In a ceremony officiated by KISS icon Gene Simmons, Anthrax and Pantera drummer Charlie Benante married his longtime partner, vocalist Carla Harvey, in a star-studded Las Vegas wedding on Sunday. The event, held at The Secret Garden, brought together a who’s-who of rock and metal royalty to celebrate the union of the two musicians.
The wedding, which took place on October 12, was described by Benante himself (via People) as an “elegant Russ Meyer movie with a rock and roll twist.” The guest list of over 200 people included members of KISS, Pantera, Anthrax, Mötley Crüe, Dream Theater, and Nickelback.
Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, who was in attendance, shared details of the spectacular evening. “A fun rockin’ time was had by all last night at Charlie and Carla Benante‘s beautiful Wedding,” he wrote. “Gene officiated, Elvis appeared, Las Vegas Show girls entertained. There was great music, delicious food, an elaborate drone show in the sky above while everyone danced.”
In a past interview, Benante recounted the slow-burn start to their relationship, which began years after they first met at a festival.
“We were both kind of interested in the same type of things — like, goofy, nerdy s**t,” he recalled. “But at the time, we were both kind of involved in marriages and stuff, and that was it. We would e-mail here and there, ‘Hey, did you check out this book?’ or, ‘Did you see that?’ And then that was it. I didn’t talk to her for a bit. And then one day, I was in L.A. making a record, and I hit her up, and I said, ‘You wanna meet around here, go get a coffee or something?’ And, she turned me down. And then I hit her back up a little bit later, and she’s, like, ‘Okay, I’ve to gotta go to the art store in that area. Do you wanna come with me?’ And we ended up going to an art store. And that was it.”
The couple, who got engaged in January 2024 during a U2 concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas, originally planned for a small, intimate wedding. “But we knew that we would not be able to get away with a small wedding once other friends heard about it,” Benante told. The result was a spectacular rock and roll celebration officiated by one of the genre’s biggest legends.
You can see more photos at People.com.
