If you’re the type of person who can dream of tying the knot in space—or even a few feet above it—a new company is offering the chance to do just that. For the price of USD $125,000, a couple can book seats on Space Perspective’s Neptune spacecraft and view Earth from the edge of space.
The Neptune experience will allow passengers to see the curve of our planet, the blackness of outer space and the thin blue line that marks our atmosphere. The spacecraft will also be capable of conducting scientific experiments and even has the potential to offer private tours for businesses and other organizations. If you’re interested in booking a space wedding with Space Perspective, you should know that the waiting list is already light-years long.
It was 16 years ago that Ekaterina Dmitriev stood on ground in Texas while her husband, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, orbited the International Space Station (ISS). The video conference — officially classified as a family event — was broadcast live by NASA TV, and she walked down the aisle to a David Bowie song. A few days earlier, a ring had been sent to the ISS in a parcel and was handed off to Malenchenko by a crew member on the ground, who then placed it on her hand.
When he returned to Earth, Dmitriev said the wedding was “the most beautiful moment in my life.” She had been married to her American fiancé for seven years before their big day and despite living in different countries, they had kept up their relationship over the phone, and through her work with NASA, she was used to a long distance marriage.
While she was happy to be reunited with her husband, the wedding did have some repercussions for Malenchenko. Russia had asked him to delay the ceremony until he was back on Earth, citing legal complexities and Soviet-era rules that require military officers to get permission from superiors before marrying foreign citizens. Officials eventually gave their blessing, but told him that other cosmonauts will not be allowed to marry in space.
A year later, they had a traditional religious wedding in a small church in Yaroslavl, north of Moscow, where she was born. They now have a daughter, Camilla.
As you can imagine, Raw Spaces have lower rental fees than hotels and banquet facilities but they come pretty bare bones. That means that everything from tables, chairs and flatware to table linens and china has to be brought in. It’s a DIYer’s dream and for a lot of couples who aren’t high-end/high-spenders it’s a good option. For others, especially older or disabled guests who might need to walk a long way to get to the ceremony space, it may not be the best choice. That’s why I always suggest a few questions to consider before renting a Raw Space as your venue. Click through for those tips.