Cosmic wedding trends

As space tourism becomes a reality, the wedding industry won’t be far behind. 

I’m going on record with an out-of-this-world prediction: The cover photo of the June 2035 issue of InTents will show a tented wedding on Mars. 

Let me explain. 

I’ve had two topics floating around my head recently: tented weddings and space exploration. Tented weddings, because this is the annual wedding issue, filled with the latest trends and fabulous tents and decor. And space, because at the same time this issue was edited, I prepared a writer briefing for a feature article in an upcoming issue of Specialty Fabrics Review (IFAI’s flagship publication) on the topic of the aerospace market for the specialty fabrics industry.

Research for the feature article led me to a Goldman Sachs podcast from 2017 on the emerging space economy. While space tourism grabs all the headlines, the recent, severe drop in launch costs has led to all kinds of potential space activities—asteroid mining, manufacturing in space—being realistic enough to attract investment. 

Given that there is always an engaged couple out there who wants to top everyone else, a wedding on Mars is only a matter of time. High-altitude, zero-gravity weddings are already a thing, and if you have the money, I’m sure that one of the private space exploration companies will book your space wedding today, although you’ll have to be flexible on your actual wedding date. Imagine exchanging vows in space—and coming back to Earth, where your family and friends are gathered under a clear-top, starry night-themed tent! 

All of this will lead to a niche space wedding industry and eventually a Mars wedding, which will take place in a tent—or at least a fabric geodesic dome like the one NASA and the University of Hawaii have used in their HI-SEAS Mars simulation missions. 

That’s one destination wedding I’ll happily skip—but I look forward to the photos.