New Zealand's First Same-Sex Wedding Took Place On A Plane

New Zealand's First Same-Sex Wedding Took Place On A Plane
Lynley Bendall, left, and Ally Wanikau, right, are married by celebrant Kim Jewel Elliott Monday, Aug. 19, 2013, on a flight that left from Queenstown, New Zealand. A law change allowed same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand for the first time Monday. The couple celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in New Zealand by getting hitched in a plane at 39,000 feet (11,900 meters). Bendall and Wanikau celebrated their wedding in the air after they won a promotion by national carrier Air New Zealand. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)
Lynley Bendall, left, and Ally Wanikau, right, are married by celebrant Kim Jewel Elliott Monday, Aug. 19, 2013, on a flight that left from Queenstown, New Zealand. A law change allowed same-sex couples to marry in New Zealand for the first time Monday. The couple celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in New Zealand by getting hitched in a plane at 39,000 feet (11,900 meters). Bendall and Wanikau celebrated their wedding in the air after they won a promotion by national carrier Air New Zealand. (AP Photo/Nick Perry)

The flower girl skipped through the aisle seats when a New Zealand couple tied the knot in an airplane on Monday, the same day the country's gay marriage law took effect.

Lynley Bendall and Ally Wanikau, a pair of childcare workers, were wed in-flight after winning a contest from Air New Zealand for same-sex couples. For their entry, the couple's three kids made a video explaining how special it'd be to see their moms married. Bendall and Wanikau met at work and have been together for 13 years.

air new zealand

On the big day, wedding guests boarded a decked-out Air New Zealand plane and took to the skies over Queenstown. Bendall and Wanikau exchanged vows, popped champagne and landed in Auckland as a married couple.

"Modern Family" star and gay marriage advocate Jesse Tyler Ferguson was also onboard with his husband, Justin Mikita.

After the plane touched down, guests enjoyed rainbow layer cake and gave the couple a little more space for a first dance outside the airplane aisles.

air new zealand

Take a look at the adorable ceremony!

Before You Go

Kiss the Bride

Beautiful Same-Sex Weddings

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE