NEVADAN AT WORK: When couples walk aisle or drive through, exec works for memorable ‘I dos’

After seven years in the wedding business, Cliff Evarts took a big step in August 2008 by opening a $3 million multivenue building designed to look like an English country church dropped into downtown Las Vegas.

The timing could not have been worse as the economy started sliding badly. Further, the number of local weddings has continued a decline going back to mid-decade, made worse by sharply higher gasoline prices that he believes discouraged people from driving in from California.

Still, the big investment was critical to growing to about 800 weddings a month and appealing to his target audience.

"We don't cater to people who want cheap, sleazy weddings," he said. "We cater to people who are very normal, want a traditional wedding."

However, he acknowledges that what passes for tradition here would be considered anything but that in a place like Kansas City, Mo. Elvis impersonators are frequent guests, even at vow renewals.

He got into matrimony after career stops that included being a U.S. Air Force pilot in the Vietnam war, working in commercial real estate and owning a sightseeing airline.

"I always tell people, 'If you don't want to work nights, every weekend, every holiday, do not get into the wedding business,' " he said. "But it's really great working with customers who are very happy a lot of the time."

Question: Hollywood has gotten a lot of mileage out of guys letting loose in Las Vegas, with one of them waking up with a wedding ring on a finger and no idea how it got there. How true to life is that?

Answer: I don't think I've ever seen it where the couple didn't know that they were getting married, but I have had people come back the next day and say, "How do I get out of this?" This has happened a number of times. But we don't marry people who are intoxicated in any way. They have to be sober to get their license and sober to get married.

The reality is that sometimes people have reservations. It's always nice when people like each other and they get married. It's obvious sometimes they don't like each other and they are getting married.

Question: Do you think it's your position to tell a couple, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Answer: It's really the minister's position. Just last week, a couple came in with a reservation and they had paid for the wedding. The minister went to talk to them. One of the minister's standing jokes is that when people are from two different parts of the country, he will ask if the groom will move to her place, or the bride will move to his place, or do they want to be happy. With this couple, one was from the East Coast and one was from California and they decided at the last minute not to get married. When he asked why, they said neither wanted to move where the other person lived, like they never thought of that until the day they were to get married. True story.

I had a groom one day say to me about a bridezilla, as we call them, "I can't believe I'm marrying her." People get wrapped up in the moment and get married, when they probably should have given it more forethought. But that's a very small exception.

Question: Who uses the drive-thru and walk-up windows?

Answer: Actually, a lot of fairly well-to-do people. They come in very nice cars often times. And there are people who just want something very simple. So I don't think it has anything to do with economic status. Lots of the couples we marry already have children. Many are not marrying for the first time, so they have already had a really nice wedding experience. Others do it because they need to do it for legal reasons, or think it's just kind of cute. But it doesn't mean they are less serious.

What always amazes me is when you have a bride and groom with their entire entourage of guests and they are shopping for a location. Last night, we had a party of 15 come in, all dressed ready to go, and asking what we would do for them.

Question: How did that turn out?

Answer: They got married at the walk-up window for $50.

Question: What would count as legal reasons for marrying?

Answer: We have people who are doing it, in our opinion, for immigration -- to stay in the country. I always say that if the couple shakes hands at the end of the ceremony, it's probably an immigration wedding. One of the couples that came in was a guy in his 60s or 70s and he was marrying a very beautiful 20-year-old girl. At the end of that ceremony, he really wanted to kiss her and she said, "No way." That's a pretty good indicator it's an immigration wedding.

Question: What does the job description of a chapel CEO include?

Answer: I do everything but marry people. I do the books, payroll, human resources, drive a limo. That's how I started. I was a photographer. In fact, I took the photos of Nikki Hilton when she got married with us in 2004. So I brag I'm a published photographer on the front cover of People magazine.

Question: Do you still get behind the wheel?

Answer: I drive every couple of weeks. Normally, now when I drive, it's when we need an extra hand. But limo drivers are the most knowledgeable about customer service. They hear the people talk so they are a great source of information. I learned a lot when I was driving about how we should run the business.

Question: What about legends of the wild limo rides?

Answer: We provide courtesy transportation from here to the hotel and back. We're not allowed to go out on the Strip or to parties. And we have a very sedate group. They are all happy. They are not drunk. They have not been out on the town all night. They are typically well-dressed and behaving well. If you want to be in the limo business and enjoy the people you are with, this is a great gig for a driver.

Question: Where do vow renewals fit in?

Answer: That's about 10 percent of our business, but it should be the majority. My concept is that Las Vegas has a chance to reinvent itself as the vow renewal capital of the world. Only one-half of 1 percent of the people coming to Vegas are getting married. That's a very small percentage of the market. Seventy-eight percent of the people coming here are already married, a potential market of 30 million people. The concept is that if you can make Vegas the only place in the country where you can get an official, legal vow renewal certificate, I believe couples would come to Vegas specifically for that.

We currently design our own vow- renewal certificate and make it look semiofficial. But an official one is a terrific way to reinvigorate the wedding industry. It could be the most memorable, inspirational and rewarding part of your stay.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at
toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.