The Balloon Fiesta draws hundreds of thousands of tourists; and for a couple on Wednesday morning, it was the perfect scene to tie the knot.
The couple didn’t say, “I do,” on the field. They waited until they were floating 2,000 feet above Albuquerque.
Kristen Yent and Angelo Medina-Perez vowed to spend the rest of their lives together. Instead of wedding bells, the soon to be newlyweds who road tripped here from New Orleans were surrounded by the sound of propane and fire filling a hot air balloon.
“Oh the marriage is happening when we go up in the balloon,” Kristen Yent said.
Riding in a balloon has been on Kristen’s bucket list for years.
“I said, ‘Hey, if you’re really determined to go, then we’re going to go. But we’re going to get married and get two birds and one stone right there,'” Angello Medina Perez said.
They’re not the only couple with the idea. Their pilot has seen three weddings and a proposal since Fiesta started on Saturday.
“Ballooning is a very romantic sport if you think about it,” Michael Genetti said.
The adventurous couple says their untraditional wedding proves they’re brave.
“We want to do things maybe other couples aren’t willing to do, and shine in a way others aren’t willing to shine, in the name of Jesus, of course,” Medina Perez said.
Their bravery paid off when the winds subsided and their balloon floated off above the Duke City.
The Colorado pilot made sure to keep the ceremony as quiet as possible, waiting to fire up the burners until each sentence was complete.
The newlyweds will be having a reception with their families when they get back home to Louisiana.
