World's First Weightless Wedding

June 22, 2009

Some kind of space history was made over the weekend, as NYC couple Erin Finnegan and Noah Fulmor exchanged wedding vows while in zero gravity aboard G-Force One -- affectionately known as "the vomit comet." The aircraft flew a series of 15 parabolas, resulting in five "weightless" intervals of 30 seconds. The quickie ceremony was performed during those intervals, with some room for second takes just in case, say, the bride or groom threw up.

At heart, the vomit comet is the world's most awesome roller coaster, taking such extreme lifts and dips in its parabolic trajectory that it can achieve a reasonably sustained freefall (about 20-30 seconds of freefall out of every 65 seconds). The ride starts with a steep, 45-degree climb, followed by a dip downward, during which those precious moments of weightlessness can be experienced.

Getting married in zero gravity does present some unique challenges to a wedding planner. Finnegan wore a specially designed gown with a tiered skirt designed to billow out in all directions -- with pants underneath so the bride need not worry about revealing her undergarments as she tumbled about for the full weightless experience. They couldn't get insurance for the wedding, although it will be legal, since the airpace over Cape Canaveral is still within the state of Florida's jurisdiction.

Chief among the obstacles was the exorbitant cost. I know weddings run up ridiculous tabs these days, but the bride and groom and their seven family members/guests forked over $5400 per person. (An anonymous soldier in Iraq paid for half the ticket for Finnegan's mom, who was understandbaly a bit sqeamish at both the price and the zero gravity .) They also had to cover the cost of an onboard photographer and videographer -- becuase this was definitely a wedding that cried out for photographic documentation.

Was it worth it? Probably -- that's certainly a wedding day one is unlikely to forget. And the happy couple have been space enthusiasts since they were kids; among other things, they hope their nuptials can raise awareness for the future of private space exploration. "We're saying, the future is going to be awesome," Fulmor told New Scientist. "The future is here if you want it. We're getting married in zero gravity!"

Mazel tov to Finnegan and Fulmor...