Sep 19, 2010

Couple gets married 160ft up in the air

Talk about taking the plunge - this thrill-seeking couple found a hair-raising way to get hitched at more than 160 feet in the air. Love really was in the air when this pair was wed on a platform suspended 50 metres above the ground - before celebrating their marriage by launching themselves off the edge. The bride, groom and celebrant are hoisted up on the enormous crane - accompanied by some 20 guests,
strapped into chairs along the side of the platform - with their legs dangling mid-air.
A second platform - hosting an orchestra and a pianist - was hoisted up beside the wedding party to give the ceremony an authentic feel.
But there was nothing conventional about this ceremony - when the newly-weds were tied to a bungee cord and jumped off the end of the aisle.
Jeroen and Sandra Kippers, from Brussels, Belgium, were the world's first couple to get married mid-air - and celebrate with a leap of faith. Since the pair tied the knot, dozens more couples have been queueing up to copy their unusual ceremony. The company behind the nutty nuptials - Marriage In The Sky - have been inundated with requests from couples desperate to fling themselves off the end of the aisle. But the ultimate thrill-seekers' wedding doesn't have to end there - once the wedding party have all been lowered back to earth, guests can head skywards again - for a floating reception.
Wedding guests are wowed with a three-course wedding breakfast - all while strapped in to the dining chairs. Loved-up adrenaline junkies can enjoy their special day almost anywhere in the world - offering spectacular views. But the bizarre ceremonies don't come cheap - the wedding ceremony alone will set loved-up couples back almost £25,000.
Company founder, Stefan Kerkhofs - who is also the brains behind terrifying TV game show Fear Factor -  said: 'Marriage in the Sky is a marriage celebrated in heaven for couples who want to bring their chapel a little closer to angels on their wedding day by raising it 50 metres up in the air.'
'People chose to get married in the sky because the view is amazing, and it is a moment they will never forget.'
'Marriage is a big jump, you don't know what's coming - and this is exactly the same thing.'
'When I was young, my parents had a crane company. I grew up around cranes and I always thought I wish you could do more with them than just lifting.'
'One day I was up moving something on the crane and I was pretty hungry. I thought it'd be great to be able to eat up here - and the idea of having a restaurant in the sky was born.'
'I have been trying to push the limits ever since. Dining in the sky has been really successful and is operating all over the world - but I wanted to take it further, and people love it.'
Source: (wateen.net)