Dominic and Michele Siravo of Philadelphia get “married” by Elvis impersonator Roland August in Las Vegas at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel in late February; this was their 25th anniversary renewal of vows. In background are their friends Debbie and Wayne Clendaniel.

The Providence Journal / Mark Patinkin

I was in Las Vegas for a nephew’s bachelor weekend, and decided to explore something I’ve long wondered about. I dialed the hotel concierge.

“Do people really get married by Elvis?” I asked.

“More often than you think,” she said. Why, was I interested?

Not exactly, but…

“You can be married by John Wayne, too,” she said. Or Liberace. Or the Blues Brothers. But Elvis is the most popular.

It turns out there are many places that do this. I picked the “Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel,” and climbed into a cab.

The driver, Dan DeBord, 60, knew the way. Quickie chapels are a frequent Vegas destination. On a recent Sunday morning, he took a 20ish couple to get a last-minute marriage license. They said they had met the night before at the hotel Monte Carlo.

“The guy looked like he was starting to sober up,” said DeBord. “He had that look on his face, like, ‘What am I doing?’ ”

At that point, we passed the Little White Wedding Chapel, where Britney Spears got married under similar circumstances. It looked nice, but was right on a busy road, as was the Viva Las Vegas chapel which we reached a few minutes later.

It’s owned by Ron Decar, who is 48. He started out as a hotel performer and wedding singer, and one day was asked if he’d perform as Elvis. Then he was asked again. He was asked so many times, he felt there was a business here, so he bought a vacant chapel and converted it to the Viva Las Vegas. They now do up to 500 wedding and renewal ceremonies a month. Decar did 45 on Valentine’s Day alone, and already has 120 booked for 07-07-07. People like that number, he explained.

He offers about 20 themes, from $199 up, including a James Bond wedding for $1,100, complete with Bond girls. His latest, for $777, is for Elvis to drive the couple down the aisle in a 1964 pink Cadillac. The Chapel has wide entrance doors.

Decar does many of the characters, especially Elvis, performing the ceremonies in costume.

“That’s legal?”

An official does need to affirm it when it’s over, but Decar pointed out, “If the couple were to go to the courthouse, it would be, ‘You want to marry him? Her?’ Fine, stamp the papers.” You don’t need a minister on the altar, he said.

Why are there so many Elvis chapels?

“He has a huge tie to this town,” said Decar. When folks think Vegas, many also think Elvis. It was his main venue.

But isn’t it a bit goofy to have Elvis, or James Bond, marry you?

He took me to a wall of photos, one showing the real Erin Brockovich getting married here, and another where Angelina Jolie was maid of honor.

He added: “My sister got married at a cathedral in Kansas City – 450 people at the church, 650 at the reception. It was hugely stressful. I don’t think she remembers a thing about it.” But Viva Las Vegas weddings, he said, are a kick, and people never forget them.

The first couple of the afternoon arrived.

They were from Philadelphia – Michele and Dominic Siravo, both 49. They’d decided to have Elvis perform their 25th anniversary renewal of vows. I expected them to be a little out there. They weren’t. Dominic is a mortgage loan officer, and golfs. Michele is in sales. They have an 11-year-old son.

I asked about their first wedding, and it was just as Decar said. “Oh God, we had 300 people,” said Michele. “We were afraid to make a mistake. This will be fun.”

It was time.

Most ceremonies only last around 15 minutes, so I had to take a seat. They walked down the aisle. Instead of 300 people, the only attendees were Debbie and Wayne Clendaniel, old friends from Jersey. And me.

Elvis walked onto the altar. Ron Decar had a cold, so Roland August, his understudy, was doing the day’s honors.

“My friends,” said August, “My name is Elvis and as you can see, I’m alive and well.”

Dominic had wanted to hear the lyrics, “He’s just a hunk, a hunk of burning love,” but the chapel doesn’t have the rights. So Elvis serenaded them instead with Michele’s request of “Love me Tender.”

Then, in classic Elvis voice, August led them in a long set of vows.

“Do you promise to love and cherish, to have and to hold? In joy and celebration? In Love and understanding?”

He went on: “With this ring, I thee re-wed, with a promise our love will grow stronger with the passing years.”

The couple repeated the words.

Elvis went on with more, and in time, got to some signature stuff. “Do you promise to be each other’s hound-dogs?”

They both said yes.

Finally: “By the power vested in me as King, I pronounce you man and wife.”

There were more Elvis songs. Then the Siravos walked back down the aisle and into the Vegas sun, where they stood under a huge sign that had their names in lights.

The witnesses, Debbie and Wayne, pronounced it a cool thing to have just done.

The four headed off to a celebratory dinner, and a few minutes later, the chapel’s big white limo pulled up and the next couple, Karen and Nua Vucinajk of Michigan, stepped out. They too were here to renew vows after a quarter century. Both said they were big Elvis fans; they even named one of their three children Priscilla.

But why an Elvis theme?

“It will be something I remember,” said Karen.

The ceremony would have a live Internet feed, so their adult kids across-country could watch. It was a $265 package. Elvis would be singing, “Can’t help falling in love with you.”

It began.

“Take my hand,” Elvis sang. “Take my whole life too…”

It was soon over and in another half hour, the day’s third Elvis ceremony was to start.

My cab arrived.

As it pulled away, I had to admit, I left with a smile.

mpatinkin@projo.com