(Bloomberg News) The quickie wedding, long a Las Vegas tradition for love-happy Nevada tourists, may be the latest casualty of the worst recession in decades.
Fewer couples flock to the Southwest's Sin City to pledge their fidelity to an Elvis serenade these days as tough economic times lead some to postpone marriage or shun the rite entirely.
"If you don't have a stable job, it's hard to say, 'Let's get married and start a family,'" Diana Alba, clerk of Nevada's Clark County, said in a telephone interview. Her office issues marriage licenses for couples who wed in Las Vegas.
The slump is prompting some of the city's more than 60 wedding chapels to focus on husbands and wives seeking to renew their vows and to commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples who can't legally wed in Nevada, Alba said. It also means lost revenue for the county, which charges $60 for a license, with $25 steered toward domestic-violence programs, Alba said.
Clark County marriage licenses have dropped from a 2004 peak of 128,250, according to the county's website. In 2010, 91,890 were handed out, down 28 percent in six years.
"Just because there is a decline in marriage certificates, there isn't a decline in love," Charolette Richards, owner of the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, said in a telephone interview. "There are people today that are renewing their vows more than ever."
Keepsake For Couples
So much so that the county is considering producing keepsake certificates for couples reaffirming their matrimonial commitments -- for a fee, Alba said. Including Las Vegas, the county hosts more than 90 wedding chapels.
"If we did 1,000 annually, and we charge say, $45, that would still be some revenue that we didn't have before," Alba said. Her office gets a handful of calls each week from people asking about the procedure.
Richards, who in 1987 married movie stars Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said she's noticed an increase in vow renewals in the last few years. The recommitment ceremonies now make up about a third of her clientele.