The Little White Wedding Chapel
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Coordinates: 36°9′19″N 115°8′58.9″W / 36.15528°N 115.149694°W
The Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada has been the site of many "quickie" celebrity weddings. It is noted for its Drive-Thru Tunnel of Vows.[1][2] It was established in 1951,[3] and has married about 800,000 couples. It employs ten ministers.[4]
Similarly named Las Vegas wedding chapels, such as The Little Church of the West, The Little Chapel By The Courthouse, and the The Little Chapel of the Flowers are often confused with The Little White Wedding Chapel.
The Little Chapel By The Courthouse is also owned by We've Only Just Begun Inc., also the owners of the Little White Wedding Chapel. Charolette Richards, the owner, also has had association with the Little Church of the West.
Richards has worked at the chapel since the late 1950s.[2] She came into the wedding business after her first husband abandoned her in Las Vegas, and Merle Edwards, who worked in the wedding chapel business, rescued her from the street and soon after became her second husband. He died in 1982. Richards is an ordained minister of a "non-denominational church". She has presided over the marriages of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Michael Jordan, Britney Spears, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.[5]
The chapel has been featured on such TV shows as Friends and Good Morning America.[6]
[edit] Notable weddings
- Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward[2]
- Patty Duke and Michael Tell (1970)
- Joan Collins and Peter Holm (1985)[3]
- Bruce Willis and Demi Moore (1987)[3]
- Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy (1989)[2]
- Stone Cold Steve Austin and Debra Marshall (2000)
- Natalie Maines and Adrian Pasdar (2000)[3]
- Robert Shapiro and Erika Siebert (2004)
- Britney Spears and Jason Allen Alexander (2004)[7]
- Judy Garland[8]
- Sally Jesse Raphael
- Mickey Rooney (twice)[2]
- Wayne Newton[2]
- Chris Raab
- Tony Martin[disambiguation needed]
- Rufus Hound and Beth Johnson (2007)
- Peaches Geldof and Chester French guitarist, Max Drummey
[edit] References
- ^ no byline (November 2004). "Getting Hitched in a Vegas Chapel", Cosmopolitan 237 (5): 104.
- ^ a b c d e f McCann, Dennis (2002-02-10). "Couples in Las Vegas take chance on true love", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, p. H1.
- ^ a b c d Hatton, Spencer (November 26, 2006). "Why rent a castle when you've got the King?", Yakima Herald-Republic, p. B1.
- ^ Walker, Natalie (November 22, 2004). "Cryin' in the castle: Vegas chapel bid for Scots", Daily Record, p. 20.
- ^ Mansfield, Susan (December 1, 2004). "Elvis, Sinatra and Britney were all married there. Now the Little White Wedding Chapel is coming to Scotland", The Scotsman, p. 36.
- ^ Haas, Jane Glenn (February 15, 2004). "Vegas vows 1-2-3", The Orange County Register, p. TCenter.
- ^ Mike Fleeman (January 3, 2004). "Britney Spears Married in Vegas". people.com. http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0,19736,627413,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-11.
- ^ Hall, Michelle (October 18, 1998). "Hit the jackpot! Movie-set ambience, natural attractions prove gold is not all that glitters in Las Vegas", Boston Herald, p. 61.
