Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Reviving the Las Vegas Wedding Industry

    Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. More than 128,000 couples got hitched in Vegas in 2004, but that number has dropped by more than a third in just a decade. As fewer people head to the desert to be joined in holy matrimony by an Elvis Presley impersonator, an industry is losing about $1 billion a year. Conor Shine

    • rss
    • apple-podcasts
    • spotify
    • Share
    By Madeleine Brand • Jul 23, 2015 • 1 min read

    Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. More than 128,000 couples got hitched in Vegas in 2004, but that number has dropped by more than a third in just a decade. As fewer people head to the desert to be joined in holy matrimony by an Elvis Presley impersonator, an industry is losing about $1 billion a year.Conor Shine

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Police Stops: Know Your Rights, Vegas Weddings, and 'Let's Be Less Stupid'
    1. 0:00Can Mental Health Treatment Help Solve the Overcrowding Crisis at L.A. County Jails?
    2. 9:00So You Got Pulled Over: Know Your Rights
    3. 16:46Reviving the Las Vegas Wedding IndustryYou’re reading this
    4. 22:40'Let’s Be Less Stupid'
    5. 39:22Web Roundup: Ashley Madison and More
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/e23b2c8a5a7a4a05410f82a6104e445f/custom_thumbnail_large.png?h=250&fm=webp

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Conor Shine

      Reporter at the Las Vegas Sun

      News

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    Police Stops: Know Your Rights, Vegas Weddings, and 'Let's Be Less Stupid'
    1. 0:00Can Mental Health Treatment Help Solve the Overcrowding Crisis at L.A. County Jails?
    2. 9:00So You Got Pulled Over: Know Your Rights
    3. 16:46Reviving the Las Vegas Wedding IndustryYou’re reading this
    4. 22:40'Let’s Be Less Stupid'
    5. 39:22Web Roundup: Ashley Madison and More
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand