On the Wings of Love — Couple Gets Married on Southwest Airlines Flight

Yahoo Travel
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Keith Stewart and Dottie Cooper Coven used Southwest Airlines points to buy tickets for guests. (Photo: Dottie Cooper Coven)

Keith Stewart and Dottie Cooper Coven exchanged vows at 32,000 feet aboard a Southwest Airlines flight on Sunday. The flight departed from Nashville, Tenn., and the couple from Corydon, Ind., said “I do” before landing at the appropriately named Love Field in Dallas, Texas.

Dottie is an education consultant and frequently travels for work. Keith also finds himself in the air for his job in IT product management. Together they had about 1.5 million frequent flyer points on Southwest, a feat accomplished by booking flights with the airline and taking advantage of deals and promotions. “A lot of people don’t realize that getting the airline credit card is crucial for frequent fliers,” said Dottie. “I use my Southwest Airlines card for everything, and it’s a great way to get points.”

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Saying “I do” at 32,000 feet (Photo: Josh Stephen/WFAA)

And they certainly put those points to good use. “We were able to use our points to purchase 30 tickets for guests,” said Keith. “I also had Dottie on my companion pass for the wedding, so she flew for free, too!” In addition, Southwest purchased 11 tickets for guests, and nine others handled their own fares. In total, there were 50 enthusiastic friends and family members aboard to witness the vows. But no one was more excited than the nearly 100 unsuspecting passengers on the plane who witnessed the wedding as their in-flight entertainment.

“The reaction from those people was amazing. Everyone was so excited. We couldn’t have asked for a better group of travelers,” said Keith.

Aboard, a flower girl handed out peanuts as she walked down the aisle, and the officiant used the loudspeaker that was typically used for flight announcements to perform the marriage. 

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The flower girl handing out peanuts as she walks down the aisle (Photo: Josh Stephen/WFAA)

So, how did this couple make their aviation dreams a reality? They just asked. After discussing how fun it would be to get married in the air, Keith simply wrote a letter to Southwest Airlines asking if it would participate. The airline agreed to host its first wedding in the air, and the rest is history.

After the plane landed in Dallas, Southwest hosted a reception at the airport. Guests dined at the Cool River Cafe, which was completely decked out in wedding decorations. But before Dottie and Kevin joined the group, Southwest surprised them with the opportunity to take pictures on the tarmac and in the cockpit of the plane!

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The newlyweds pose in the cockpit of the Southwest Airlines plane. (Photo: Dottie Cooper Coven)

Keith and Dottie are no strangers to doing things out of the ordinary. After meeting on eHarmony and having their first date in Indiana, the pair spent their next four dates visiting baseball fields in different cities. “We met in San Francisco to see the Giants on our second date, our third date was in Boston to see the Red Sox, our fourth date was in New York at a Yankees game, and our fifth date was in Cleveland,” said Keith. “We are always traveling, if we don’t have a reason to go home, we want to go somewhere fun!”

And the fun continues. After the wedding, the newlyweds flew down to Puerto Rico (courtesy of Southwest Airlines), where they are currently enjoying a little rest and relaxation on their honeymoon.

WATCH: Couple Gets Married on Southwest Airlines Flight

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