Couple wed by jumping off flying airplane

Jackie Spencer and Dan Entin were able to fix their relationship by jumping off an airplane about a year and a half ago when they were going through a rough patch.

"We went on a skydive and it saved us and put us back together," Spencer said.

That jump, which was the first for both of them, did not only bring the couple closer, but it led to them realizing their mutual love for the sport of skydiving.

Ever since, they've gone on to perform more than 100 solo jumps each, and when they became engaged, it didn't take long for them to decide on the perfect venue for their wedding.

On Sunday, the duo who live in Moorpark, exchanged vows about 13,000 feet above Lompoc, then hopped out of a Skydive Santa Barbara plane with some friends to mark what was definitely one of the more extreme weddings to take place on the Central Coast.

"It is a very positive and life-affirming sort of thing," Spencer said of skydiving. "Jumping out of an airplane is not a natural thing to do, but when you get the proper training and trust it and take the chance, it's fun.

"It's a wonderful affirmation of life, and that's what we want the rest of our lives to be like — living it and enjoying it."

According to the bride, her family and some friends thought she and her fiancé were "nuts" when they were told of the wedding plans. She got the typical question of 'Why would you jump from a perfectly good plane?'

That feeling was quite relatable to the groom, Entin, who said he had been terrified at the thought of skydiving, but relented and agreed to go on that first jump because Jackie was so excited about it.

"I never wanted to skydive — I don't like flying or heights and didn't want to go — but she really wanted to, so I bit the bullet and said I'd do it," he said. "Within seconds I fell in love with it, which is crazy because I still don't like flying in airplanes."

Friends of the couple were the first to jump from the plane on Sunday. They held a large hoop, which symbolized a ring, for the newlyweds to each glide through during their free fall.

Once on the ground, the couple partied with their guests throughout the evening during a reception at one of the hangars at the Lompoc Airport.

Dru Poma, a manager with Skydive Santa Barbara, said the wedding was the first the company has hosted in about two years.

She also noted that all kinds of life milestones are celebrated in the sky above Lompoc, however, including a man recently celebrating his 100th birthday with a skydive, as well as engagements and anniversaries.

"Every jump is special," she said.

What made Spencer and Entin's wedding particularly exciting for the staff was that the couple frequently jumps from Lompoc and are friends with many of the people who work and jump with Skydive Santa Barbara.

Upon hearing that the two wanted to get married on a jump, Poma said "We were like, 'Heck yeah, let's do it.'"

This is the second marriage for both Spencer, 51, and Entin, 48, and each said they were uninterested in going the traditional route this time around.

"I like to do things that are different and representative of the passions in my life," said Spencer, adding the wedding also brought together their families and skydive friends, who until then had been completely separate.