Las Vegas chapels are ordered to stop using Elvis Presley's likeness in themed weddings

• It's common for Las Vegas chapels to host Elvis Presley-inspired weddings.
• But the company that owns Presley's likeness reportedly sent cease-and-desist letters to multiple chapels.

You may no longer see Elvis Presley-themed weddings in Las Vegas wedding chapels, a shock given the popularity of the tradition at the famous elopment destinations.

On Monday, the Las Vegas Journal Review reported that Authentic Brands Group, which owns the rights to Presley's likeness and subsequent merchandise, sent cease-and-desist letters to multiple Vegas wedding chapels that offer Elvis-themed nuptials on May 19.

It's cause for concern for Las Vegas' entire wedding industry, which NBC reports makes $2 billion annually. A ban on Elvis weddings could have major impact on that revenue.

According to NBC, the letter states the chapels must stop using "Presley's name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley's persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise."

Some chapels in Vegas, including Viva Las Vegas, Elvis Weddings, and the Elvis Chapel, specialize in Elvis weddings, so the letters will likely drastically change how they operate, according to the Journal Review.

People travel far and wide to have Elvis-inspired nuptials in Vegas, and that list includes celebrity names.

Kourtney Kardashian Barker and Travis Barker tied the knot at a Las Vegas chapel in April with an Elvis impersonator as their officiant. In 2020, actress Lily Allen wed "Stranger Things" actor David Harbour at the Graceland Wedding Chapel while Elvis witnessed, and the year prior, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas said "I do" at the A Little White Wedding Chapel after he performed at the Billboard Music Awards. An Elvis impersonator served as the officiant.

A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian Barker ❤️‍ (@kourtneykardash)

"It might destroy a portion of our wedding industry," Lynn Goya, a Clark County clerk told NBC. "A number of people might lose their livelihood."

But there is a chance an Elvis can sneak by. The letters have no impact on Elvis impersonators who perform outside of a ceremony, as Nevada's "right of publicity" statute protects tribute acts.

These chapels that received letters may also be able to come to licensing agreements with ABG, as the Journal Review said, though it was unclear if ABG is open to making those deals at the time of writing.

The order comes less than a month before the biopic "Elvis" is set to be released on June 24.

ABG did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.