A Look Back at Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Wedding – celebritiestalks
Elvis and Priscilla Presley were one of the most famous celebrity couples of the late ’60s and early ’70s. While the lead-up to their wedding was a long time coming, it became an intimate event for the ages.
Priscilla was 21 and Elvis was 32 when they finally tied the knot in 1967. Their entire wedding was eight minutes long and included only 14 guests. The ceremony was followed by a press conference and a Champagne breakfast for 100 guests organized by Elvis’ former manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
The wedding was recently portrayed in the Oscar-nominated biopic “Elvis,” which featured Austin Butler in the titular role and Olivia Debone as Priscilla. A new look at the event was included in “Priscilla,” a biopic directed by Sofia Coppola about Priscilla Presley based on her 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me.” The film, which premiered Monday at the Venice Film Festival, stars Cailee Spaeny in the title role and Jacob Elordi as Elvis.
“It was really fun to work with someone new and see what they are capable of. She really anchors it,” Coppola said to celebritiestalks of Spaeny’s work and performance in the film. Coppola’s goal with the film was to capture Elvis and Priscilla’s torrid and unique romance. The movie will hit theaters on Oct. 27.
How did Elvis and Priscilla meet?
Elvis first met Priscilla in 1959, when he was 24 and she was 14. They were introduced to each other during a party Elvis held at a house rented in Germany, during his time serving in the army.
While the age gap between them is controversial, Priscilla has said that the two did not become physically involved until they were married. By the time Elvis left for the army, he had already achieved a high level of fame.
A detailed view of a copy of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Las Vegas marriage license from 1967 is seen at the Graceland Wedding Chapel on July 7, 2007, in Las Vegas.
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In 1960, Elvis left Germany and returned to the U.S. He kept in touch with Priscilla via telephone.
In 1962, Priscilla’s parents agreed to let her spend two weeks with Elvis in Los Angeles. She was 17 at the time. Rather than travel to the pre-approved location of Los Angeles, the two ran off to Las Vegas.
After visiting Graceland in December 1962, Priscilla’s parents allowed her to move to Graceland, his palatial estate in Tennessee, after Elvis promised Priscilla’s father she’d finish high school, live with his parents first and he’d eventually marry her.
Wedding photos of Elvis Presley to Priscilla on May 1, 1967.
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Despite his promise to marry her, Elvis would have a series of affairs between 1963 and their wedding in 1967. By 1966, he proposed to Priscilla with a 3.5-carat diamond engagement ring with 20 detachable diamonds.
Priscilla Presley’s wedding dress
For her nuptials, she wore a classic white floor-length wedding gown made from silk chiffon. The dress featured a beaded neckline and had seed pearl embellished sleeves. The dress was accompanied by a classic sheer veil.
Elvis Presley cuts wedding cake with his bride, the former Priscilla Ann Beaulieu, May 1, 1967.
Bettmann Archive
Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s wedding cake
One of the most notable aspects of the wedding was the $3,200 cake. The cake was a yellow sponge, and each layer was filled twice with apricot marmalade and Bavarian cream. All the layers were glazed with fondant icing and decorated with royal icing and marzipan roses. Adjusted for inflation, that cake would cost over $29,000 today.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s divorce
Despite their long road to marriage, the two divorced in 1973. They remained amicable and upon Elvis’ death at 42 years old in 1977, Priscilla was named the executor of his estate. Elvis never remarried, and to this day neither has Priscilla. Together they had their only child, Lisa-Marie Presley, who died in 2023 at the age of 54.
A Look Back at Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Wedding – celebritiestalks