Almost a year after dancing to Elvis Presley at her wedding, a Montreal woman on her honeymoon found herself the guest of honour at the late King of Rock and Roll's iconic mansion in Memphis, Tenn.
Tiffany Greenoak, who grew up in Canada but now lives in London, England, was named the 20 millionth visitor Tuesday to Graceland, which now operates as a museum.
Greenoak, 31, says she and her husband, Robert Greenoak, were herded on to a private shuttle shortly after buying their tickets but didn't realize what was happening until they arrived at the historic home and U.S. landmark.
That's when they saw the cameras and a large sign that read "20 millionth."
The couple, who got married in July 2015, are huge music fans and saved up so they could spend their honeymoon touring American rock and roll landmarks such as Graceland.
Greenoak says they both grew up listening to Elvis and had their wedding band play several of his songs, including Blue Suede Shoes and Love Me Tender, as well as his rendition of Unchained Melody.
Greenoak's mother grew up in Shawville, Que., in one of the few families to own a television at the time, she said.
When her parents went out for dinner one night, she and her sister turned on the TV and saw Elvis and "that was it for them, they were in love," Greenoak said.
"I grew up listening to Elvis because my mom loves him, and in turn I love him," she said in a phone interview.
"Rob is the same. His stepdad actually used to sing Elvis to him — he was a DJ and did a lot of karaoke DJing and he always sang Elvis tunes — so we've both just grown up with it and we're really looking forward to, with any luck, one day having our kids listen to a lot of Elvis too."
In celebrating the milestone, the couple received a phone call from Elvis's former wife, Priscilla Presley, who was instrumental in turning the home into a famous tourist attraction.
"We just about passed out, it was unbelievable," Greenoak said. "She was so lovely, so gracious. I've always loved her, I think she's just the epitome of glamour."
The couple won a private tour of the mansion as well as a one-year pass to Graceland and a box set of Elvis's albums.
They also won a return visit that includes a stay at a new hotel, The Guest House at Graceland, set to open this fall. Greenoak said they plan to take their mothers with them this time.
Graceland opened its doors to the public nearly 34 years ago, on June 7, 1982. It was home to Elvis and his family for 20 years and designated a national historic landmark in 2006.
