Surprise wedding takes place at 35,000ft on United Airlines flight
Jake Meli and Abigail Power were 'United' in holy matrimony on board a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Orlando, Florida, exchanging vows while surrounded by fellow passengers and flight attendants.
United, which posted a video of the event to its Instagram page, revealed that the in-flight wedding idea began as a dare.
Jake's friend got married on a cruise ship out at sea and challenged the groom to 'one-up him' by getting married in the air.
Jake was only too willing to take up the challenge. Not only had he been flying with United since childhood, but the happy couple had already decided to book a flight to Orlando for their honeymoon, with visits to Orlando's Disney World and Universal Studios parks on the itinerary.
The ceremony was coordinated with United, which decked out the plane with twinkling lights and provided a mid-flight bottle of Champagne and a cake.
The ceremony was announced by a flight attendant, who said: 'Attention all passengers, we will be starting the wedding now.'
Then, with the couple in their wedding attire standing at the front of the plane, their officiant, Jake's brother, said: 'Friends, family and fellow passengers, who just thought they were taking a normal flight to Orlando… surprise!
'You officially become guests at a wedding, 35,000ft in the air.
'Don't worry, no formal attire is required. And the snack cart will be making its rounds shortly.
'But now, we're right here, quite literally in the clouds, to celebrate something truly special, the marriage of my brother, Jake, and his wonderful bride, Abi.'
He continued: 'So, whether you're here for the vows, the vacation, or just trying to get home, thank you for being part of this one-of-a-kind moment.'
To cheers from the cabin, he pronounced them husband and wife by the power vested in him by the Universal Life Church, which enables members of the public to become ordained and officiate weddings.
He added: 'May your adventures always be epic and the force always be with you.'
Abi and Jake's wedding, which took place last week, was undoubtedly unusual, but not quite as bizarre as the wedding ceremony of UK couple Darren McWalters and Katie Hodgson in 2008, who tied the knot while wing-walking on biplanes.
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