Love is in the air — literally.
High school sweethearts Vidhi Popley and Hridesh Sainani wed on a Boeing 747 last week. Their uplifting nuptials are being considered for a Guinness World Record for the first wedding on an airplane in the United Arab Emirates.
“This is my sequel to my wedding in the air. My wedding was in [1994]. This is for my daughter, a gift from her father,” the bride’s father, Dilip Popley, told Brew News.
Dilip always dreamed of Vidhi getting married on an airplane, just like he did with his wife, Sunita, on an Air India flight on Oct. 18, 1994. They claim to have set the airplane wedding record in India.
“I could have never imagined that. I wasn’t there for my parents’ wedding, and they recreated something like this for us,” Vidhi said.
It seems money was no issue for the Popley family, who are well-known in the UAE and India for their popular jewelry business Popley and Sons.
“Sky is the limit to spending for weddings in Dubai,” said the couple’s wedding planner, Chimoo Acharya. “It all depends on the number of people and the budget of the family. Weddings such as Popley’s cost around [$1.6 million to $1.9 million].”
In a 3-minute video posted to The Brew News YouTube channel, family and friends wore their most formal airport fit to celebrate Popley and Sainani’s union on Nov. 24.
The couple made a grand entrance in a red Ferrari with an entourage.
The luxury aircraft carried over 300 guests for the 3-hour celebration, which lasted from Jetex’s private terminal in Dubai to Oman.
Guests boarded the plane for an experience beyond first class.
Seats were decorated with floral fabric, garlands hung above windows, music played, and attendees moved freely about the cabin.
To land such an elaborate wedding, the couple’s wedding planner spent 12 months filing paperwork to make sure the flight endured no delays.
While the pair sealed their love in an unconventional way, they followed Sikh traditions when exchanging vows.
Other customs, such as Sangeet, Mehndi, and Pheras, as Agni-Phera, were hosted when the flight landed in Oman.
“Now I am carrying [my father’s] dream to another level,” the blushing bride shared. “I am hoping, for my [future] son’s marriage, technology will allow us to do something bigger, such as marriage in space.”