by Education Editor and Camilla Turner, The Telegraph, July 17, 2017
The first ever wedding has taken place in British Antarctic Territory this weekend, with the bride sewing an orange piece of tent on to her dress for the “something old”.
Polar field guides Julie Baum and Tom Sylvester got married in sub-zero temperatures, with a two-day celebration including a champagne breakfast.
The wedding guest list was made up of couple’s 18 colleagues who live and work at the British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) largest research station during the winter months, including the plumber, electrician and chef.
It is the first official wedding took take place on the territory in Adelaide Island, with magistrate and Rothera Station Leader Paul Samways performing the ceremony over the weekend.
"Over the last 10 years Tom and I have been working and travelling around the world,” said Ms Baum, 34, from Birmingham.
"Getting married in Antarctica feels like it was meant to be. There is no better place really, I love snowy mountains and spending time in amazing places with awesome people."
The mountaineering couple were selected joined the BAS to manage deep-field science expeditions in 2016 .
Mr Sylvester, 35, from Sheffield, added: “Antarctica is an incredibly beautiful place and we have made such great friends here, so the setting couldn't be better.
"We have always wanted to have a small personal wedding, but never imagined we'd be able to get married in one of the most remote places on Earth."
The wedding will be registered with the British Antarctic Territory Government, based in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and will be valid in the UK. A BAS spokesman, who said the tent would "no doubt have a lot of history associated with it" adding that the celebrations included a "sumptuous" wedding menu prepared by the station chef and a party with live music from its "resident band".
Station Leader Mr Samways said: "Having spent time with Julie and Tom over the Austral summer and half of the Antarctic winter I feel amazingly privileged to be able to be part of their story.
"They are amazing people, and being responsible for joining them in marriage is an incredible honour."
The couple first met at an outdoor instructor apprenticeship scheme at the Plas Y Brenin Outdoor Centre in North Wales.
They both worked as expedition leaders around the world including Northern India, Nepal, Peru, Ecuador, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Borneo, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
Rothera Research Station is a centre for biological research and a hub for supporting deep-field and air operations sited on Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
This article was written by Education Editor and Camilla Turner from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].