Couple elope on Southwest flight after Vegas elopement falls through

The couple flew Southwest Airlines from Dallas to Las Vegas but ended up getting married during the flight. Photo / Unsplash

Finding a good wedding venue can be a challenge, but one couple managed to do it in a matter of minutes, 37,000 feet high in the air.
 
A couple from Oklahoma City turned a Southwest flight into a pop-up wedding chapel on Sunday and were married during the flight.

Pam and Jeremy were traveling on one of our competitors to elope in Vegas when their final leg from DFW to LAS was canceled. Little did they know, their luck was about to turn. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/D1aU9452An

— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) April 30, 2022

Pam Patterson and Jeremy Salda had been dating since August 2020 and planned to get married in August 2022. However, one week in April they started joking about eloping in Las Vegas.

Quickly, the jokes turned serious and just days later the couple had scheduled a wedding chapel for 9 pm Sunday, April 24, purchased a wedding dress and suit online and booked flights to Las Vegas for that Sunday.

Unfortunately, they encountered several delays during a stopover at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. Eventually, the final flight to Vegas was cancelled.

During the wait, they met Chris Kilgora, who was not only a fellow passenger on the Las Vegas flight but an ordained minister. After hearing their story, he offered to marry them himself in Vegas. So, the trio found a Southwest flight bound for LAS that had just four seats left.

This flight, however, was departing in 50 minutes from Dallas Love Field (DAL) airport, 25 minutes away.

"We told the Uber to floor it, and he did," Pam told CNN.

While running through the new airport in their wedding outfits, people called out congratulations and, at the gate, the captain asked about Pam's wedding dress. They told the pilot their story and joked about getting married on the flight.

To everyone's shock, the pilot replied "Let's do it!".
 
Soon, the plane was decorated with streamers fashioned from toilet paper and a sash made of snack bags.

Remember Chris, the ordained minister? Turns out he also works in broadcasting and was carrying on his A/V equipment! Needless to say, this special moment was captured for Pam and Jeremy to cherish forever. 🥰 pic.twitter.com/hv6aGBskSm

— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) April 30, 2022

Julie Reynolds, a flight attendant on board, stood in as maid of honour, a professional photographer on board snapped some pictures and the traditional wedding cake was substituted for someone's powdered doughnut.
 
Reynolds also played DJ by downloading the song 'Here Comes the Bride' to play on the intercom.
 
"Southwest has been the love airline for nearly 51 years," Southwest wrote in a statement to CNN. "We always enjoy an opportunity to celebrate our customers in special ways."
 
Passengers even used a notebook as a guest book and filled it with kind messages about how the ceremony had brought them joy.
 
In celebration of the impromptu wedding, the new couple spent an extra day in Las Vegas.

They plan to follow hold a more traditional ceremony in Mexico where they can celebrate with family and friends.