When it comes to weddings, people don’t hold back when it comes to putting in the effort. From Alia-Ranbir’s private affair to the lavish Ambani weddings, we have seen couples go all out for their big day. But, what if we told you there was a way to take it to the next level? A Florida-based company called Space Perspective is offering people the chance to get married on the edge of space.
The first space wedding happened in 2003 when American Ekaterina Dmitrieva and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko tied the knot via a satellite video link. She walked down the aisle at NASA headquarters in Houston, while he was on board the International Space Station orbiting the Earth. He was wearing his flight uniform and his best man was a colleague on the station, Ed Lu, who played Mendelssohn’s traditional “Wedding March” music for them both. He later told reporters he had no regrets over taking the risk to marry in space despite the fact that his superiors were against it. He went on to complete two more missions on the ISS and received Russia’s highest award, Hero of the Federation, for his work.
While that space wedding was a bit of an exception, the idea has caught on. The company Space Perspective is now allowing people to book seats on one of its flights that takes them to the edge of space. The experience won’t be as nerve-wracking as a full space flight but it will give you an incredible view of our planet from a height of 100,000 feet. The Space Neptune, as the spaceship is called, will have large windows and can carry up to eight passengers plus a pilot.
On its website, Space Perspective also boasts that it is much cheaper than other space travel companies such as Blue Origin, which sells tickets that can cost up to millions of dollars. A trip on the Space Neptune will set you back about $125,000 per seat. That might sound pricey, but compared to throwing a large wedding in India that could cost as much as Rs24 crore, it is actually quite affordable.
In addition to booking space travel on the company’s site, people can also reserve a spot at their upcoming Space Event in Orlando. The company says it will feature talks by former cosmonauts and astronauts as well as an opportunity to meet a real Russian spacesuit.
As the world continues to expand into space, we will probably see more of these out-of-this-world weddings in our future. Even if you don’t have the resources to do so, getting married on the edge of space is still a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will definitely be memorable for you and your guests. Happy wedding planning!