The couple were left stunned when Sir Richard Branson crashed their Las Vegas wedding.
Malcolm and Jacqui King-MacKinnon were expecting an Elvis impersonator to perform the ceremony in the US city last week.
The couple, who work as cabin crew for Virgin Atlantic and met on a flight together in 1988, said they were “stunned” when Sir Richard broke off the renewal of their wedding vows.
READ MORE: Detectives raid Greater Manchester school and make arrests
Dressed in a red blazer, black shirt and matching sunglasses, the Virgin Atlantic founder walked into The Little White Wedding Chapel and said in effigy: “Wait, that’s my job”.
Sir Richard then officiated the ceremony himself as a surprise organized by Virgin Atlantic as part of their 40th anniversary celebrations.
Malcolm and Jacqui, who live in Heswall, Wirral, first met on a flight from Gatwick Airport to Newark, New Jersey in 1988.
After spotting Jacqui in the iconic red uniform, Malcolm offered to help her with her luggage. After forty years, the couple are married and have two children.
Malcolm and Jacqui were in Vegas working on the airline’s new route between Manchester and Las Vegas, which launched earlier this month. Virgin Atlantic crew members and CEO Shai Weiss attended the ceremony.
Malcolm, who works as a flight services manager at Virgin Atlantic, said afterwards: “We had no idea the boss was going to turn up, I was absolutely amazed.
“My heart was racing. There was a lot of emotion in the room, it was a beautiful moment.”
He added: “They call it love at first sight but for us it was love at first sight. Today was incredible and it means so much to Jacqui, our daughters and me.”
“Virgin Atlantic brought us together and gave us the opportunity to explore the world and create countless memories that we will cherish forever. We look forward to continuing the celebrations and many more years together, in the sky and beyond!”
Sir Richard Branson said: “Our incredible people are what make Virgin Atlantic so special – they’re mavericks, trailblazers, kind and fun. It was an honor to celebrate two of those people who have been with us since day one.
“Malcolm and Jacqui’s love story began at Virgin Atlantic, which makes them part of the family. They are also proof that for four decades we have been bringing people together for the moments that matter – in a way that only Virgin Atlantic can.”
Before joining Virgin Atlantic in 1984, Malcolm, who is from Troon, Scotland, worked as a welder on oil rigs in the North Sea.
He recalled: “I remember walking out after a hard night shift and looking up and seeing this plane and thinking there’s got to be more to life than this.
“I was making a lot of money, but it wasn’t me. I always liked to travel, but I had no idea what I was going to do.”
He successfully interviewed for a flight steward position with Virgin Atlantic, which had just taken off from Gatwick Airport.
Malcolm says he was a “lonely, fun-loving lad” before he met Jacqui in a staff car park at Gatwick Airport in April 1988.
After spotting Jacqui, who is the daughter of Tranmere Rovers legend John King, getting out of the car in a Virgin Atlantic uniform, Malcolm offered to help her with her luggage.
“The rest is history,” said Malcolm, 64. “We had a few drinks that night and hit it off. Looking back, it was love at first sight.”
They married in St Lucia in 2004 and now have two daughters together, Niamh, 20, and Freya, 18. After the birth of their daughters, childcare commitments meant the couple were unable to fly together until earlier this year when they were allowed to fly. together from their base at Manchester Airport to Barbados.
Among his career highlights, Malcolm cites being a supervisor on the plane that took off with dozens of hostages from Jordan during the 1990 Gulf War.
“There was a lot of tension in the air,” he said. “Everything had to be done quickly.
“It was get in, get out, do a quick deal, then close the door and go. We were on the ground for 50 minutes.”
“I saw the soldiers holding them back until the deal was done. I saw the anguish on their faces when the last hostage jumped in.”
“When the plane took off, I remember looking out the window and thinking there’s a fighter jet out there, what’s going to happen here?
“They could have blown us out of the sky.
Malcolm and Jacqui will enjoy a second honeymoon on Virgin Voyages later this year.