For Richards and for poorer

Friday, Feb. 8, 2002 | 5:01 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

It's almost Valentine's Day. Love is in the air -- where Charolette Richards will also marry you if you wish.

Richards settled in Las Vegas 44 years ago, got into the marrying business and today conducts ceremonies in hot air balloons, cars, trucks, at the Imperial Palace and at the Little White Chapel on the Strip and at the Wedding Chapel by the Courthouse.

Rest assured Richards will have her hands full on Thursday.

According to figures from the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, an average of 210 marriage licenses are issued on a typical day.

Last year 422 licenses were issued on Valentine's Day. The holiday is the bureau's busiest time of the year.

Among the nearly 300,000 couples who have exchanged vows at one of Richards' venues are many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, basketball star Michael Jordan, wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and actors Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.

But to Richards, every newlywed is a celebrity.

She recently discussed marriage and her business with the Sun:

Las Vegas Sun: You've married some famous people over the years. Who have been your favorites?

Charolette Richards: To me, everybody is famous. Sure, a lot of movie stars have gotten married here. But in God's eyes, even the little guy who just wants to get married is a movie star.

My heart is for everyone. A lot of people like the fact that movie stars married here, but I like the fact that the little guy in a pickup truck drives up and wants to get married.

Sun: You have drive-through marriages?

CR: I created the drive-through wedding. The reason I did it, I saw so many handicapped people having difficulty getting out of their cars and I would run over to them. So that they wouldn't have to struggle into a wheelchair or with crutches, I started marrying them in their cars. It evolved from there. Now we have a Tunnel of Vows, 20 feet wide and 165 feet long, that people drive into. One couple almost delivered a baby in their car. The experience is so different and unique. We've had people drive up on their motorcycles.

Sun: How did you become involved in the wedding chapel business?

CR: It's kind of a beautiful story, and a sad story, too. I came here with three little children, three little babies. I was to meet my husband, but he wasn't here. I waited, but he never appeared. Members of my family were not exactly fond of him anyway so I didn't want to express the fact to them that I was abandoned here in Las Vegas.

Then my Prince Charming, Merle Richards, came along. He said he would find me a job and a place to stay. He got me a job in a wedding chapel, where he was a photographer taking pictures at weddings. Three years later my first marriage was annulled and I married Merle, who died about 20 years ago. I call him my first and only husband. We advanced to higher grounds (buying a wedding chapel). My husband gave me an opportunity in life that has created deep love and compassion for other people.

Marriage is a very blessed time. When I help someone with their new beginning, I always think of my own new beginning.

Sun: How has the business grown and changed since you first started?

CR: We started with two people and a chapel. Today I have 65 employees and 15 new limousines. We're open 24 hours a day.

But I think the business itself has not changed, except that there are more people getting married. The city is growing so fast. And since 9/11 there has been a great influx in marriages, because people are really beginning to appreciate that their loved ones are important to them. They realize it's time that we get our life on track. God takes the crooked ways and makes them straight. God is not the author of confusion, he is the author of love.

After the terrorist attack, many unmarried couples suddenly realized, "My God, we have children." It is important to let our children know we love them. When couples come in to get married who have children, I put the little children right in the wedding -- the man, woman and child, so that there is a circle that will never be broken.

It's a beginning for the children, as well as for the parents.

Sun: Do you offer more than traditional weddings?

CR: Yes. We have an Elvis wedding, where he walks the bride down the aisle and sings "Love Me Tender" to the bride. On Halloween a lot of people come in strange costumes. Do I like it? No. I'm not into the costume thing.

Sun: Why do so many people get married in Las Vegas, besides the obvious reasons of being able to do it quickly?

CR: I think Las Vegas is No. 1 in marriages because so many people are driving through and have the impulse. It is a destination, a romantic and beautiful city with beautiful hotel rooms and wonderful, romantic locations and romantic dining rooms.

I try to make the wedding chapel as romantic as I can. When people come here I know I do my best to make it a very sacred and sincere ceremony. If I was going to be married again, I would choose a place where people are sincere about what they are doing.

All 10 ministers who work here constantly have prayer meetings. We pray over everyone who gets married. I believe this is why the Little White Chapel is successful, because God is in it.

Sun: What does it cost to get married at the chapel?

CR: You can get married for as low as $30, or you can spend whatever you want. We have packages (for up to $800). But where else in the world could you check into a hotel, be picked up in a beautiful new limousine, have the driver wait for you while you are getting your wedding license, go to the ceremony and be driven back to your hotel, all for $55?

Sun: Do you have the tuxedos and wedding dresses?

CR: We have everything, from flowers to hair salons. We have tuxedos and gowns for everyone from babies up to size 66. We haven't left anything out.

Sun: What's the most number of people you have married at one time?

CR: Five couples at one time is the most I have done. They all were friends, they all lived in the same city, the same neighborhood. I just did a multiple ceremony in which 20 couples renewed their vows. It was a big group of elderly people, here on vacation from Florida. It was beautiful.

Sun: Are couples less or more likely to stay together when they marry in Las Vegas?

CR: I don't know, but I feel Las Vegas is just like any other place. I can only hope and pray they stay together.

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