Somewhere between Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, they went from David and Cathy to Mr. and Mrs.
The Valliants, as they are now known, were recently married at 37,000 feet on Jetstar Airways Flight 201, as they tied the knot symbolically about halfway between Australia, where David is from, and New Zealand, where Cathy hails.
It was only fitting, of course, and not a publicity stunt. Both David and Cathy have a love for aviation.
A couple obsessed with aviation have had their ultimate dream wedding, 34,000 feet in the air. #7NEWS https://t.co/SVYNY1565v
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) November 21, 2019
The couple met online in 2011 while playing the computer game “Airport City” and met in person for the first time two years later at Sydney airport.
“Our love of aviation is what brought us together,” Cathy said in a statement to the media. “It was the most amazing experience and something we will remember for the rest of our lives.”
Dressed in a tuxedo and wedding gown, the couple married legally in the terminal moments before the flight took off, and then again in the aisle of the aircraft is it crossed from Australia toward New Zealand.
A Jetstar ground crew member served as the officiant on the plane.
Ironically, as much as the two have a love of flying, David’s nerves got the best of him when it came time for the proposal years earlier. He had intended to do that on a plane as well, on a flight from Brisbane to Melbourne, but eventually settled for a land proposal later that night.
Aviation was also involved in their first actual meeting. After a virtual courtship online, their first face-to-face personal meeting was when Cathy flew from Auckland to Sydney to meet David.
“We wanted it to symbolize our love for aviation, our love for Australia and New Zealand and our love for each other. I thought: I’ll be cheeky and ask Jetstar,” she said.
The airline agreed and made the arrangements. Fellow passengers were emailed well ahead of time of what was going to happen, including filming, and were able to change flights at no charge if they so opted.
