Las Vegas is known as a mecca for gambling, but it has also become a popular destination for couples looking to get hitched. Wedding chapels are nearly as plentiful as casinos in Sin City. In fact, there are about 50 of them in Las Vegas, most dotting the area between Downtown and the Strip.
Among the 50 wedding chapels are a good mix between stand-alone properties north of the major Strip area, and the chapels in the casinos themselves. Almost all are on Las Vegas Boulevard. Either type will have most of the amenities you would want for your wedding day.
It's estimated that 100,000 weddings are performed annually in Las Vegas. Some chapels allow more weddings per day than others. The chapel at the Bellagio, for example, only does eight to 10 a day, while some of the stand-alone properties do at least one an hour if not more.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married at the Aladdin Hotel in 1967. Since then there have been no shortage of marriages that began here, both short and long. Celebrities who got hitched in Las Vegas include Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton, and the infamous 55-hour coupling of Britney Spears and Jason Alexander (not the one who played George Costanza!).
The Graceland Wedding Chapel offers up a minister dressed as Elvis to conduct the service. For those in a real rush, Chapels of Las Vegas offers drive-thru weddings. Pull up to the window and hand over the marriage license. Visit www.gracelandchapel.com or www.chapelsoflasvegas.com.
