If you’re an out-of-this-world couple and want your wedding to reflect that, a space wedding might be the perfect option for you. From a Mars-inspired destination wedding to tying the knot in a roving spacecraft, these one-of-a-kind ceremonies and reception ideas will send your heart soaring.
The first space wedding happened 16 years ago, when cosmonaut Ekaterina Dmitriev married her new husband Yuri Malenchenko in Texas while he orbited in the International Space Station. The ceremony was a bit different from traditional weddings on Earth: She marched down the aisle to David Bowie’s song “Absolute Beginners,” while her best man played Mendelssohn’s Wedding March on a portable keyboard. The couple followed Texas laws and did a proxy marriage, which allows you to marry without the groom present for a valid reason.
As part of her ceremony, Dmitriev’s ring was delivered to the station by fellow astronaut Ed Lu in a package on the Progress cargo craft. On the ground, she wore her classic white wedding dress and he wore his standard flight uniform with a bow tie. They used a video linkup that was classified as a private family conference and not broadcast on NASA TV.
Since then, a number of other couples have celebrated their love in space, but for most, it’s not an everyday event. That may change soon, however. A company called Space Perspective is offering to take guests to the edge of space in a modified version of its Dragon Capsule. It won’t be as nerve-wracking as a full-on space flight, but it will still give you a spectacular view of our planet.
A trip to the edge of space isn’t cheap, but it is much more affordable than a commercial space flight. The experience will cost you around $100,000, which is roughly the same as a wedding in some states. For more information, visit the Space Perspective website.
If you’re ready to start planning a space wedding, look for an area with natural separations that make it easy to hold your ceremony on one side and the reception on the other. If you’re planning a destination wedding, make sure that you or your planner has the necessary licenses to marry in the country where you plan to host the ceremony and reception. And if you’re planning to invite guests from all over the world, consider a digital or live stream of your event so that everyone can join in on the fun.
Small details can help your out-of-this-world theme take flight, such as giving your officiant and guests NASA astronaut flight suits or adding alien-themed props to your photo booth. Springy Martian antenna headbands or toy ray guns will add a little extra flair to your wedding day photos. And you can’t forget the favors, which could be anything from kaleidoscopes to space-themed candy or a pair of star finders for guests to keep on hand.