Space is the most unlikely place for any couple to get married. However, a company called Space Perspective is offering to make that dream wedding a reality for those willing to shell out $125,000 per person. This incredible arrangement will send you into orbit in a carbon-neutral balloon with enormous windows that can offer the best view of our planet. The six-hour Neptune journey will lift you 100,000 feet above Earth and bring you back down. According to reports, the company has already sold 1,000 tickets for its first launch which is scheduled in 2024.
You might remember a famous space wedding in 2003 when Ekaterina Dmitrieva, a U.S. citizen of Russian descent, married her longtime partner, Yuri Malenchenko, while he was still on the International Space Station. She walked down the aisle in a traditional white dress, while she and her husband exchanged vows via video linkup between Houston and the station. He wore his standard flight uniform and added a bow tie for the occasion. According to Texas law, the couple opted for a proxy marriage ceremony (a friend of his served as his best man) and did not use the formal title “husband” or “wife.”
They then threw the reception at NASA headquarters with 200 guests and celebrated their nuptials again in Russia in the summer of 2004. But the space wedding didn’t just make headlines in Texas and Russia – it also changed the way cosmonauts are trained for future missions. In fact, contracts that cosmonauts sign before their flights now contain a clause barring them from getting married in orbit.
Destination weddings are a popular path when it comes to the big day, but imagine if you could jet away into space and marry the love of your life. It might not be as easy as a trip to your favorite resort or the beach but it would certainly make for a spectacular Instagram post.
The company behind the plan, Space Perspective, has a waiting list that is already light-years long. The organization is led by two former Biosphere 2 crew members who want to explore the feasibility of closed ecological systems during human voyages into the stars.
Their Neptune spaceship will be powered by renewable hydrogen to eliminate the need for rocket fuel and its resulting carbon footprint. Guests will enjoy comfortable, quiet flights and a calming atmosphere. They will have two hours to experience the “quintessential astronaut experience” – the curve of the Earth, its total blackness, and the thin blue line of our atmosphere. You can even tailor your adventure based on your preferences, the company says. They can adjust the lighting, sound system, and music to accommodate your special requests. Toasting at sky-high toasts won’t be a problem as the well-stocked bar allows for plenty of bubbly. The Neptune also has plush seating, sensors that provide in-depth science data on your flight, and the ability to rearrange furniture to suit your needs.