24 Hours in the World's Wedding Capital

ByABC News
June 21, 2004, 7:53 PM

June 21 -- There's no question that Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. More people say "I do" in Sin City every year than in any other city or state, for that matter.

But who are these people who gamble on love in Las Vegas? To find out, ABC News spent 24 consecutive hours in the most popular wedding chapel on the Strip: the Little White Wedding Chapel, where Britney Spears got married in January. During those 24 hours, ABC News witnessed the weddings of 70 couples 140 people.

The chapel offers matrimony 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in six different languages, a choice of nine different chapels, and even a drive-through window.

But the one thing many of the ceremonies had in common was that the couples were married by Charlotte Richards, a 44-year veteran of the business. She works in the state with the highest divorce rate in the country but she says she just marries them.

"I don't know what the divorce rate is, truthfully," she told ABC News. "Our responsibility is to make sure that they walk out of there happy."

The Power of the King

The first couple was Jim and Lisa from Omaha, Neb., who arrived at the chapel on a late Saturday afternoon. They had just decided to get married three days before.

Jim and Lisa (many of the couples didn't want their last names used) had both been married before, so they were hoping something extra in Las Vegas to keep their relationship going. "I thought, you know, the church thing didn't work, so maybe Elvis could help us," Jim said.

"Elvis is fun," said Lisa. "He lightens the situation a little bit."

In the Tunnel of Vows

Couple No. 7 was George and Jamie, who chose the "Drive Thru Wedding" at $40, the most economical choice at the Little White Wedding Chapel.

Richards says the idea came to her after she noticed a handicapped couple having difficulty getting out of their car and into her chapel. "The first day that it opened, it was a success," she said.