As the skies darken, temperatures drop and an “eerie quietness” fills the air during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, bride Samantha Adams and groom Cameron Kuhn will be saying “I do.”
The couple is holding their midday wedding ceremony in the path of totality in St. Joseph, Missouri.
“It is perfect. It is totally 100 percent us,” the astronomy-loving bride told ABC News.
Adams, 28, had already been over the moon about the upcoming total solar eclipse, the first in the contiguous U.S. in 38 years, when Kuhn proposed on Sept. 15, 2016, but it wasn’t until they started discussing potential dates for their ceremony that she realized how much she’d love to merge the two special occasions.
“I was telling everybody about this eclipse coming up,” the bride recalled. “He was not surprised he was marrying someone that wanted to get married during an eclipse, on a Monday.”
Ever since Adams was in third grade, she said she’s been “mind-boggled by space,” even wanting to become an astronaut until seven knee surgeries derailed those plans.
“Since then it’s completely fascinated me,” she explained. “We were told to pick a planet to do a report on and I picked Jupiter and it was the first time I started reading into space and once I realized the planets were out there and we were all suspended in this solar system, I couldn’t wrap my head around it but I loved that. It completely fascinated me.”
The bride-to-be even has a tattoo on her forearm of a “minimalistic version of the Voyager Spacecraft.”
“Jutting out of it are all the planets and at the end of that is a pulsar map, a map of how you can find us in the Milky Way,” she added.
Kuhn, 27, said it’s “amazing” how well the eclipse worked out for their upcoming nuptials.
“While Sammy is undoubtedly more interested in astronomy, I've always liked the northern lights and dark starry skies,” said the groom. “We'd talked about someday road tripping to see a full eclipse but never imagined we'd get to merge our special day with such an awe-inspiring event.”
The bride is sticking with the solar eclipse theme throughout the entire celebration, highlighting it with every decoration, bridal outfit accessory and party favor for her guests.
Save-the-date cards and invitations:
The couple’s save-the-date cards and formal invitations both reflect the solar eclipse theme. Adams, a graphic artist, designed them herself to help her guests get excited to take part in both epic events happening at once.
“We’re both pretty excited about how the ceremony will be customized for him and me. We’re not very traditional,” the bride said, adding there will be readings from her favorite book, “The Count of Monte Cristo” as well as from her favorite astrophysicist, Carl Sagan.
Certified solar eclipse glasses to shield their guests’ eyes:
After their vows, the bride and groom have timed it perfectly to have their guests put on their glasses to join them in observing the sun’s special moment hiding behind the moon.
“We will ask all of our guests to step out from under the pavilion and get their glasses on so we can start watching the beginning of the eclipse before totality,” said Adams. “The moon will be shading during this whole time but when totality hits, we can take off our glasses and take in the ambiance.
“It will be much darker and much cooler. A lot of neat things will happen in those two minutes,” she added. “They say it confuses animals. Nocturnal animals start creeping out. You’ll start hearing crickets. Because of the quick change in temperature, you’ll feel a breeze go through. Usually, there’s this kind of eerie quietness. It’s really surreal and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The bride’s galaxy shoes, flowers and hair:
“I have my shoes for both the reception and ceremony,” she said of the outer space-inspired heels and lace-up flats.
“My hair will be dyed blue and fuchsia and a little bit of turquoise,” Adams continued. “I got some hair extensions to give it more volume. I have a star metal hair piece that will wrap around the top of my head.”
Adams’ bouquet will be white roses with glitter and rhinestones on them, with cascading blue and purple Dendrobiums pouring out of the roses “so they’re spacey-looking.”
DIY glittery light-up galactic centerpieces:
The bride and her family have been crafting galactic-themed centerpieces such as glitter-filled Mason jars and fuchsia-colored tea light candle holders to help illuminate the tables.
They also ordered 500 origami silver stars that will light up for an out-of-this-world experience.
Kuhn said he “never imagined” they’d get to merge their special day with “such an awe-inspiring event,” but he’s thrilled his space-obsessed fiancée is getting the wedding of her dreams.
“I can't think of a more genuine and interesting person to be in the spotlight surrounding something as rare and wonderful as an eclipse,” the groom said of his beautiful bride-to-be.
“In that moment, I’m going to be crying for happiness and for thankfulness and just being appreciative,” Adams added of her groom’s love for her. “I’ll allow myself to take in that moment and feel that joy.”
The couple is honeymooning in Colorado to continue their stargazing.
"We’re hitting the road with our dog to stay in a cabin for five days," said Adams. "We got a big enough cabin that we’ll be alone with our pup for two days then we have a bunch of friends that are going to meet us to stay with us for a few days."
