Wedding on a plane - Indian couple marry midair to dodge COVID restrictions but trouble follows

An Indian couple booked a jet for their 160-person wedding in an attempt to dodge the country's strict COVID restrictions. But their efforts landed them in trouble instead.

 

India’s recent wave of COVID deaths has caused most states to limit gatherings to 50 people or less, with safety guidelines like social distancing and masking strictly enforced. 

 

To get around the rules, the couple asked friends and relatives to purchase tickets on a single flight for a large mid-air wedding, taking their vows as the plane passed above the country’s popular Meenakshi Amman temple. 

 

 

 

 

 

Footage and photos of the boisterous marriage ceremony quickly went viral on social media, showing the couple and their guests ignoring flight guidelines as they crowded together for selfies and celebration. 

 

When news of the violations reached India’s aviation regulators, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), they began a thorough investigation. 

 

Now, the SpiceJet flight crew is suspended pending the investigation’s outcome, and the couple and all of their guests could be banned from taking passenger flights in the future. 

 

Get the full scoop in this article from Al Jazeera. 

 

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Wedding venue shortages & creative couples 

As more Americans get vaccinated and COVID case numbers continue to decline in many areas, states are loosening restrictions on private events like weddings and receptions. Venues all across the country are quickly returning to normal capacity, and updating their ‘house rules’ on everything from COVID testing and mask wearing to live entertainment and dancing. 

 

Still, some couples can’t find a traditional venue of any size. Newly engaged couples find themselves competing for popular dates with couples whose weddings were rescheduled during the first year of the pandemic. 

 

Luckily, a little creativity can go a long way! 

More couples are thinking outside the box and booking unconventional venues rather than waiting out the wedding rush. Backyards, state parks, cemeteries, neighborhood shops, and micro chapels are all gaining in popularity, along with low key elopements, pop-up weddings, and microweddings. 

 

You don’t need a traditional venue for an unforgettable wedding!

 

Just make sure you ask permission and check the local guidelines before you invite everyone you know… 

 

 

• Is There a Legally Prescribed Place to Officiate a Wedding?

 

• Can’t book a wedding venue? Consider a micro-wedding, or backyard wedding ceremony instead!

 

• Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez’s private, tiny wedding ceremony is a big mood

 

• How Wedding Officiants Save the Day When There’s a Sudden Change in Venue

 

• Wedding Ceremony in a Graveyard? We asked our ministers and couples what they thought...

 

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