An Oklahoma couple tied the knot on a flight to Las Vegas after flight delays and cancellations caused them to miss the ceremony they booked at a chapel.
Pam, 52, and Jeremy Salda, 49, have a destination wedding for this coming August, but after the federal mask mandate for air travel ended last month, Pam mentioned eloping to Las Vegas for a wedding ceremony, the Oklahoman reported.
“And he’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ It kind of was back and forth for a minute, and I was like, ‘I think I am,'” Pam told the outlet. “And two hours later, we’ve got a hotel, flight, a dress and someone to watch the dogs.”
They told a few friends and Jeremy’s children of their intentions to sneak off on April 24. The pair planned to catch their flight to Las Vegas, which was set to land at 7:30 p.m., and head to the courthouse where they would retrieve their papers. From there, the couple was going to travel to a chapel where they booked the last ceremony of the day at 9:00 p.m.
Pam suggested they don their wedding garb for the plane ride as there was little time to waste, so they headed to Dallas Fort Worth airport in full wedding attire.
“We’re waiting on our next plane and we just start seeing the weather delays … and more delays, and it’s getting pushed back,” Pam told ABC News.
Eventually, their flight was canceled and it became evident that they would miss their ceremony, but a man named Chris Kligora came to their rescue, the Oklahoman noted. Kligora, an ordained minister, told them that he would marry them once they got to Las Vegas – they just needed another flight.
They booked a Southwest flight departing from Dallas Love Airfield, which would make a pit stop in Phoenix, according to the Oklahoman. They jumped in an Uber and headed to the airport, arriving at the gate just in time for take-off.
“It’s like something from a movie,” Pam told KXAS. “I’m running through the airport carrying my dress and train. Jeremy, he’s dragging the bags. Chris is right behind us. We’re like the three musketeers trying to get to this gate.”
As they were boarding the plane, the captain inquired if they planned to get married in Sin City.
“I said, ‘Yeah, we are, but I don’t think we’re going to make it so I think we’re just going to get married on this plane,” Pam recalled telling the pilot while speaking with the Oklahoman.
The captain then welcomed all to “Flight 2690, and the wedding of Pam and Jeremy,” according to the outlet.
“As soon as we kind of get up to the altitude, people can start moving around. I’m telling you, the flight crew, they just spring into action,” Pam told ABC News. “They’re taking toilet paper and making streamers at the front.”
Pam went to the back of the plane and walked the aisle. Flight attendant Julie was her maid of honor, holding Pam’s flowers and a microphone so all in the cabin could hear the ceremony.
“When I was standing at the front looking out at all of the passengers on board and all you could see was cell phones lit up and everyone recording, it just… If you had any doubt about humanity, it was restored,” Kligora told KXAS. “It was amazing.”
One passenger, who sat in front of the newlyweds, had one small donut left from a pack of six and offered the sweet to the couple as a piece of wedding cake, the Oklahoman noted. Jeremy and Pam split the donut and fed it to one another. Another woman, who had a spiral notebook, ripped all used pages out and sent it around the plane as a make-shift guest list.
“Everybody was congratulating us, and you know, thanking us for sharing our happy moment with them and bringing them a little bit of happiness,” said Jeremy told KXAS.
The couple will still be having their destination wedding in Mexico on August 7, and Kligora intends to be there.
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