A pro gamer named David married his wife Krystal in a space wedding at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 15, 2015. Their ceremony included rockets, astronaut food, and an appearance by real-life astronaut Winston E. Scott, who delivered words of wisdom to the newlyweds and played saxophone. It is unclear whether the couple will be allowed to marry in space, as Russian space officials disapproved of the idea.
The first space wedding took place in 2003, when Yuri Malenchenko, a Russian cosmonaut, married a U.S. citizen, Ekaterina Dmitrieva. The couple were married via video link, and Malenchenko was onboard the International Space Station. The bride walked down the aisle to the tune of David Bowie’s ‘Absolute Beginners.’ Yuri was waiting on earth at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Texas, while his bride stood in a wedding gown. Her best man played a wedding march, which was played for the couple by the space station’s computer.
The wedding ceremony was held via video link, and Malenchenko’s astronaut friend Ed Lu acted as best man. Lu played wedding music on his keyboard. It was a unique event, and the ceremony was originally not meant to be in space, but the couple decided to keep the date and carry on regardless of what happened. In the meantime, they were married 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, thanks to the company Rocketplane. Yuri and Ekaterina then went back to Earth to have the ceremony in person.
Despite the difficulty of organizing a wedding in space, Sergei Malenchenko and his wife were able to tie the knot in July. Despite Russian Aerospace Agency officials’ attempts to stop him from marrying his American bride, the two were granted a marriage license a few days later. However, the Russian government and NASA had to approve the wedding before it took place, and if the Russian officials don’t approve of it, then other cosmonauts wouldn’t be able to do so, either. The Russians have now implemented rules for the ceremony in future preflight contracts.
If your budget doesn’t permit a traditional venue, consider hiring a space wedding planner in New York City. Raw space weddings are becoming more popular and unique each year. Whether you choose a venue with natural lighting or artificial lighting, raw space weddings are the ideal choice for those who want an intimate space that reflects the unique personality and love story of the couple. The best thing to do is hire someone who is experienced in the field.
Space Perspective hopes to offer public balloon rides to space from the Kennedy Space Center. It is already accepting reservations for space weddings by 2024. Tickets cost $125,000, which is far less than Virgin Galactic’s $250k 90-minute space flight. The test flight launched from Space Coast Spaceport, near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Although reservations have closed for the 2020 flight, clients can still reserve their tickets and get married in space by 2025.