A space wedding is the stuff of dreams. But a new space travel company is aiming to make those dreams come true. The company, which is called Space Perspective, is putting couples in a carbon-neutral balloon equipped with enormous windows for the best view of Earth from space. And according to the company’s co-founder, Jane Poynter, the list of people clamoring for this once-in-a-lifetime trip is already light-years long.
Getting married in space can be more accessible than you might think. A company called Space Perspective is making it possible to marry in space, starting at $125,000 per seat for a six-hour Neptune flight.
The spacecraft can hold nine passengers including the pilot. During the ride, couples can create “indelible memories” of their nuptials from a perspective only astronauts have experienced. And the views are spectacular, as each passenger can see the curve of our planet as it rises and sets and the thin blue line where the atmosphere meets the space. Neptune even has the largest windows ever flown into space, which means that brides and grooms will have plenty of options for unforgettable photos in a one-of-a-kind setting.
However, a space wedding is not without its challenges. The first to take place happened in June of 2003 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko tied the knot with his American wife, Ekaterina Dmitriev, by video link from the International Space Station. The couple decided to have a marriage in orbit despite the disapproval of the Russian Mission Control Center, which thought that a cosmonaut should not be distracted by personal matters while working on a mission. In fact, Yuri was denied a promotion to a top position in Roscosmos because of his wedding.
Since then, several more couples have had the same idea. Whether the reason for the wedding was to celebrate the wonders of nature or their own deep love for each other, they have found ways to have unique ceremonies in breathtaking locations. For instance, a couple in Alaska had their ceremony at the base of an active volcano, while another couple had their reception on a floating island in Lake Tahoe.
And more recently, we’ve seen virtual weddings taking place in the metaverse. While they aren’t yet legally binding, these events can be a lot more extravagant than an ordinary wedding and allow guests to attend from anywhere in the world. Some of these weddings can even be attended by celebrities.
So maybe it’s not too far-fetched to imagine that someday we’ll see a ceremony in outer space, conducted by a real-life astronaut. But until then, there are plenty of other ways for couples to get hitched in a truly out-of-this-world location. Check out our list of the best space wedding venues to start planning your big day.