Southwest Airlines crew performs ceremonial wedding mid-flight

A Southwest Airlines flight crew performed a ceremonial wedding for two passengers traveling to Las Vegas to elope. The couple, including Sara Arroyo Montalvo, informed flight attendants of their plans while attempting to find a private space to write their vows.

Because the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight was full, the crew transformed the cabin into a wedding chapel. They created a dress and veil from toilet paper, provided paper crowns, and fashioned a bouquet using heart-shaped coffee stirrers. An ordained pilot conducted the ceremony over the aircraft's public address system for approximately 178 witnesses.

While the pilot has performed hundreds of weddings in his 30 years as an ordained minister, the event was purely ceremonial, as pilots do not have the legal authority to perform marriages while commanding an aircraft.