Vogue pays a visit to the newly opened Sure Thing Chapel on Allen Street to meet the couples tying the knot there—as well as Hellvis, the signature Elvis impersonator, and Tillie the Clown.Vogue pays a visit to the newly opened Sure Thing Chapel on Allen Street to meet the couples tying the knot there—as well as Hellvis, the signature Elvis impersonator, and Tillie the Clown.
“Hello baby, how you doing?” growls a topless drag Satan-meets-Elvis—dubbed “Hellvis”—as his piercing blue contact-lensed eyes peek around a blush pink door on New York City’s Lower East Side. It’s a Sunday afternoon, and I’m at Sure Thing Chapel, a Las Vegas-born drive through-inspired wedding venue founded by Amy Hybarger and Victoria Hogan that has just opened its first outpost in downtown Manhattan.
Anywhere else in America, elopements likely conjure images of Vegas—a spontaneous drunken night, flashing lights, the token Elvis impersonator. In New York, elopement has become, for lack of a better word, chicer, with couples staging stylish miniature rehearsals for the real thing—or forgoing traditional weddings altogether, in favor of a courthouse ceremony at City Hall and a deliciously long and boozy lunch at The Odeon afterwards. (You’ve probably seen as much in the pages of Vogue.)
But Sure Thing Chapel disrupts the city’s bridal Good Taste Industrial Complex. The concept is simple, yet tinged with the right amount of nostalgia: get hitched by a wonderfully eclectic cast of characters—ranging from Hellvis to Tillie the Clown—hop in a vintage photobooth, grab your photostrips, and drive off into the sunset. Or, in this case, take the train and celebrate your nuptials with all that the city has to offer. (Beer-shot combo at 169 Bar, anyone?)
Walking down the street, you can’t miss it. The entirely pink exterior (think the same shade as Pietro Nolita in its prime) immediately grabs your attention amid the service entrances of Russ & Daughters Cafe and Lucky Dog Bar—but it’s the window that stretches across the street-facing wall that draws you in. Over the course of the afternoon ceremonies, onlookers stopped, watched, filmed, cheered, and even knocked on the door to inquire how they could use the bubblegum space for their own photos. Despite the fishbowl feeling from the outside, the interiors have a cozier feel. Red draped curtains and a hanging heart form a charming backdrop while light pink chairs, disco ball pigeons, and a mirrored ceiling add a bit of that cheeky Vegas kitsch. And don’t worry, the aux cord is up for grabs.
“We’re really untraditional,” said the velvet-clad couple Sophia and Carlos, who have been following the chapel online since before it announced its NYC expansion. The two connected nine years ago from a “3 a.m. OkCupid swipe,” and have bonded over their love for punk shows and all things witchy ever since. The intimate setting allowed them respite from a huge family affair and to express their vampy interests to the fullest: “These days, everybody has the biggest wedding, and everybody tries to outdo each other—we don’t want to do that.” Instead, the two married in the presence of Hellvis, who blessed the nuptials in the name of “Love and Satan’s music, a.k.a rock ‘n’ roll,” before heading outside to smash a glass bottle over the back of the officiant’s head.
Untraditional, yes. But optimistic? Always. “It’s the best gig in the world,” cooed Hellvis—a point that was echoed by his fellow officiants, Tillie the Clown, a witty and dry genderless NYC-based drag performer, and Grace, who turned to officiating after leaving over a decade working at a human rights organization in search of a more hope-filled path. “Especially in these dark times in this country and with attacks on queer people, it’s important to have love,” said Tillie.
“Today is my first wedding officiating,” said Grace, whose inaugural wedding captured this optimism perfectly. Marie and Daniel were there to renew their vows in celebration of 20 years of marriage. The two originally met in high school when Daniel would tutor Marie in math, and subsequently married in their early 20s. Like Sophia and Carlos, the couple had followed the chapel for ages: “It’s so kitchy, and beautiful, and sweet, but I didn’t know about going all the way to Vegas,” said Marie. When Hogan and Hybarger announced the NYC location, voila! The perfect vow renewal plan was born. Grace’s pink officiant dress might have perfectly matched the setting, but that doesn’t mean there was no Elvis present: the couple’s 11-year-old chihuahua Vincent Price donned a white and gold bedazzled bellbottom jumpsuit to serve as a darling witness.
Following the ceremonies, the couples headed back through a connecting door behind the curtains to Autophoto, the LES’s vintage photo booth museum, where they could commemorate the moment before officially entering a new chapter in their lives. (Want to cut the museum’s ever-long line? Just get married!) With such joy in the room, it’s a sure thing that the start of your marriage will go off, well, without a hitch.
