New Zealand: Airline hopes to hold first same-sex wedding 30,000 ft above the ground
Air New Zealand has announced that it plans to hold the country’s first same-sex wedding ceremony at 30,000 ft above the ground.
New Zealand passed its equal marriage bill in April, and wedding ceremonies can begin to take place from 19 August.
The airline has launched a competition aimed at same-sex wanting to get married. The winner will be one of the first in the country to get married on an early-morning flight from Queenstown to Auckland, reports Raw Story.
Present at the ceremony will be US actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family, and his partner Justin Mikita.
“Justin and I are thrilled to be taking part in witnessing this historic moment for New Zealand,” he said in a statement.
“After launching ‘Tie The Knot’, our bow tie campaign for marriage equality in the US, it is clear that the journey towards marriage, both in the US and beyond, means so much to us.”
The airline faces competition, however, as two radio stations have announced plans for land-based similar ceremonies.
Registrar-General Jeff Montgomery has increased the number of marriage celebrants ahead of the beginning of same-sex weddings, extending the powers of 120 civil union celebrants in order for them to be able to perform weddings.
“We anticipate a strong level of demand from the same sex couples in New Zealand, and also from overseas, to get married, so it makes sense to increase the number of marriage celebrants,” he said.
The Air New Zealand competition closes on 26 July.
