Pilot marries Vegas-bound couple mid-flight as 178 passengers become wedding guests
A couple flying to Las Vegas to elope ended up getting married at 35,000 feet after a Southwest Airlines crew turned their flight into a wedding.
Sara Arroyo Montalvo and her partner had planned to elope privately in Las Vegas when flight attendants learned about their idea and decided to organize a midair ceremony, Montalvo shared in a Facebook post.
The Aug. 13 wedding took place in front of 178 passengers, with the plane's captain — who is also an ordained minister — serving as the officiant, according to the post's caption.
The crew also improvised wedding attire and accessories using items from the plane.
The flight attendants fashioned a veil and one-ply wedding dress from toilet paper for Montalvo, while the bride's bouquet was made using Southwest coffee stir sticks, she wrote in the post.
"Fate couldn't have been more aligned," Montalvo wrote, adding that it was the couple's first time flying with Southwest Airlines.
She thanked the crew for turning what was supposed to be a private elopement into an unexpected celebration.
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"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for an unforgettable flight!" she wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Southwest Airlines for comment.
The unusual ceremony quickly drew reactions online, with many commenters praising the crew on their thoughtfulness and congratulating the newlyweds on their happy occasion.
"This is the best thing ever!!! Would've [loved] to have been on that flight!" one Facebook user wrote.
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Another commenter called it "about the coolest wedding story I have ever heard of."
Some commenters also raised questions about the legal logistics of getting married in the air, including questions about how a marriage license would be filed and how the officiant would sign the paperwork.
"I wonder what state their marriage license is in?" one commenter asked.
Fox News Digital previously reported on another couple who recently chose an unconventional setting for their wedding. They tied the knot inside the McDonald's restaurant where they both work in Akron, Ohio.
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Jamie and George Callicoat initially considered a destination-style wedding before a district manager jokingly suggested they hold the ceremony at the McDonald's.
The restaurant was transformed for the celebration, with friends, family and co-workers gathering as the drive-thru remained open.
The wedding included dinner, a cake and a flower girl who carried petals in a Happy Meal box.
Peter Burke and Teresa Mull of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.