A couple in eastern Germany have held a wedding ceremony with a difference – after getting married in a swing dangling from a motorcycle atop a tightrope 46ft above the ground.

German news agency dpa reported that a pastor standing in a cage atop a fire service ladder presided over the wedding of Nicole Backhaus and Jens Knorr in the town of Stassfurt on Saturday.

Bride Nicole Backhaus and groom Jens Knorr sit in a swing dangling under a motorcycle with artist Falko Traber (Peter Gercke/dpa via AP/PA)

The couple exchanged rings in the air but, for safety’s sake, waited until they were back on the ground to kiss.

More than 3,000 people watched the wedding in the sky, which took place during a local festival.

The tightrope was stretched between the town wall and a tower, and the motorbike was ridden by Falko Traber, a member of a family of artists.