Priscilla married the king of rock and got quite a rock herself: a 3.5 carat engagement ring surrounded by 21 smaller diamonds. For all of you who have waited a long time to get a ring from your man, you probably didn’t wait as long as Priscilla. The courtship leading up to their marriage took place over an 8 year period. Of course, the lengthy courtship may have been due in part to Priscilla’s age. She was only 14 when she met Elvis.

Priscilla’s family was stationed in West Germany at the same time as Elvis during his period in the United States Army. Priscilla’s step-father was an officer in the U.S. Airforce. Priscilla and Elvis met in 1959 at a party at Elvis’ off-base residence in Bad Nauheim, Germany. Elvis slowly convinced Prisclla’s family that she should live with his father and step-father at the back of Graceland. Reluctantly, Priscilla’s parents agreed and Priscilla enrolled in the Immaculate Conception School in Memphis. Slowly but surely, Priscilla spent more and more nights with Elvis.

The pair was married in a civil ceremony in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Elvis wore a black silk tux and cowboy boots. Priscilla donned a beaded silk gown that she designed herself coupled with a three foot veil and rhinestone crown. The ceremony was short and sweet and was only attended by a handful of family and friends. The breakfast reception that followed had 100 guests present. At the reception, the two danced to “Love Me Tender” and served a 6 tier wedding cake.

Soon after they were married, the couple had a daughter together, Lisa Marie Presley, in February of 1968. In an interesting twist of fate, Lisa Marie Presley was briefly married to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Unfortunately, the Priscilla and Elvis’s marriage was fleeting and the couple divorced in October of 1973 and were granted mutual custody of their daughter. Lisa Marie split her time between Graceland and Priscilla’s home in California. Elvis blamed himself for the divorce and felt as though he was traveling often and away from home too frequently. Several years after the divorce, Elvis died at the age of 42. After Elvis’ death, Priscilla took control of Elvis Presley Enterprises and built it to the organization it is today. One of her missions in life is to keep Elvis’s legacy protected and intact.

When people think of Memphis, Tennessee one word usually comes to mind. That word is Graceland, the famous home of Elvis Presley. If you were to visit Memphis without touring this famous attraction you could not call your trip complete. Read on and learn a little about Graceland and why you should add it to your schedule when vacationing in Memphis, Tennessee.

Graceland welcomes thousands and thousands of visitors every year. It welcomes both dedicated die hard fans of Elvis and those that are just curious as to how the man lived. The only home in the United States that gets more visitors each year is the White House. Graceland is the most popular destination in Memphis and over the years has basically become a small theme park. There are a number of different things you can do at the mansion. The first thing you must do is take a tour of the mansion itself. It will give you an idea about how Elvis lived. You will find the house interesting for sure, gaudy maybe and over the top definitely. Once you finish with the tour of the incredible house you can also see the office that Elvis used, a museum of Elvis’ automobiles, personal planes used by the King and a variety of other displays and multimedia experiences. You can then wrap everything up by viewing Elvis’ grave located in the Meditation Garden. The grave may or may not contain the body of Elvis, you decide. Whether you are a fan of Elvis or are just curious about Graceland, it is a must see attraction. It is one that you will enjoy and talk about for months.

If you would like to visit Graceland you can find it at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. The information line is 800-238-2000. Call that number to get information on current house and admission prices. Have fun.

The will of Elvis Presley appointed his father, Vernon Presley as executor and trustee. The beneficiaries were his nearest relatives, Minnie Mae Presley (grandmother), Vernon Presley (father) and Lisa Marie Presley (his only child). Elvis Presley died in 1977. Vernon Presley died in 1979. Minnie May Presley died in 1980. This left Lisa Marie Presley as the sole heir to the Elvis Presley estate. Lisa Marie’s inheritance was to be held in trust for her until her twenty-fifth birthday, February 1, 1993. At the time of her father’s death, Lisa Marie, was nine years old.

Elvis Presley was not a person to worry about financial planning. He chose to freely enjoy and share his wealth during the days of his life. At his death, the estate he left was not at all broke, however, there was a cash flow problem, especially with the upkeep of Graceland that cost Lisa Marie over half a million dollars a year. Due to this fact, it seemed only logical for Priscilla and the executors of the estate to open Graceland to the public as it was slowly depleting Lisa Marie’s inheritance to pay the taxes and upkeep on the property.

Priscilla Presley hired Jack Soden, a Missouri investment counselor at the time, to plan and execute the opening of Graceland to the public and oversee the total operation. Graceland opened for tours on June 7, 1982.

Over the next few years the properties in and around Graceland were acquired. Today all the shops and attractions in what is now known as Graceland Plaza are owned and operated by the Elvis Presley Enterprise (EPE). Some of the property near Graceland was already owned by the Elvis Presley Enterprise. It was purchased in 1962 but had never been developed.

A very important development for the Graceland visitor experience was the addition of Elvis’s Lisa Marie jet and Hound Dog II Jet Star planes. Vernon Presley, Elvis’s father, had sold these two planes in the year of 1978. The current owners of Elvis Presley Enterprise brought them back home to Memphis in a joint venture and opened them up for on-board tours in 1984. Another major tourist attraction development was the opening of the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum in Graceland Plaza in 1989.

The Graceland Mansion has continued to grow and develop into a very profitable tourist site. In the latter half of the 1980’s, Graceland Crossing, which is a neighboring shopping center with stores that featured Elvis-related items, was built. Graceland Crossing is situated just north of Graceland Plaza. It was independently owned until Graceland purchased it in the fall of 1997 as an addition to Graceland Mansion visitor amenities.

Following this purchase was another major development that involved a purchase of an existing nearby hotel property. The property was renovated and renamed “Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel” in the year of 1999. There is ongoing and continued expansion and enhancement of Graceland Mansion visitor facilities. The developments of new Elvis exhibition projects are planned for the Graceland complex as well, and since opening Graceland to the public in 1982, it has hosted millions of visitors from every state in the union and nearly every country of the world.

The opening of Graceland Mansion has also benefited the tourism trade in Memphis in general. Before its opening, there was only minimal tourism trade in Memphis, Tennessee. Graceland Mansion quickly became the cornerstone of the tourism industry in Memphis and the surrounding region.

Important Disclaimer: The web site address in the resource box of this article is not associated with the Graceland Mansion, the Elvis Presley Enterprise Company or any of their employees. This article and the web site are offered as a trip planning resource to the Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.

Written by: Connie Limon For more helpful trip planning information to the Graceland Mansion visit http://smalldogs2.com/ElvisPresleyGraceland For a variety of FREE reprint articles as well as special topic articles rarely seen elsewhere visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com

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‘ 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved