The bridal outfit that Priscilla Presley wore for her wedding in Las Vegas was considered to be very typical.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley tied the knot in a private room at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. The ceremony took place on May 1. The wedding ceremony lasted for about eight minutes, and it was followed by a grandiose celebration that included a wedding cake with six tiers that allegedly cost $3,200.
Priscilla donned a white chiffon gown that she purchased from a department shop in the area, whilst Elvis elected to participate in the ceremony wearing a brocade silk tuxedo that was made to order. Pearl embellishments, lace sleeves, and an empire waistline were details that were incorporated on the floor-length gown.
There is no denying that Priscilla’s wedding gown, despite its simple appearance, has become one of the most memorable bridal looks in history. It was also instrumental in establishing her as a style icon of the 1960s. Due to the fact that Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding attire was so well-liked, Mattel decided to create Barbie dolls of the pair from their big day, which were made available to the public in the year 2008.
Priscilla Presley’s wedding dress is the subject of this article, which covers everything from the reasons she picked the gown to the accessories she wore to the ceremony.
Priscilla went shopping for her wedding dress while wearing a disguise so that she could keep the fact that she was getting married to Elvis a secret. It was disclosed by Priscilla that she had Charlie Hodge, a musician and vocal coach who worked with Elvis, pretend as her fiancé in a film that was produced for Vogue.
“We wanted it to be our wedding, with our friends, and not to be loaded with paparazzi,” she added. “Consequently, this was such a well-kept secret because we wanted it to be our wedding.” As a result, Charlie Hodge accompanied me, and I discovered a boutique that specialized in wedding gowns. It was just stunning. None of them were aware of who I was. I really came in with my spectacles on when I entered.”
“What do you think, darling?” Priscilla added, “I walked into the dressing room, and when I came out, I was wearing a wedding dress. I asked Charlie, “What do you think?” Does it appeal to you? There were many who believed that we were going to be married.
The gown was purchased from a store.
While Priscilla was out shopping with Hodge, she went to a number of department shops, one of which being Neiman Marcus, before concluding her quest at a store known as Westwood, as reported by Vogue. A single fitting was all that was required for her beaded chiffon gown, which she bought off the rack.
Later on, Priscilla was quoted as saying, “It wasn’t extravagant, it wasn’t extreme; it was simple and to me, beautiful.” This was according to Vogue. I had one fitting for this dress, and that was it; I left without any more consideration. I did not have the time to remain there for an extended period of time and look at gowns.
The outfit was chosen by Priscilla because she felt that it was “lightweight.”
The wedding dress that Priscilla wore consisted of an empire waistline, which was a free-flowing style that was popular among brides in the 1960s. When Priscilla was interviewed by Vogue, she said that the reason she selected the gown was because she was captivated by its intricate design.
In the year 2022, she expressed her admiration for the item, stating, “It was something that I liked because it was very feminine, very lightweight, not too heavy, and it matched very well with Elvis’ suit.”
A tiara and a veil were the accessories that she wore.
In the same way that she kept her wedding gown simple, Priscilla kept her bridal accessories simple as well. In lieu of a veil that reached the floor, she chose to wear a tulle veil that was three feet long and was secured in place by a rhinestone tiara.
The bridal makeup that Priscilla wore, on the other hand, was on the more theatrical side and was another significant component of her wedding appearance. Additionally, her characteristic look at the time included a beehive hairdo and winged eyeliner, both of which were typical of beauty trends that were prevalent in the 1960s.
During the time that it was on exhibit, the outfit was seen by thousands of people.
At the time when Graceland was first opened to the public in 1982, the wedding attire that Elvis and Priscilla wore was displayed in the Trophy Building that was located on the estate. One of the residences in the United States that attracts the most tourists is Graceland, which is visited by more than 650,000 people annually.
In order to accommodate Elvis and Priscilla, the garment was remade.
For the films Priscilla and Elvis, which were both directed by Sofia Coppola and Baz Luhrmann, respectively, the wedding dress that Priscilla wore was re-created.
For the purpose of creating their interpretation of Priscilla’s legendary clothing, Elvis costume designer Catherine Martin and her colleagues referred to photographs of Priscilla’s previous attire.
“We had detailed photos from the archive of what the lace looked like, and we bought several different laces that were all lovingly sewn together to re-create the look as closely as possible,” Martin disclosed to POPSUGAR in the month of June 2022. “The entire thing was hand-beaded and pearled, and it had several layers of chiffon with a silk underlining,” said the designer.
Stacey Battat, the costume designer for Priscilla, said in an interview with People magazine in November 2023 that she “never saw the real dress” in person. Instead, she referred to a number of photographs that were taken on the day when Elvis and Priscilla had their wedding. Chanel, with whom she collaborated to design her own rendition of Priscilla’s gown, received the photos that she had supplied to them.
When Battat was asked about the situation of not having the original outfit on hand, she said, “It is important to see it, but if you are not able to see it, it is also almost better.” “I have the impression that even if it appears to be extremely genuine, which I believe ours do appear to be quite genuine, I believe that they are always some kind of interpretation,”
