Elvis and Priscilla had been together for nearly eight years by then. They first met in 1959 in Germany, where Elvis was stationed with the U.S. Army and Priscilla — the daughter of Lt. Col. Joseph Beaulieu — was a high school student in Frankfurt. He was 24; she was 14. The relationship developed slowly, and Priscilla eventually moved to Memphis to finish high school before the two settled into a long, if low-key, public courtship. By the time they finally married, the press had been speculating about wedding plans for years.
The ceremony itself took place in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel (now Planet Hollywood), with Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff presiding. Elvis wore a tuxedo. Priscilla wore a white chiffon gown embroidered with small pearls, with lace bodice and sleeves and a full veil — and a three-carat diamond engagement-wedding ring combination.
Her sister Michelle served as maid of honor; Elvis’s secretaries Joe Esposito and Marty Lacker served as best men. Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager, was on hand too. The post-ceremony breakfast for about 100 guests was a full Southern spread, and a string ensemble played “Love Me Tender” as a serenade to the bride.
At the news conference that followed, reporters pressed Elvis on why he’d waited so long. His answer was characteristically casual: “Well, I guess it was about time.” Parker jumped in with a wisecrack — “Remember, you can’t end bachelorhood without getting married” — and Elvis elaborated just slightly, citing the pace of his career as a reason for the delay. It was the first marriage for both of them. Daughter Lisa Marie Presley was born exactly nine months later, on February 1, 1968.
The wedding’s secrecy was part of what made it such a news event. The couple had been spotted obtaining a marriage license at 3:30 in the morning, arriving by private jet. Rumors had been swirling for three days, but neither Elvis nor Priscilla had confirmed anything. When it finally happened, newspapers across the country ran the story on their front pages.
Thanks to the many photos from the wedding itself and the post-vows news conference, Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding is remembered as an iconic moment in music history. Even to this day, people go to Vegas to get hitched by Elvis impersonators.
We’ve gathered original press coverage and photos from that day — including the wedding itself, the news conference and the Presleys’ official Nevada marriage certificate — so you can see how the moment was captured in real time.
Elvis Presley’s wedding: Elvis marries his longtime girlfriend
From the Daytona Beach Morning Journal (Florida) May 2, 1967
Las Vegas, Nevada – Elvis Presley, the Memphis boy who popularized rock ‘n’ roll music and became a millionaire in the process, ended a reign as one of show business’ most eligible bachelors Monday by marrying his longtime girlfriend [Priscilla Presley].
Presley, 32, and Priscilla Beaulieu, 21, took their vows before 14 friends in a hotel suite, then entertained 100 guests at a champagne breakfast. They said they’ll honeymoon for a month, probably somewhere in the United States.
Presley, who started as a guitar-twanging, hip-wiggling song shouter whose style has been widely imitated, has concentrated in recent years on motion pictures. He came here from Palm Springs, California, for the ceremony.
Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff performed the rites in the suite of Milton Prell, owner of the Aladdin Hotel. Best men were Presley’s secretary, Joe Esposito of Chicago, and assistant secretary Marty Lacker of Memphis.
Presley wore a tuxedo. The bride, whose maid of honor was her sister, Michelle, wore a white chiffon gown embroidered with tiny pearls and a full chiffon veil. Bodice and sleeves of her long train dress were of lace. She wore a three-carat diamond wedding-engagement ring combination.
The marriage was the first for both. Asked at a news conference why he waited so long, Presley said: “Well, I guess it was about time.”
Then his manager, Col Tom Parker, spoke up: “Remember, you can’t end bachelorhood without getting married.”
Presley added: “With the life I had, I decided it would be best to wait. You know, all of the shows and record engagements.”
MORE: Elvis Presley joins the Army: 20 pictures of the King of Rock & Roll in uniform (1958)
The news conference followed the breakfast, served buffet style and offering everything from ham and eggs and southern fried chicken to roast suckling pig, clams Casino, fresh poached candied salmon, eggs Minnette, and oysters Rockefeller.
During the repast, a string ensemble played for the guests, and at one point went to the bride and serenaded her with “Love Me Tender,” one of Presley’s earliest hit records.
The marriage followed three days of rumors but neither party could be contacted for confirmation. Last Thursday Presley finished his latest movie and took refuge in his secluded and guarded home in Palm Springs.
Today he and Miss Beaulieu arrived in Las Vegas by private jet plane and obtained a marriage license about 3:30 am. Six persons accompanied them.
Presley and his bride-to-be met in 1959 in Germany, while he was serving with the U.S. Army. Miss Beaulieu, daughter of Lt Col and Mrs Joseph Beaulieu, was attending high school at Frankfurt. Both Presley and Miss Beaulieu are from Memphis.
At that time Presley said “I like her very much,” but both said their relationship then was not serious. They dated for four months before Presley came home to be discharged.
The bride’s father is now stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, where he is plans officer for the 22nd AirECE. He and Mrs Beaulieu left there Saturday to attend the wedding.
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The marriage certificate of Elvis and Priscilla Presley — Nevada 1967
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