Bride and Groom Go Viral for Exchanging Vows at 36,000 Feet During Inflight Wedding (Exclusive)

On June 8, 2024, Tina and Roger Simpson took their love to new heights by saying "I do" during Southwest Airlines flight WN 2561, which departed from Indianapolis with a stop in Kansas City and arrival at Fort Lauderdale.

Although the couple's inflight nuptials took place about a year and half ago, one of the passengers, Katrina Badowski, shared a video compilation of the wedding earlier this week on TikTok, sparking a newfound interest in the sky-high ceremony. The post quickly went viral, garnering about 10 million views and 1.6 million likes.

"As the LUV airline, we celebrate couples like this one and who choose to tie the knot with us at 35,000 feet!" Southwest Airlines tells PEOPLE. "Though this happened in June 2024, we love to see moments where our employees step in to make an ordinary flight (and wedding) extraordinary."

The clip begins with flight attendant Aimee Shaw announcing to the 136 passengers that their flight was doubling as a wedding — and they were "all invited."

"As you all know, Southwest is known as the LUV airline," Shaw said into the interphone, referring to Southwest Airlines' love-themed beginnings, stock ticker symbol (LUV), connection to Dallas' Love Field airport, and core value of spreading love and care.

She continued, "And today love is in the air. We have a couple on board, Tina and Roger, who are about to literally walk down the aisle on this flight, and all of you are invited to the wedding."

As One Direction's "If I Could Fly" played, Tina tearfully walked down the aisle until she reached her officiant, Laura Jones, and her now-husband while many passengers recorded the special moment.

After Jones thanked cheering passengers for being there, she said, "Tina and Roger, today is a day unlike any other. Not only are you embarking on an adventure of marriage, but you're doing it amidst the clouds, surrounded by 136 passengers turned to newfound friends. They say love knows no boundaries, and indeed, thanks to Southwest, it now knows no altitude."

After exchanging vows, the couple were pronounced husband and wife "for the first time in the air." Passengers congratulated and high-fived the newlyweds as they made their way back to their seats. They were also encouraged to leave well-wishes in a guest book and participate in the bouquet toss.

The fun continued upon landing at the the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where a crowd of people were waiting for the happy couple at the gate, which was decorated with pink and white balloons. Bruno Mars' "Marry Me" played as the newlyweds made their grand entrance into the makeshift terminal reception where there was "all kinds of thoughtful gestures," including: champagne, noisemakers, and a getaway airport buggy decked out with a "Just Married" sign.

"We thought this day would include a short and sweet and memorable ceremony and then we could just relax and enjoy our honeymoon immediately," Tina tells PEOPLE, noting they were off to a cruise honeymoon at the time. "We had no idea of all the things surprised for us throughout the day! I’m glad the passengers were supportive and genuinely happy for us!"

She continues, "My favorite wedding memory would be the gentleman who was with his wife of 50+ years and he was more than willing to stand in and give me away. Also, the lady that caught the bouquet was a cancer survivor and married shortly after. She saw it as a sign from God."

Initially, Roger wanted to get married while jumping out of a plane but Tina immediately shot him down. She turned to her officiant for another venue suggestion, and this was the next best thing.

"Everything that happened from start to finish was a total surprise to them," Jones tells PEOPLE. "I didn’t tell them about everything I was doing. I just gave them when and where they were supposed to show up and a few of the minor details. Most of this was a surprise to them as they were going through it."

Having worked in aviation for two decades, Jones was inspired by past airline weddings she'd seen, though this would be the first inflight wedding she officiated.

"I thought it would be an amazing opportunity for them to have a short and sweet wedding, a captive audience, a guest list they didn’t have to come up with, and transportation to their honeymoon destination on their cruise from Fort Lauderdale all included," she explains.

Southwest Airlines was instantly on board.

"Our teams in Indianapolis and Fort Lauderdale went all out once the heard the news — just like Aimee the flight attendant did in Trader Joe's!" Southwest Airlines tells PEOPLE, explaining that Shaw had been given a wedding heads up by her supervisor. At the time, she was in Trader Joe's on her layover and quickly bought a congratulatory card for the flight crew to sign for the couple.

"While they don’t teach us how to coordinate a wedding in flight attendant training, Southwest Airlines does encourage us to have fun and improvise at work," Shaw tells PEOPLE. "We had the honor of turning an ordinary travel day into one of the most important days of this couple’s lives.

She continues, "I loved seeing the Southwest team jump into action with a celebration at the gate before we took off in Indy and again upon landing in Fort Lauderdale. Our crew loved contributing to the festivities on board by including traditional wedding elements ... The day was a reminder that at Southwest Airlines we aren’t just flying people to destinations, we are helping to create lifelong memories."

Due to "logistics, timing and legality," Tina and Roger married on the ground in the food court of the Indianapolis International Airport before their inflight ceremony, which had the wedding hashtag #FlyTheKnot.

"It was an amazing event! This was a fun-filled way to spend a few hours with over 100 of our closest strangers," Jones says. "It was a fantastic day of celebration with friends, family, Southwest Airlines employees, passengers and flight crews."

Popular content creator Madison Humphrey was tagged repeatedly by fans in the comments section of Badowski's post because she often parodies viral videos, especially wedding-related ones. The 26-year-old influencer and actress has fake married her real husband of three years, Brayden Humphrey, countless times in skits, and she was up for the challenge yet again — but this time, on a plane!

Southwest Airlines got in on the fun by hosting the couple at its corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, Jan. 14, and helping them recreate the iconic airplane wedding. Shaw was even sourced to participate.

With Tina and Jones' blessing, Humphrey recreated the viral wedding video shot by shot inside one of Southwest Airlines' grounded planes, working with the airline to ensure every detail matched perfectly, down to the heart-shaped stir stick in her hair, streamers in the jet bridge, and wedding cake made out of toilet paper. Her parody video went viral on both TikTok and Instagram, with her TikTok clip amassing more than 7 million views in less than 24 hours.

"It just wouldn’t have been the same without the plane! We LOVED having another onboard wedding. 💙❤️💛," Southwest Airlines commented on TikTok. The company added on Instagram, "Love Airline approved! We had so much fun bringing another wedding inflight with y’all! 💙❤️💛."

Shaw also thanked Madison for "the full circle moment."

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Other couples hoping to get married — for real — during a Southwest Airlines flight are encouraged to contact the airline via social media.

"I recommend it for anyone wanting a quick getaway ceremony," Tina says. "I think it would be a fantastic option for couples wanting to enjoy a lavish reception and spend less on the ceremony!"