Two British sailors who have traveled the globe together for 20 years tied the knot Sunday in a historic Antarctica wedding.
Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter said “I do” aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough, a polar research ship on its maiden voyage in Antarctica. Bourne and Carpenter are the first same-sex couple to wed in the British Antarctic Territory, the largest of the U.K.’s 14 overseas territories.
“Antarctica is such an incredible place,” Carpenter said in a statement issued by his and Bourne’s employer, the British Antarctic Survey, the U.K.’s national polar research institute. “It felt like the perfect place for us to finally tie the knot! We’ve even had the coordinates of the wedding location engraved into our rings.”
The ceremony was held on the ship’s helideck overlooking the Antarctic Peninsula, with mountain peaks and icebergs in view. Captain Will Whatley officiated, and the newlyweds shared their big day with the 30-member crew.
“It was such an honor to be officiating Eric and Steve’s wedding. The RRS Sir David Attenborough is not only our place of work but also our home, and it is a privilege to help two integral members of our crew celebrate their special day,” Whatley said in a statement. “I am very proud of the inclusive culture within the British Antarctic Survey and across the Polar Regions. I am thrilled for them both and wish them all the very best.”
The couple will have a reception with all of the approximately 100 staffers of the Rothera Research Station, the largest British Antarctic facility, when the ship returns for its final call on May 8.
They also plan to celebrate with their family and friends in Spain later this year.
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