Las Vegas Weekly

December 2, 2008 · 10:34 AM

Is Heidi and Spencer’s Mexican elopement a sham?

By Robin Leach

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag at Jet.

Photo: Light Group

The fairytale wedding elopement of The Hills stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt turned out to be exactly that -- a fairytale! Now the symbolic union -- not legally binding -- may have to be repeated all over again here in Las Vegas in the New Year to make it real!

Click HERE for our original story, which had their respective families outraged at the quickie vows.

Turns out that their runaway nuptials in the millionaire Cabo San Lucas playground in Mexico were really a “made for television” publicity ploy to be shown on Season 5 of the MTV show!

“We will take care of all the legal details when we get home,” said the couple in an official statement while still “honeymooning” for the cameras. Spencer added, “It was a beautiful ceremony, and we’ve never been happier.”

Even if it was a spur-of-the-moment whim, US Weekly had cameras ready and MTV had video cameras to record the whole thing that apparently happened less than 60 minutes after they were drinking margaritas on the beach! Hills producer Liz Gately confirmed: “MTV filmed Heidi and Spencer in Mexico as we were expecting to capture them on vacation.”

Photo: Pure Management Group

Heidi (Montag) and Spencer (Pratt), sharing (the love).

They literally ran into the wedding chapel at the One&Only Palmilla Resort, which is owned by billionaire builder Sol Kerzner, who is headed for Vegas himself. He plans to build a duplicate of his successful Atlantis resort in the Bahamas alongside the Circus Circus property here on the Strip when economic conditions improve.

The wedding was nowhere near as spontaneous as it all appeared. Heidi and Spencer had wedding bands to exchange, and she had a wedding dress -- and you all know that’s no one-hour shopping spree for a couple of reality stars! The photo spread is in the newest US Weekly, and the wedding footage complete with a local minister will be edited into an upcoming Hills episode! Voila! A made-for-TV wedding and a magazine scoop. However, it’s all unreal!

In fact, I’ve walked through that resort’s charming chapel, and to ensure that lovebirds aren’t in a total state of emotional exuberance, there’s a five-day waiting period -- read cooling down -- so that birth and health certificates and a blood test are all in order!

Now we’re learning that Heidi and Spender never obtained a marriage license nor followed through with a separate civil ceremony required under Mexican law to make the union official. The couple is returning to California, and they can only petition a court to have it legally recognized -- or get married properly in a ceremony here.

Photo: Pure Management Group

Newlyweds Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, shown last month at Social House at Treasure Island.

Over the course of their relationship, Heidi and Spencer have broken up, and she spurned his original engagement ring proposal -- but they reconciled this past spring. It’s all made for perfect reality-show diva drama!

That brings us to New Year’s Eve, when Heidi and Spencer will host the midnight countdown at Christian Audigier in Treasure Island. I’m hearing now that family members will travel in with the couple, and Las Vegas is still the easiest and fastest place in America “to do it right!”

They’d be following in the gowns and high-heels of numerous showbiz stars -- everybody from Britney Spears to Joan Collins -- who decided on a Vegas ceremony. Plus our resort wedding chapels are breathlessly beautiful.

A Jan. 1 wedding would be a date that a nervous groom would never forget for his anniversary -- and how great to have 2,500 fans on hand to throw the rice! This ceremony could be real and still have all the attractions of a second video segment!

We’ll be watching in case that dream comes true, too!

Share This