancel it, to which he replied, "I don't have a choice." (It's rumored that Priscilla's father threatened to have Elvis arrested for taking "a minor across state lines for sexual purposes" if they didn't marry.)
They married during Priscilla's birthday month.
On their wedding day, Priscilla was just 21, while Elvis was 32. Just a few weeks later, she turned 22, shortening their age gap to ten years.
The wedding took place early in the morning.
Monday morning at 9 a.m. might seem like the unlikeliest time for a spring wedding—and perhaps that's exactly why they chose it! The unusual decision helped keep crowds away.
The wedding ceremony was very short.
Both vows and rings were exchanged in just eight minutes.
Priscilla's sister was the maid of honor.
Her little sister, Michelle Beaulieu, was only 13 years old when she stood by Priscilla's side as she exchanged vows with Elvis. The otherwise traditional nuptials did not include the word "obey," per Elvis's request.
Elvis's entourage played groomsmen.
Two members of the so-called Memphis Mafia, Marty Lacker and Joe Esposito, served as Elvis's co-best men.
The wedding cake cost $22,000.
In today's money, anyway. Back then, the Presleys shelled out a whopping $3,200 for the six-tiered, yellow sponge cake filled with apricot marmalade and liqueur-flavored cream.
Their cake took 20 pounds of Crisco shortening to make.
It also involved 48 2-inch sugar hearts and 478 silver sugared almonds.
Priscilla's engagement ring had 20 diamonds.
The ring Elvis proposed with featured a three-and-a-half-carat diamond encircled by 20 smaller, removable diamonds, according to Vogue.
Elvis had a matching ring.
He hired Memphis jeweler Harry Levitch to find himself and his new wife the perfect matching rings.
They got married at the Aladdin Hotel.
Nevada Supreme Court Judge David Zenoff performed the ceremony in a suite at the resort filled with candles and flowers.
Their venue became a famous travel destination.
In 2007, the Aladdin Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip was rebranded as the now-famous Planet Hollywood.
Fans loved Priscilla's signature look.
A groomsman reportedly said of Priscilla's wedding day style: "She looked like she had about eight people living in her hair." Many brides during the era not only tried to emulate her teased bouffant, but also her iconic cut-crease eyeliner.
Priscilla had one fitting for her dress.
She wore a long, white silk chiffon gown beaded with seed pearls and a 3-foot tulle veil topped with a rhinestone crown. "I didn't have time to stay there forever and look at dresses; I had one fitting for this dress and that was it, I was out of there," she later shared.
She found her dress while in disguise.
To keep the press from snooping, Priscilla went shopping using a fake name, Mrs. Hodge. "I went to places like Neiman Marcus in disguise. I went with a [blonde] wig and everything just to keep it private!" she later said.
The gown came from a department store.
Priscilla found her dream dress at the department store Westwood. "It wasn't extravagant, it wasn't extreme — it was simple and to me, beautiful," she admitted.
Elvis's wedding suit was inspired by his acting career.
Elvis's tux, designed with paisley silk brocade, was made by MGM Studios's Lambert Marks. The famous tailor had dressed the singer for his roles in Girl Happy and Spinout.
Elvis's hair had a wire in it.
To keep his perfectly coiffed hair in place, Elvis's pompadour was supported with a small wire.
The reception was a $10,000 breakfast buffet.
The newly married couple were joined by 100 guests for a champagne breakfast featuring lobster, oysters Rockefeller, roasted pig, and Southern fried chicken.
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