Taking love to new heights: Virgin Australia’s first-ever wedding in the sky

Love was well and truly in the air as Virgin Australia hosted its first-ever wedding in the sky. Stunned passengers looked on as Elaine Tiong and Luke Serdar tied the knot on a VA841 flight from Melbourne to Sydney, getting their life together as newlyweds off to a flying start. 

The bride wore white, with a bouquet of red roses, as she walked down the aircraft aisle to her husband-to-be, in front of a plane-load of unsuspecting guests. He was waiting with Australian actress Tottie Goldsmith, who acted as celebrant for the ceremony.

Carly Ravenhall

Carly Ravenhall

Carly Ravenhall

“We actually had planned to marry onboard a Virgin Australia flight on Valentine’s Day, but we had to postpone when the Victorian lockdown came into play just 24-hours before the big day,” said Luke. “So after a false start, we couldn’t be happier to finally tie the knot.”

Luke and Elaine live in Prahran in Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs. The couple said “I do” mid-flight after deciding that they wanted an unconventional wedding – and something a little more casual than the standard affair.

“I’m 17 weeks’ pregnant and we just decided we didn’t want any fuss and here we are marrying onboard a flight in front of 150 complete strangers,” Elaine laughed. “The truth is, I was a wedding planner for many years, and after organising hundreds of weddings, I wanted something different for us.

Carly Ravenhall

Carly Ravenhall

“This is always what I had dreamed of – doing something random and completely out of the box,” she continued. “After friends suggested I marry on a flight – Luke loves travel and planes – I couldn’t think of a more perfect way for us to say ‘I do’, and here we are.”

Due to COVID-19 regulations, the newlyweds weren’t allowed to seal the deal with a kiss onboard the aircraft. Instead, they shared their first embrace as they disembarked from the aircraft in Sydney, and could finally remove their face masks.

Carly Ravenhall

Carly Ravenhall

Carly Ravenhall

Virgin Australia is no stranger to a mid-air celebration. From onboard marriage proposals to Australia’s first-ever fashion show on a passenger flight and a Guinness World Record performance of the Black Eyed Peas at 41,000 feet, the airline has form when it comes to thinking outside the (flight) box – and showing its passengers a right good time.

As for this latest event, it’s a match made in mid-air (if not quite in heaven) and we wish the happy couple all the best.

Visit Virgin Australia to find out more.