Deborah Chan
Elvis Presley was reportedly crying the night before his wedding to Priscilla Beaulieu. The couple had been together for several years, and there were speculations that Elvis never wanted to tie the knot. When his housekeeper, Alberta Holman, asked him why he didn't cancel the wedding if he was so unhappy, he replied, I don't have a choice.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for crying | Elvis felt forced to formalize his long relationship with Priscilla and reportedly said, "I don't have a choice" |
| Date of crying incident | Late April 1967, the night before his wedding on May 1, 1967 |
| People who witnessed the incident | Elvis' longtime family friend and housekeeper, Alberta Holman |
| Wedding location | Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada |
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What You'll Learn
Elvis felt forced to marry Priscilla
Elvis Presley was reportedly crying the night before his wedding to Priscilla Beaulieu, who he had been dating for around six to eight years. The wedding, which took place on 1 May 1967, was an intimate ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
There are several reasons why Elvis may have felt forced to marry Priscilla. Firstly, there was pressure from Priscilla's parents, Paul and Anna Beaulieu, to formalise the relationship. Priscilla's father could have potentially threatened to prosecute Elvis for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. Priscilla moved to Memphis to live with Elvis at Graceland when she was 17, and they had travelled together to Los Angeles and Las Vegas when she was 15, contrary to the agreement made with her parents.
Secondly, Elvis's manager, Colonel Parker, may have pressured the couple to marry. Priscilla recalled in an interview: "The suggestion I think came from Colonel Parker (Elvis' manager) 'Either you should get married or go on. If you’re not getting married, then what are you doing?'"
Finally, Elvis may have felt that marrying Priscilla was the only way to preserve his image as the "King of Rock and Roll" and maintain his career. He was known for idealising youth and innocence in women, and there were rumours that he never wanted to marry anyone. However, he repeatedly gave women the hope that he would marry them, and it is speculated that he saw marriage as a way to ensure a woman remained a virgin.
When asked by his housekeeper, Alberta Holman, why he didn't cancel the wedding if he was so unhappy, Elvis reportedly replied, "I don't have a choice." This suggests that he felt pressured by external factors to go through with the marriage, even though it was not what he truly wanted.
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Priscilla's father could have had Elvis arrested
Priscilla's father, Paul Beaulieu, could have had Elvis arrested for violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport a minor across state lines for immoral purposes. Priscilla was 21 when she married Elvis, but she had moved to Memphis to live with him at Graceland when she was only 17. This was contrary to the agreement made with her parents when they permitted her to leave Germany at 16 to move to the US. Elvis had promised her parents that their daughter would remain in Memphis, chaperoned by his grandmother Minnie Mae, living in a separate house and attending school.
Priscilla's father, angry after so many years of living with his daughter, threatened to prosecute Elvis for taking a minor across state lines. Before Christmas 1966, Elvis proposed to Priscilla, and they married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding, arranged by Elvis' manager, lasted only eight minutes.
Elvis was reportedly crying the night before his wedding to Priscilla because he felt forced to formalize their long relationship. He confided in his family housekeeper, Alberta Holman, who found him crying about the wedding in late April 1967. Holman and Elvis were very close, and he nicknamed her Alberta VO5 after a hair product brand. When she asked him why he didn't cancel the wedding if he was so unhappy, he reportedly replied with a five-word statement: "I don't have a choice."
Elvis's feelings about the wedding seemed to be confirmed by Priscilla, who had major worries about going ahead with it. Priscilla has since denied that Elvis was forced into the marriage, stating that the pressure was on after being together for six years and that the suggestion to marry came from Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker.
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Priscilla's parents allowed marriage on the condition they wed
Elvis and Priscilla Presley's relationship and wedding continue to capture the public imagination, with their wedding footage and family photos still iconic decades later. The couple first met in 1959 in Germany, where Elvis was serving in the army and 14-year-old Priscilla's family lived on the base. Priscilla's parents, initially forbidding her from seeing Elvis, eventually softened their stance after Elvis visited their house in his Army uniform.
Priscilla's parents allowed the relationship to continue, but on the condition that they would eventually marry. In 1962, Elvis visited Priscilla's family and convinced them to let her go to Los Angeles. They allowed her to finish high school in Memphis, living with Elvis's father and stepmother. Priscilla moved into Elvis's Graceland home before graduating high school, promising her parents that the two would marry.
Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, also pushed for the marriage, believing that the couple living together out of wedlock was hurting Elvis's image. However, in the weeks before the wedding, Elvis was found crying by his housekeeper and cook, Alberta Holman, who revealed that he was upset about the upcoming ceremony. When she asked him why he didn't cancel it, he reportedly sobbed, "I don't have a choice."
Despite the apparent reluctance, the couple tied the knot in a quick, intimate ceremony in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, officiated by Nevada Supreme Court Judge David Zenoff. Priscilla later recalled that their wedding was "very unusual," with only their closest people present, keeping it private and away from the circus of a fan club.
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Elvis was devoted to his daughter but not Priscilla
Elvis Presley was a devoted father to his daughter, Lisa Marie, but his feelings towards her mother, Priscilla Presley, were more complicated. The couple married in 1967 after an eight-year romantic union, during which they lived apart for extended periods. They separated in 1972, with Priscilla citing Elvis's infidelity as one of the reasons for the end of their marriage.
Elvis was reportedly unhappy about formalising his relationship with Priscilla, and the night before their wedding, he was found crying and confided to a family friend, "I don't have a choice." This suggests that Elvis felt pressured to marry Priscilla, possibly due to external factors such as the threat of prosecution for transporting a minor across state lines, or the expectation to uphold a certain public image.
Despite his devotion to his daughter, Elvis's feelings towards Priscilla appeared to change over time. Sources indicate that Elvis idealised youth and innocence in women and that becoming a wife and mother may have altered the dynamic of their relationship. This is supported by the fact that Elvis and Priscilla lived increasingly separate lives after their daughter's birth, and ultimately separated a few years later.
Priscilla, for her part, had major worries about going through with the wedding. She told Barbara Walters that the suggestion to marry came from Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker, who said, "Either you should get married or go on. If you're not getting married, then what are you doing?" This indicates that the decision to marry was influenced by external pressures and expectations, rather than a mutual desire to formalise their relationship.
In conclusion, while Elvis was devoted to his daughter, Lisa Marie, his relationship with Priscilla was more complex and influenced by a variety of factors, including external pressures, changing dynamics, and infidelity.
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Elvis was an idealist and a romantic
Elvis Presley was an idealist and a romantic. However, the night before his wedding to Priscilla, he was found crying at Graceland, his Memphis home, where she had moved in with him four years earlier. Priscilla's parents had allowed her to move in on the condition that they would eventually marry.
Elvis felt forced to formalize their long relationship and tie the knot. He confided his fears to his family housekeeper, Alberta Holman, who asked him why he didn't cancel the wedding if he was so unhappy. Elvis replied, "I don't have a choice." Priscilla also had major worries about going ahead with the wedding.
Elvis had proposed to Priscilla shortly before Christmas 1966, and they married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. The wedding lasted only eight minutes and was followed by a quick press conference and a $10,000 breakfast reception. The ceremony was arranged by Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker, who had pressured the couple to marry, saying, "Either you should get married or go on. If you're not getting married, then what are you doing?"
Elvis was a devoted and adoring father to his and Priscilla's daughter, Lisa Marie, but his feelings for Priscilla changed over time. They eventually separated in 1972.
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Frequently asked questions
Elvis cried before his wedding because he felt forced to marry his long-time girlfriend, Priscilla. He famously idealised youth and innocence in women and had to honour a promise to Priscilla's parents to marry her.
Elvis confided in his family housekeeper, Alberta Holman, who he was very close with. She asked him why he didn't cancel the wedding, to which he reportedly replied, "I don't have a choice."
Priscilla had major worries about going ahead with the wedding. She later denied that Elvis was forced to marry her, saying that the suggestion to marry came from Elvis' manager, Colonel Parker.
Elvis and Priscilla had been together for 6-8 years and had been living together. They got engaged shortly before Christmas 1966 and married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas.
Elvis and Priscilla enjoyed a short honeymoon in Palm Springs. They had a daughter, Lisa Marie, nine months after their wedding. However, their relationship deteriorated over the years, and they separated in 1972.
