We almost missed our wedding celebration due to flight delays — so we partied on the plane
She’s the flyest bride by far.
Erika Hammond didn’t let her flight’s delayed departure from the runway stop her from turning the airplane’s aisle into a bridal fashion runway.
“You gotta just roll with the punches sometimes,” chimed the blushing bride-to-be, 33, as she got glammed up for her pre-wedding celebration at 35,000 feet in the air.
Fast-trending footage of the stratospheric fête has scored nearly 1 million views on TikTok.
But Hammond, a former WWE Diva and the founder of KNOCKOUT at Equinox, tells The Post that what turned out to be a sky-high spectacular almost caused an emotional crash and burn.
“It was definitely stressful nearly missing our wedding welcome party,” said the NYC newlywed. She tied the knot with tech billionaire and founder of Bilt Rewards Ankur Jain, 34, in the foregrounds of Egypt’s Great Sphinx of Giza on April 26.
But just ahead of their four-day “I Do” extravaganza, the Big Apple lovebirds were en route from a South African safari to their pyramid-studded wedding destination when a plane snafu nearly derailed the festivities.
Hammond and Jain had chartered an EgyptAir plane to transport themselves and a few of their 130 guests to Cairo, where they’d arranged to kick off their nuptials with a soirée at the opulent Prince Mohamed Ali Palace at 8:00 p.m. April 24.
However, after encountering a few fueling issues and permit problems, the twosome was told their flight wouldn’t be touching down until 2:30 a.m. the next day.
But thanks to some fast-thinking friends, they stylishly toasted their love on cloud nine — literally.
“We were able to make lemonade out of lemons,” said Hammond, “and ended up having the best time on the plane getting ready together.”
While in midair, she and posh pals, including Fox5 news anchor Bianca Peters and Peleton instructor Aditi Shah, ditched their travel togs for chic garb, dolled up with makeup and transformed the aircraft into a wedding couture catwalk.
“[Peters] got on the plane’s PA system and hyped everyone up to get ready,” Hammond said. “We had music playing, wine flowing and a runway show down the aisle after everyone was ready.”
“The crew was cheering us all in too,” she gushed. “It was one of our Top 5 wedding memories for sure!”
Wide-eyed social media watchers were stunned by the couple’s mile-high bash, too.
“Getting ready in the plane with all your guests is not only iconic but something none of you will ever forget. You guys crushed this!,” applauded an impressed fan.
“This is like a movie! I’m obsessed,” confessed another.
“Doing hair and makeup on the plane with your guests is a vibe and it actually looks like part of the plan,” wrote an equally wowed commenter.
Hammond and Jain aren’t the only jet-setting sweethearts to toast to forever in the friendly skies.
A Texas bride-to-be donned a gown of toilet paper for her makeshift ceremony on a Southwest Airlines flight to Oakland, California in March 2023.
High school honeys Vidhi Popley and Hridesh Sainani joined in holy matrimony on a Boeing 747 in November. Theirs became the first airplane wedding in the United Arab Emirates.
And although her airplane party was totally unplanned, Hammond tells The Post she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“When we all finally arrived at the Mohamed Ali Palace at 2:30 a.m. to meet our other guests we all had the best night,” bragged the brunette. She and Jain ate, drank and danced with A-list invitees, such as “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary, Lance Bass and “Million Dollar Listing New York” alum Ryan Serhant, until 5:30 a.m.
“It was perfect,” said Hammond. “We’ll be forever grateful to our close friends and family for showing up for us.”
