- 2 days ago
Condé Nast Traveler spends a day with Brendan Paul, Elvis impersonator, wedding officiant, and co-owner of the legendary Graceland Wedding Chapel, as he shows us the Las Vegas many visitors never see. From officiating dozens of Elvis weddings and visiting the Clark County Marriage Bureau to exploring Fremont Street and his incredible collection of Elvis memorabilia, Brendan shares why Las Vegas remains the wedding capital of the world, and why he's spent more than 30 years keeping its most iconic tradition alive.
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00:00So by the power of S&M, by the state of Nevada, somehow, I now pronounce you husband and wife,
00:06one thing left, Beijing. Give her a kiss.
00:10Well, we're going to Las Vegas, take a chance alone.
00:14Don't eat twice, a little nice and nice to start the world.
00:17Well, we're going to Las Vegas, where the lights are shining bright.
00:22Oh, so bright.
00:25My name is Brendan Paul, and I'm an Elvis impersonator in Las Vegas
00:28and co-owner of the world-famous Grace of Winning Chapel.
00:31I'm going to show you what a day in my life looks like.
00:33Are you ready for a little less conversation, a lot more action, baby?
00:36Oh, oh, oh.
00:37Get on, honey.
00:39Hoo!
00:46Hey, baby.
00:48Look at you.
00:50I usually start my morning, 9, 10 a.m.
00:52My wife and I, we go out, sit by the pool.
00:54But depending on how late the night was before, sometimes we go out at noon.
00:58This is a vintage, this is called Paradise Palms.
01:01This neighborhood was built in the 60s on the golf course.
01:04It was the Stardust golf course originally.
01:06Then Desert Inn owned it in the Sahara.
01:08Lisa Marie, years ago, got rid of a bunch of stuff at Graceland.
01:11So these are Elvis' planters in his backyard at Graceland.
01:14So I saw that stuff.
01:16I said, that's so weird, a king and queen chest piece.
01:18These are Elvis' too, actually, these benches in his Beverly Hills house.
01:22Those are wind chimes.
01:23Oh, yeah.
01:24And then all the wind chimes you hear, those were all Marlon Brando's wind chimes.
01:27Like when the wind blows and I hear that, I just think, that's what Marlon Brando did.
01:31In Mulholland Drive, he heard the same thing.
01:34So what does your day look like today?
01:36Same as every day.
01:3830 weddings.
01:3930?
01:39Or something like, I don't know, probably.
01:41I don't even count.
01:42I just see the list.
01:43I gotta go.
01:44You gonna stay out here for a little bit?
01:45Yeah, maybe for a minute.
01:46Just finish my tea.
01:46Yeah.
01:48Another day in paradise.
01:50Usually in the morning, I like to get a game of Dig Dug In or Ms. Pac-Man or Gallica.
01:54When I was a kid, I always thought the sign of success was if you could have a video game
01:58in your house.
02:00So now I have two in my bedroom.
02:02It's kind of juvenile, but it works.
02:04I dig it.
02:06Oh, gotcha, son.
02:08And then I usually do my hair, which for 30 years people have been saying,
02:12is that your real hair?
02:13But it's my real hair.
02:14Dye job, but it's all mine.
02:17The Elvis world, it's like a religion.
02:20People have come up to me doing shows and said afterwards,
02:23let me ask you, do you do Elvis for the money or for the love of Elvis?
02:26And I know what the answer has to be right there.
02:30I say, for the love of Elvis.
02:32Good.
02:33But it's created such a great life for me and my family.
02:36My kids, college was paid for for each of them in cash.
02:40So I'm grateful.
02:42I mean, one guy lived, died, and I've done it for 30 years.
02:46I've traveled the world.
02:47All that from one guy who I never met.
02:50If there's a heaven and I met him there, I would seriously say,
02:56thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you provided for me and my family.
03:02It's unbelievable.
03:03I told my wife, when I die one day, do an autopsy and ask to see my lungs
03:07and see if my lungs are completely encased in hairspray.
03:1130 years.
03:14The king has to finish the final touches on the pump.
03:17I'll be out soon.
03:22This is actually cool.
03:23Our closet, we had our closet redone a couple years ago.
03:26My wife goes, we should have a thing for all your jumpsuits.
03:29So she had them design this case for, you know, long enough
03:33because I'm 6'4 with most of my costumes over the years that I've worn.
03:36So they're crazy elaborate.
03:38It's like Liberace on steroids.
03:40Wow, this weighs a ton.
03:42I forget how heavy these, the heavily beaded ones are.
03:45Some are much less.
03:46This is a beautiful one.
03:47This was actually embroidered by the guy that embroidered Elvis's.
03:51He's still alive.
03:52The work on that, the detail is crazy.
03:54It's the most expensive, I think, of all the suits.
03:57I think this was like a 5,000, 6,000, something like that.
04:00This was a famous one Elvis wore.
04:02And I've had three of them because I've gone through them.
04:04But the Aloha Eagle, he wore it in Hawaii.
04:07It's kind of famous because it's red, white, and blue and all that.
04:09But yeah, pretty cool.
04:11The cape to that suit.
04:13Wingspan of the cape alone is, I'm 6'4.
04:17So when you put your arms out, look at this.
04:19That's just the cape.
04:22Let's see, I'll do it the way he would have it, I guess.
04:24Something like this, yeah.
04:26And then, you know, pretty crazy.
04:30This was Elvis wore this in a movie called Speedway.
04:33A terrible movie, but it's kind of cool.
04:35His character was named Steve.
04:37And you can see it, I think it says Elvis Presley.
04:39Yeah, Elvis Presley in the tag.
04:41So now, let's go down and show you the other stuff I have.
04:44It's wild.
04:48I don't have vices.
04:49I don't golf.
04:49I don't gamble.
04:51I don't do anything.
04:52I buy memorabilia.
04:53But that's just to surround myself in a little cocoon and what makes me happy.
04:57So this is kind of like my theater and office where I keep a lot of the stuff I have.
05:03Costumes and things.
05:05I'm a huge fan of Planet of the Apes, the original 1968 movie.
05:08So this is all original costumes.
05:10This was Cher's, 1974 on the Sonny and Cher show.
05:13Oh, ah, this.
05:15The creme de la creme, Michael Jackson's pants.
05:17He wore these on the Victory Tour.
05:19This was a Munchkin's vest from The Wizard of Oz, 1939.
05:22So that's really old.
05:24I always tell people, if you like something, touch it.
05:27It like takes you, you're like touching history.
05:30You're reaching back.
05:31You're not, look, if I had this in a glass case, I might as well show you a picture of
05:34a vest.
05:34But I tell people, go ahead, anything you want, feel it.
05:37I think it might be time for me to hit the chapel.
05:39Honey, what time is it?
05:40I got to get going.
05:46Where I live, it's great.
05:47I can get to a casino in 10 minutes.
05:49I can get to the airport in 10 minutes.
05:50I love old Vegas.
05:52This is where everyone lived in these houses where I live.
05:55Johnny Carson had a place, Dean Martin.
05:57They all had houses up here.
05:58They didn't live here full time, but they'd come to Vegas and play for two, three weeks,
06:01a couple of times a year.
06:03Elvis was the first one.
06:04He did a residency in 1969, and he would do it for a month, like all of January.
06:09And they'd come back in July, 30 days straight, two shows a day, seven days a week.
06:13What's happening?
06:14What do we got?
06:15I don't know.
06:15You got one, you got four that you're doing.
06:17Yeah.
06:17Group ceremony.
06:19And you're relieving Daniel.
06:21Daniel.
06:21Yep.
06:22Daniel's son.
06:23Daniel's here.
06:24Hey, Danny boy.
06:26What's going on, baby?
06:29All right.
06:30What's going on, man?
06:31You're doing a thing tomorrow, the Elvis fest?
06:34Yeah.
06:34Tomorrow we're doing the Vegas Elvis fest.
06:37So I'll be performing that night.
06:40Good.
06:40Back to bed.
06:41So we're doing One Night with the King.
06:43And then also we're going to perform Monster Cup, of course, a regular show.
06:48Yeah.
06:48And then do another show up that night.
06:50And then Saturday I work with the other guy.
06:52Saturday?
06:53I'll try to come Saturday then.
06:54Come on down, baby.
06:55We're here.
06:55Brandon Paul, man, the King of Las Vegas.
07:00This is Daniel, our newest Elvis, too.
07:02He's been here.
07:03How long, Daniel?
07:03Three years.
07:04Oh.
07:05Yeah.
07:05I'm thinking three weeks.
07:06It's been three years.
07:06Yeah, yeah.
07:07When I came from that rocket ship and you took me in and raised me like Superman.
07:10He's a young man.
07:11Daniel's half my age.
07:13Well, I'm like your left leg, boss.
07:15That's what you're trying to say.
07:16The shaky one.
07:19Oh, this is our little kind of Elvis changing room.
07:24And we fill out, like we marry people, so we have a desk here to fill out the paperwork
07:28and a curtain for privacy.
07:32But yeah, this is, oh, you don't, sorry, I might add my Trump sign on.
07:39We've had a lot of protests in Vegas.
07:42I go down as Elvis, especially because they call it No King's Day.
07:45So I go down in costume and lend support.
07:47It's always cute.
07:49All right.
07:50Time for the King to get dressed.
07:52I'll be back.
07:54So who comes here to get married?
07:56Let me tell you.
07:57The world.
08:08We do at least 50% of our weddings take place from mainly UK, Germany, Italy, France, all
08:16day.
08:16Tons of Brazilians.
08:17That's why we offer the multi-language ministers, because of that.
08:21I once again pronounce you husbands and wives.
08:24One thing left, guys.
08:25Beysia.
08:28So he goes, how could you do close to 80,000 weddings I think I've done at Grayson over
08:32the years?
08:33They go, you don't get sick of singing the same songs?
08:34I said, no, because I just enjoy watching people enjoy it.
08:38And I'm like, I get off on that.
08:39I'm like this.
08:41Oh, stop.
08:46I'm not there for me.
08:47I stopped doing this for me about 25 years ago.
08:51But it's great to be a part of someone's special day or they love Elvis.
08:55Elvis means a lot to them in their life and their dream.
08:57I mean, I can't tell how many people come to the chapel and say, as a little girl, my dream
09:02was to be married by Elvis.
09:03And now the next best thing, I'm being walked down the aisle and sung to by Elvis.
09:07And I'll start singing sometimes and the bride will start crying.
09:10And I can tell it's not me.
09:11I joke.
09:12I say, oh, is it that bad?
09:13The singing, I make a joke.
09:14But they're just massive Elvis fans.
09:19And I can see the way they look at me.
09:20They're not even looking at me.
09:21They're like looking through me.
09:22They're seeing Elvis.
09:23So to be a part of that, it's like I give the money back to be part of that.
09:28You know what I mean?
09:30Some people plan us for years.
09:31We had a couple last week.
09:33They got married.
09:34And as they left, they said, we'd like to book in 10 years from now to come back and
09:38do our renewal.
09:39So they said, are you going to be there?
09:41I said, unfortunately, yes, I'll still be here.
09:45But that's kind of cool, right?
09:4610 years out.
09:46And then yet we've had people where I married someone that knew each other two and a half
09:50hours.
09:50They met at the pool.
09:51I remember at the Mirage because I said, where'd you meet?
09:53They go, the Mirage.
09:54And they didn't tell me right away.
09:55I just said, where are you from?
09:56He goes, Seattle.
09:58And then I said, where are you from?
09:59And he looked at her.
10:00He goes, where are you from?
10:00And I remember going like, what do you mean, where are you from?
10:03Yeah, your wife.
10:04She goes, I live outside of Chicago.
10:06And that's why I said, where are you guys going to live?
10:08And they go, we haven't really thought about that.
10:10And I said, well, how long have you been together?
10:12And he looked at his watch.
10:13And I said, here we go.
10:15He goes, what, about two, two and a half hours?
10:17Someone said, you think they're still together?
10:19And I said, I like to believe they are because otherwise I wouldn't do this job if I thought
10:22if I was cynical about love.
10:24If I just can't, I just think they're all, everyone's still together.
10:28We're fighting to keep it together, you know?
10:31Now we're here at the Marriage Bureau where I turn in my marriage licenses.
10:34I mean, this is a wedding capital of the world.
10:36We do over 70,000 weddings a year in this town.
10:39That's a lot.
10:41Hey, how are you, Rebecca?
10:43I'm good, good to see you.
10:45Good to see you, hon.
10:46Been a busy boy, huh?
10:47Oh, never stops.
10:49This used to be 24 hours.
10:50What year did they stop doing that?
10:52I would say maybe in, hmm, I've been here since 04.
10:57I used to work that little graveyard.
10:59It was very slow.
11:00Yeah, absolutely.
11:01And you never know what you'd get at 3 a.m. in the morning.
11:05Those are the fun ones, come on.
11:06Oh, yeah, those are the fun ones.
11:08Britney Spears was like that.
11:10I think she was like 4 a.m. or something.
11:11Yeah, she came in after, and I think that was 06.
11:15Yeah, yeah.
11:15So it had to be a little bit after that.
11:17Yeah.
11:18So, Brandon, these will all get filed by the end of the night.
11:21Awesome.
11:21Thanks, sweetheart.
11:22Good to see you.
11:23All right.
11:24Elvis has lucked the building.
11:31If I go to Blush Salon because Joanna's been taking care of my lashes for years.
11:37How are you?
11:38Look at you.
11:39Can't have black hair and white lashes, so she's my girl.
11:45Look up.
11:48So to be an Elvis impersonator, it takes a thick skin off the top, really, because people
11:53kind of laugh at you.
11:53They'll say, you're an Elvis impersonator, the way I look.
11:55I say, yeah.
11:56They go, what do you do for your real job?
11:57I said, believe me, it's enough.
11:59But, you know, you have to be able to sing.
12:01I play guitar.
12:02That's why I started as a musician, so I bring that to the table.
12:06And you have to have charisma, or if not, at least know how to fake it.
12:09Because, I mean, Elvis had so much charisma, and you're imitating that guy.
12:13For me, the secret to what I think, what I do, my success, is I'm laughing all the way
12:18with you.
12:19Because some people take it seriously, and they, I'm laughing, too.
12:22I'm going, can you believe this?
12:24I'm going through life, sharing another man's hairdo.
12:26It's a little strange, but it's awesome.
12:30This is my 31st year in Las Vegas, and sometimes when I'm doing, you know, 27, 28, 30 weddings
12:36in a day, I can start to feel it, because, you know, getting older, I've had two hip replacements,
12:42but, and I have nozzles on my vocal cords, but you know what?
12:46I'm having a ball, so I just keep going.
12:48Until the legs fall off, I'll keep rocking.
12:50Oh, yeah.
12:51Yeah.
12:52That's awesome.
12:52All right.
12:55All right, I will see you next time.
12:57Have a good one.
12:59Good for you.
13:00You, too.
13:00All right, take care.
13:01And when I have a break, sometimes I'll meet my family, and because I'm back and forth at
13:05the chapel, I'll say, hey, let's meet somewhere downtown.
13:07Between my two sons, I joke about them taking over the family business, whether it be just
13:11running the chapel one day, but also, I mean, I can't do this forever.
13:15I can't do this two more weeks.
13:17I said to them, would one of you ever want to do this?
13:19And my oldest son, Cole, who was a theater major, and he's saying,
13:23sings and plays guitar, so he's like, well, maybe.
13:25And I said, look, it's the dyeing the hair.
13:28You have to have an understanding wife or something, because it's a little freaky, because everywhere
13:32you go, people say, you know, thank you, thank you very much, but I go with it.
13:36I'm like, go ahead, right back at you.
13:39Immediately after graduating, I graduated in May, came back, and yeah, I got my officiants
13:45license in the beginning of June, and then just did traditional weddings.
13:50One of my first ceremonies actually was with him, and I'll never forget it.
13:55This was a couple from New York, and I try to keep my ceremonies more serious, right?
14:00They're traditional.
14:01He comes in just cracking joke after joke, and what really set him off was he does this
14:07candle bit, like the unity candle, and then he makes a joke at the end that he's like,
14:11it's only bad luck if this one blows out.
14:13And then he proceeds to blow it out.
14:15Most people laugh.
14:16This couple did not find it funny whatsoever.
14:19So I laughed even harder when I, because I like that.
14:21That's where I start laughing.
14:22The groom didn't want to take pictures with him, and then even afterwards, they didn't
14:24want to pay me.
14:25He always tries to ham it up a little bit, playing Metallica in the corner.
14:31It must be interesting, though, to see what your dad does.
14:34Oh, yeah, definitely.
14:34I mean, growing up with him in the house, not, I mean, him doing his hair every day like
14:37that, and not really understanding, maybe.
14:40What do you think you started to understand what he was, what he does work with?
14:43It was a little weird always growing up, especially in the airport.
14:46You'd travel, and people would come up and ask for a picture, and, you know, you'd think
14:50your dad's a celebrity, which he is, you know.
14:53I'll give you a little credit.
14:54I'll give you a little credit.
14:55Career day in school, whenever that was, when you would come in the jumpsuit and everything.
14:59I always loved it.
15:00My friends thought it was the coolest thing, and kind of slowly start to put it together.
15:05Yeah.
15:06Exactly who he is.
15:07Do you boys think you'll ever do Elvis?
15:10I don't think so.
15:11I don't think we could ever live up to this guy.
15:14I'll never forget, though, when I went to your house about a year ago.
15:18I was going through the closet, going through some of my old clothes, and you had hung up
15:21some of your old jumpsuits, and I saw the comeback suit.
15:25All leather, the jacket and everything, and tried it on for, you know, shits and giggles,
15:31and it fit like a glove.
15:32I sent my girlfriend some photos, and she thought it was to die for.
15:37She what?
15:37She thought it was funny, yeah.
15:39Yeah, with a high collar to black leather.
15:41It's great.
15:42All right.
15:43Hey, cheers to the Grace and Winning Chapel, to the legacy of the boys taking over,
15:49so I can get some well-needed rest.
15:51Cheers.
15:52Cheers.
15:53Cheers.
15:54I love you guys.
15:55Cheers.
15:56Cheers.
15:57Cheers.
15:57Cheers.
15:58Cheers.
15:58Cheers.
15:59Cheers.
16:01Cheers.
16:01Cheers.
16:05Like, when I walk onto the street, people go crazy, especially when you're in a jumpsuit.
16:09And, like, on Fremont Street, people are excited.
16:12I mean, they're in Las Vegas.
16:13They're looking at lights.
16:13Here comes a six-foot-four guy in a rhinestone jumpsuit, and they get excited.
16:18And I feed off that because that's awesome.
16:20I'm a spectacle.
16:21I don't think, oh, don't bug me.
16:23Don't look at me.
16:24That's the purpose.
16:25That's the point.
16:26And when I was a kid, I loved the $6 million man, Lee Majors.
16:29And so we found out he played touch football in North Hollywood every Tuesday night.
16:34So I was, like, in the fourth grade, nine years old.
16:36My mom would take me every Tuesday.
16:38I'd bring my $6 million man doll.
16:40I belong to the $6 million man fan club.
16:42And I'd wait for him to meet him and get his autograph.
16:44And every week, a guy would run over and say, hey, kid, Lee's not here this week.
16:50He's filming.
16:51I'd say, okay, next week, mom, can we go back?
16:53My mom would take me down.
16:55We'd sit there and wait for the team to arrive.
16:56And then after about a month, he wasn't there.
16:59And a guy came over and he said, hey, kid, by the way, if Lee was here, he doesn't sign
17:03autographs.
17:05And it crushed me.
17:06I mean, I was nine years old, but I loved him.
17:08And I said to myself, God, if I was famous, I would shake every hand, sign every autograph.
17:13So last year, I was in L.A. and Lee Majors was making an appearance.
17:17So he was sitting at a table.
17:19They go next.
17:20And I went up and I started crying.
17:23And I...
17:29It took me 50 years to meet him.
17:33And I said, I'm sorry.
17:34He goes, you know, I was friends with Elvis.
17:36And he started talking to me like as a real guy, right?
17:38And he was telling me these Elvis stories.
17:40So I just always like, I think you should be sweet to everyone.
17:43Now and every day, because it gives a little bit of joy.
17:47How awesome to be a part of that.
17:53We're up here at the Legacy Club at the top of Circa.
17:56One of the newest hotels in Las Vegas, but one of the coolest.
17:59The view, you couldn't beat this anywhere.
18:02I've been in this town 30 years.
18:04When I saw this view, I said, I'm coming up.
18:07Eight nights a week, if they'll have me.
18:09Cheers.
18:10Oh, Lordy.
18:12How are you, sweetie?
18:14Hey, I'm sitting with Rod and DeeDee, co-owner of the Grayson Wedding Chapel, general manager,
18:20and they're married.
18:22Give a kiss for the camera one time.
18:27That's all you got?
18:28That's all I got.
18:30Have another drink.
18:32So this is actually a great story.
18:36You know, I was dating DeeDee, and they had some hiccups with their former manager, and I jumped in and
18:43said, listen, I'll help you guys until you find somebody else.
18:45But what you don't know, which is why I think this is a very wonderful story, a blended story, is
18:53Brendan and DeeDee are actually co-owners of the chapel, but they were married.
18:57You know, and they're no longer married, but they have an amazing relationship.
19:01Do you live here?
19:05Hello, past.
19:06DeeDee and I were married for years, and I started working here when I first moved here.
19:11DeeDee and I bought the chapel.
19:12And then when DeeDee and I separated, you know, we had two wonderful boys, and we just said, we have
19:19this great business.
19:20Why would you jeopardize that?
19:25And we're friends, and we have kids, and it's successful, and we're running with it, and there's no need to
19:30let that small stuff get in the way of a fun business.
19:33Rod and I were having a hiccup when we were dating.
19:36Yeah, you had a hiccup.
19:37And I said to Brendan, Rod and I are, I think we're going to break up.
19:44Yeah.
19:44And Brendan said, wow, well, I think you need to stay home for a few days because I'd hate for
19:50Rod to be uncomfortable at work.
19:53He literally said, look, don't come to work.
19:57We need Rod.
19:58Here to our beautiful, dysfunctional family.
20:01Yeah!
20:02That happens to work.
20:04It happens to work.
20:05Yeah.
20:06Cheers to everybody.
20:07Yeah.
20:08Cheers.
20:11Well, I hope you enjoyed watching what I do every day in Las Vegas.
20:14So come see me sometime at the Grayson Wedding Chapel.
20:18Thank you very much.
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