A destination wedding is a popular choice for couples looking to have their special day in an exotic locale. But a company is taking it a step further by allowing couples to say their I Dos in space.
The first space wedding took place 16 years ago when American Ekaterina Dmitrieva married Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko via video link from the International Space Station. Dmitrieva wore her white dress and walked down the aisle to a David Bowie song, with the groom sitting at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston. They later moved to Russia, but Dmitrieva kept her U.S. citizenship, and a judge ruled that she could legally marry her Russian-born husband in the United States since she did not renounce her American citizenship.
Now a space travel company called Space Perspective is offering betrothed couples the chance to get hitched in orbit aboard the Neptune spacecraft, which has giant windows for a view of Earth. And the waitlist for this otherworldly experience is already light-years long.
Rather than blasting you to the stars in a rocket, the Neptune spacecraft uses renewable hydrogen, which means you’ll be propelled into orbit without creating a significant carbon footprint. And the whole trip takes only six hours, which is plenty of time for a wedding ceremony and reception and some spectacular space views.
The Neptune’s windows are “the largest windows ever flown into space,” says Vincent Bachet, lead and development engineer at Space Perspective, a space travel company that plans to offer the service starting in late 2024. And co-founder and CEO Taber MacCallum adds that they have a hyper-resistant material and unique anti-UV coating, making them the perfect backdrop for a wedding.
For those who can’t wait to tie the knot among the stars, Space Perspective has a waitlist that starts at $125,000 per seat. To be eligible, you must be medically fit to fly with a commercial airline. And to make the most of your out-of-this-world experience, it’s a good idea to bring along some space-themed favors, like springy Martian antennae headbands and toy ray guns for your guests to wear or take home.
For more celestial inspiration, check out these starry wedding ideas. Or if you’re planning to go the traditional route, look for an alternative space-inspired venue that has character—like a museum, town-building, or historic property. Just keep in mind that raw-space venues usually come bare bones, so you’ll need to rent everything from tables, chairs, and flatware to a sound system and lighting—things that you wouldn’t have to worry about at, say, a ballroom wedding venue. So make sure to budget accordingly.