But some people are trying to regulate the anything-goes lifestyle of the Strip. Now the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country, Las Vegas even publishes new phone books twice a year. And some residents want the city to take itself more seriously.
In an effort to control the more than 120,000 wedding ceremonies a year, Clark County Clerk Shirley Parraguirre decided to refer to an old Nevada statute. The statute requires a criminal background check for anyone seeking a license to marry couples. And if you happen to be a felon with a conviction that’s less than ten years old, you are out of luck from even applying for a license.
Marriage is big business in Vegas. With so many unique ceremonies to choose from: the casino wedding, the drive-through wedding (Big Mac not included) and the always popular Elvis wedding, it’s no wonder that more than 120,000 ceremonies a year are performed in chapels around the city.
Another regulation on the table would have ministers renewing their licenses to marry every few years. Right now you only have to complete a short application with a written confirmation by a church official stating you are a fine, upstanding Elvis impersonator, entrepreneur minister.
With more than 150,000 people licensed in and around Las Vegas, it’s easy to understand how a few scoundrels could slip through the cracks.
This year alone Las Vegas has been recording an average of 363 marriages a day. And with many “entrepreneurs” on the Strip beckoning you to enter their chapel and wed your sweetheart, it’s no wonder so many get swept up in the moment. (Incidentally, on a recent trip to Vegas, a friend was told by a chapel minister that she and her companion made a great couple and should submit to marriage. Since they are exboyfriend and girlfriend, they declined. Perhaps he knew something they didn’t. Or maybe not…)
As chapels compete fiercely for business, there is fear that fraud could become commonplace without the proper supervision.
For example, it is not unusual for a groom to offer a bribe to a chapel in exchange for a fake marriage license. If the union fails, he won’t have to pay alimony because it was never a legal marriage.
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