Airplane wedding, ANA captain marries seven couples
Wedding by airplane? It is certainly not the first time. However, what happened aboard an ANA (All Nippon [...]
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Star Alliance
Wedding by airplane? It is certainly not the first time. However, what happened on board an ANA (All Nippon Airways) plane was definitely peculiar.
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Seven couples were married by the captain of the Japanese company, and thus began their new life together as a true and extraordinary journey.
Wedding by air, ANA's initiative
The airplane wedding of the seven couples, whose ceremony was officiated by the ANA captain, took place in the Business cabin of a B777-300ER. Due to anti-Covid regulations, only a limited number of guests were present. Whereas, the wedding party, took place inside the terminal Of the airport.
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How did the idea of such a "crowded" airplane wedding, dubbed "The WEDDING with ANA"? From an employee competition. In fact, ANA asked its crew to come up with ideas on how to leverage that Boeing parked, bringing it to life. Weddings turned out to be the winning proposal, and the company, in cooperation with wedding planning company Hasegawa S.T, organized the ceremonies.
Each guest, including the bride and groom, was given a boarding pass marked "NH8888 to Milan." Eight, in Japanese culture, is a lucky number. Milan, on the other hand, is the birthplace of a tradition dear to the Japanese, the "June bride" ("Bride of June"): June is the most popular month for weddings and, its name, derives precisely from the name of Juno (the ancient deity of marriage and childbirth).
Can one get married by plane?
Is getting married by airplane possible? The answer is yes, it can be done. Social images of high-altitude newlyweds are diverse, starting with the Chinese travel blogger couple Ha Xian Sheng and Zhen Mei, who-after winning the "Marriage in the air" contest held by Cathey Dragon-have spread dreamy videos. Inviting many other couples to imitate them. They, unlike the couples married by ANA, even became husband and wife in the air.
What about in Italy? Is airplane marriage valid? Technically, yes. The marriage should be noted in the logbook and, an extract of it, should be delivered to the airport director where you land or at the consulate. These, in turn, will send the acts to the municipalities of residence of the spouses. If the landing takes place in Italy, the airport director takes care of it; if it takes place abroad, the task falls to the consular authority. One can therefore get married by air, but it is not the easiest thing in the world. Not least because whether or not you can do it is up to the airlines. And, in spite of the legends on the subject, the marriage is valid only if a person authorized to do so is the one performing it.
Of course, ANA's initiative was far simpler. Weddings took place on the ground, and the (parked) aircraft merely took the place of a hall for celebrations. Getting married at altitude, when the aircraft is in the skies, is far more complicated. It is suggestive, of course, but it requires legal advice to avoid being engaged in invalid nuptials. Simply, ANA's was an original initiative to take advantage of a plane grounded for the pandemic (somewhat like other companies have done with "flights to nowhere").
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