Whether it’s beside a waterfall, in a horse stable, or on top of a mountain, many couples are staking out unconventional venues to host their once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. But if you really want to go out of this world, there’s no better way than tying the knot in space. With a new company offering the chance to say “I do” on the edge of space, you can have your dream wedding and prove you love someone to the moon and back.
For those who can’t quite afford to be married in outer space, the coordinators at event spaces dedicated to weddings are often more than happy to help you find an officiant willing to perform a ceremony that fits your theme. In fact, asking your venue’s coordinator to recommend a local officiant can save you both time and money, as these professionals are frequently booked well in advance for special days like weddings.
While you can’t legally get hitched in outer space (as of yet, anyway), you can tie the knot at the International Space Station — or even just float through the air. Astronauts on the ISS can perform wedding ceremonies for their crewmates, and it’s been reported that many of them do so as a matter of custom.
The ISS has also been home to a number of other unusual nuptials, including the wedding of cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and his fiancée, American TV host Christina Hendricks. During his professional career, Malenchenko went on five space missions and spent more than two years in orbit, earning the Hero of the Russian Federation award, Russia’s highest honor. He’s also second on the list of longest-serving cosmonauts, so it seemed only natural that he would marry his longtime partner in space.
If you don’t have a spaceship handy but still want a truly out-of-this-world wedding, consider a destination wedding on Mars. The red rocky landscape of the third planet from the Sun strikes the perfect balance between barren and beautiful, and it’s an ideal spot to celebrate your big day with an otherworldly feel.
Alternatively, you could get married in the metaverse, an immersive virtual world that’s become increasingly popular during the Covid-19 pandemic. While it’s unclear how the metaverse will change traditional weddings — videoconference-based marriages by Zoom, which were allowed during the pandemic, have already taken place, and last year, a couple who had their in-person wedding canceled staged a (nonlegal) ceremony within the Animal Crossing game for their friends and family to watch online — the possibilities are almost boundless. Think guest lists that run into the thousands, gift registries filled with NFTs, or even virtual destination weddings in locations far beyond your imagination.