If tying the knot in an ordinary church, barn or warehouse seems boring, one company is offering a way to say “I do” looking down on Earth from the edge of space. The Oklahoma City-based company, Space Perspective, is currently taking applications for couples who want to get married in a carbon-neutral capsule with gigantic windows for the ultimate view of planet Earth.
Applicants must be medically fit to board the spacecraft, which can accommodate eight people plus the pilot in comfortable reclining seats. A six-hour journey will take you 100,000 feet above the planet and give you a unique opportunity to take in the sights of our little blue marble, with its rivers, lakes, deserts and mountains. And while you may not have your own personal spaceship for your nuptials, the company’s co-founder says a flight isn’t as expensive as you might think. Prices start at $125,000 per seat, and you can join the waitlist for late 2024 on the company’s website.
Space Perspective is the brainchild of two former crew members of Biosphere 2, an Earth system science research facility in Arizona. The founders say they want to use their knowledge of closed ecological systems from the project and apply it to a more human space exploration that will allow people to live and work in outer space. They’re also bringing that expertise to the commercialization of outer space tourism.
But a space wedding isn’t without its challenges. In 2003, a Russian cosmonaut married an American woman while in space. It didn’t go unnoticed, and he was denied a promotion afterward because the position involved access to classified information.
Nevertheless, the couple returned to Earth two months later and had a daughter together. When Yuri Malenchenko returned to Russia, he was given permission to marry again—but not for the same reason, as it would have meant giving up his U.S. citizenship, a violation of Soviet-era rules for military personnel.
Space Perspective’s Neptune can be customised to adjust special requests, including tables for a wedding feast or altar, and the company says it will provide guests with a full meal on the day of their flight. Ms Poynter also says the capsule’s design and the acoustics make it ideal for livestreaming your big day so friends and family around the world can tune in to witness it.
We’ve seen a lot of beautiful weddings in all sorts of unexpected locations, from industrial warehouses to rustic horse stables—but what about getting married in outer space? We’re not sure how practical it will be, but if you have the money to do it, why not? And if you do, let us know in the comments!