London Eye to apply for wedding licence

So many couples have inquired about getting married on the Millennium Wheel that the organisers are trying to obtain a wedding licence.

So many couples have inquired about getting married on the Millennium Wheel that the organisers are trying to obtain a wedding licence.

Officials from the London Eye, on the South Bank of the Thames, are to meet with registrars from Lambeth council this week to discuss a licence for civil marriages. The organisers of the Millennium Dome have no such plans, but a spokeswoman said that if there was demand they would would pursue the idea.

More than 100 people have requested to tie the knot while travelling around the 450ft-high wheel which towers over central London. Tomorrow, officials from British Airways, which runs the wheel, will discuss the plan with the Rev Richard Truss, vicar of the nearby St John's Church in Waterloo. "If the talks go well we will apply for a licence from Lambeth council as soon as possible," said a spokeswoman for BA. "It will be an amazing way for people to spend one of the most important days of their life."

Rev Truss described the plan as a "bit wacky" but said he had no objection to blessing couples during the ride. "The wheel is rich with symbolism. Like the wedding ring it stands for eternal love and represents the circle of life. It also takes about half an hour to revolve, so there should be time for a couple of hymns while we're up there." He added: "I only hope that couples will be concentrating so hard on their marriage vows that they're not distracted by the spectacular views." Big weddings on the wheel will be impossible, however, as the pods which take riders skywards carry a maximum of 25 people.

The £20m wheel opens to the public next month and costs £7.45 for adults and £4.95 for children. Corporate events cost £6,000 and banks, large companies and charities have already booked up most nights in February and March.