A COUPLE said 'Viva Las Vegas' and proved they loved each other tender by having their wedding vows renewed by an Elvis impersonator.

Committed Presley fans Maria and Ian Hardaker flew out to the famous gambling capital for the unusual ceremony led by their hero's lookalike.

Maria said: "We have always been Elvis fans. Either you liked Elvis or Cliff Richard - and you couldn't like both. We have all his records. He was like the voice of my generation."

The couple, of Yeadon, put the seal on 21 years of happy marriage as part of a millennium jaunt to the city.

Maria said: It was my husband's idea to renew our vows - he's a bit of an old romantic.

"The place we wanted to be for the millennium was Las Vegas and as it's supposed to be the wedding capital of the world we thought we would do it when we were there."

The Elvis enthusiasts admit the ceremony was a little unconventional and say it was a far cry from their original wedding at the Ukrainian Church in Bradford.

Maria, 49, who works for Leeds Community Mental Health Trust, said: "There were vast differences. The first one was very traditional with 250 guests and I always felt it was more what my parents wanted.

"At this one we had an Elvis impersonator do our vows. It was light-hearted and really different. We were overwhelmed by the first one so we just thought we would do this on our own."

There was no Crying in the Chapel for the couple who were led through the traditional marriage vows and then a second set, which were based on Elvis songs.

Maria said: "My husband, who thankfully has a good sense of humour, had to say he was my hunk of Burning Love."

The couple, who have one son Simon, 27, also danced in the aisles to the King's classic hits, as part of the ceremony, including Loving You and Viva Las Vegas.

Maria wore a wedding gown that she hired in Las Vegas and Ian, 47, who works at Leeds-Bradford Airport, donned a tuxedo for the quirky ceremony.

Most women may walk down the aisle to the strains of Here Comes the Bride but when Maria met her husband at the chapel she was announced by one of her favourite Elvis tracks, Love Me Tender.

And the pair did not have to stay at Heartbreak Hotel on their two-week break - it was luxury all the way.

Maria said: "We had our first honeymoon in Whitby so it was a bit of a change."

Despite the fun theme of the blessing Marie, who has recently shed 66 pounds as a member of Guiseley Weight Watchers Club, said they were taking the vows very seriously.

"Some people thought it might be tacky but once they have seen the video they realise how nice it was.

"The first set of vows was really meaningful and we wanted to commit ourselves to each other again."

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