If you’re looking for a wedding that is truly out of this world, look no further than a space-themed ceremony. A startup company offers to marry couples in a small, four-person capsule that takes them all the way up and then down again—from the surface of Earth to the edge of space. It costs $2.2 million and includes a live broadcast of the ceremony from the International Space Station, a reception on the ground, transportation to the launch site, accommodations, four days of rehearsal, and a photo and video album.
The most famous space wedding was performed 16 years ago, when Ekaterina Dmitrieva married Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko in a ceremony that was held on the ground at NASA headquarters and on the ISS via satellite video link. She wore a white dress, and he wore his standard cosmonaut uniform with a bow tie for the occasion. He walked down the aisle to David Bowie’s “Absolute Beginners,” and his best man was an astronaut playing Mendelssohn’s traditional wedding march on a portable keyboard.
Dmitrieva, a Houston native and an experienced cosmonaut, originally planned to have the wedding in the Clear Lake-area city of Richmond, but her plans changed when she learned that her husband would be in orbit at the time. She opted to obtain a marriage license in nearby Fort Bend County, allowing them to get married by proxy in the event of a failed phone connection.
Getting married in space isn’t just for the ultra-wealthy: a couple who lives in Japan has already used a private spacecraft to celebrate their union. The couple, who own the company that owns the small capsule in which the ceremony is conducted, say they’re planning more ceremonies for clients from all over the world. The company also offers to perform weddings in a larger spaceship, the Space Lounge, which can hold up to nine people including the pilot.
A big question that many couples have when they’re considering a space wedding is whether it would be legal. Currently, maritime law applies to the ISS, and its commander has the power to perform marriages on board. In addition, the new Voyager Station—a space hotel that will be modeled after cruise ships and open in 2027—will have a chapel.
Until these developments, though, the most realistic option for getting married in space is to hire a professional officiant to conduct your ceremony at an event space that caters to weddings. Most of these venues can provide you with a list of professionals they work closely with on a regular basis. This can save you time and money, as well as the hassle of figuring out who to contact on your own.