In May 2022, Elvis's estate sent cease-and-desist letters to Vegas wedding chapels that had built their business on Elvis impersonators. The chapels, which contribute to Vegas's $2 billion wedding industry, faced bankruptcy. Public outcry forced a settlement: chapels could keep Elvis weddings if they paid licensing fees.
This couple is getting married by Elvis. Well, believe it or not, this is a Las Vegas tradition, but it almost got banned. Every year, thousands of couples head to Las Vegas to get married by the King himself, or at least a jumpsuit-wearing impersonator. It's weird, it's tacky, and it's perfectly Las Vegas. But in May 2022, small wedding chapels across the Las Vegas Strip started to get hit with cease and desist letters. The company that owns Elvis's likeness, Authentic Brands Group out of New York, basically says shut it down. The problem? A ton of small chapels rely on Elvis weddings to stay afloat, and their margins are already razor thin. So when Elvis leaves their building, a ton of these places were facing bankruptcy. This was a massive blow to the entire Vegas wedding scene, which brings in over $2 billion a year to the state. But the outrage was huge. Fans, media, and even locals fought back. There's gonna be a fight in court. And guess what? Authentic Brands buckled under the pressure and walked back their cease and desist, as long as chapels paid a licensing fee. Within weeks, the chapels were back up and running, and today Elvis-themed weddings are alive and well in Las Vegas.
