Couples might soon be “Crying in the Chapel,” because Elvis-themed weddings in Las Vegas may be coming to an end.
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) — the licensing company that controls the name and image of Elvis Presley — has ordered all Las Vegas chapels to stop using his likeness in wedding ceremonies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
ABG sent a cease-and-desist letter to multiple chapels in Las Vegas, cracking down on the unauthorized use of “Elvis Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise, and otherwise.”
The move could have a devastating effect on the $2 billion wedding industry in Sin City, according to NBC News. A “significant” portion of weddings booked and performed in Las Vegas are officiated by an Elvis impersonator, per the Associated Press.
“It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry. A number of people might lose their livelihood,” Lynn Goya, the Clark County Clerk who spearheaded a marketing campaign for Las Vegas as a wedding destination, said.
The cease-and-desist letter, dated May 19, gave “infringing chapels” a week to comply, but as of Monday, “no chapels have reported they have been contacted further by ABG,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The crackdown comes as Baz Luhrmann’s highly-anticipated “Elvis” biopic, with Austin Butler playing the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, is set to hit theaters June 24.