Elvis lives!
Former Baylor College of Medicine prez Peter Traber marries in a wacky Las Vegasceremony
Friends and colleagues of former Baylor College of Medicine president Peter Traber are marveling over his recent marriage to Melanie Damrell at a Las Vegas wedding chapel.
The wedding party entered the Little Church of the West in mid-December as an Elvis Presley impersonator in a sequined jumpsuit warbled, "It's Now or Never."
The couple wore matching gold lamé — Traber in a tuxedo with contrasting shiny silver lapel and ruffled shirt; Damrell in a form-fitting jumpsuit with jacket — as they exchanged vows in front of around 20 friends and family during the 13-minute ceremony.
The couple wore matching gold lamé as they exchanged vows in front of around 20 friends and family during the 13-minute ceremony.
Two of Damrell's children wore matching gold lamé tuxedos and her toddler wore a white jumpsuit with red cape.
After exchanging rings, the couple swayed to the music as the Elvis impersonator sang "Love Me Tender." As they exited the chapel, the Elvis impersonator belted out "Devil in Disguise."
Traber, 55, served as the fourth president of Baylor College of Medicine for five and a half years during a tumultuous time as it split from Methodist Hospital and struggled to build its own hospital. The board dismissed Traber in November 2008 and paid him roughly $4.5 million to buy out his contract. He remains president emeritus at BCM.
Traber currently serves as president and CEO for Galectin Therapeutics in Atlanta.
In advance of the ceremony, the happy couple also posted a humorous YouTube video about their relationship that includes Gangnam-style dancing and a silent movie sequence about how he met her five children.
The video ends with an Elvira-like sequence in tribute to Damrell, 38, who had studied at the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in Houston in 1996.