(CNN) As far as Catholic weddings go, it's pretty hard to beat being married by the Pope. On an airplane.

But that's what happened Thursday morning when Pope Francis married two flight attendants in an impromptu ceremony on his papal plane some 36,000 feet over Chile.

Vatican officials say it marks the first time a pope has married a couple on a papal plane.

It all started when the pair, Paula Podest Ruiz and Carlos Ciuffardi Ellorriaga, began chatting with the pontiff when they were seated next to him during a group photo shoot. The plane was ferrying the Pope on a short flight from Santiago to the northern city of Iquique.

Crew members Paula Podest and Carlos Ciuffardi celebrate after being married by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis asked them if they were married and the couple told him they had been scheduled to be wed when the 2010 Chile earthquake hit, destroying the church where they were to tie the knot.

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