Titanic set for a wedding

LONDON, England -- The sunken remains of the Titanic are set for the world's first ever shipwreck wedding.

American couple David Leibowitz and Kimberley Miller plan to tie the knot aboard the remains of the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 just off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

Under four kilometres of Atlantic ocean, the couple will say their vows in a mini vessel perched on top the stricken ship's bow.

The ceremony will be led by the mission's captain, Antaloy Sagalvich, either in the submarine or via a radio link to a support vessel on the surface.

The novel idea for the nuptials came after Leibowitz won a dive to the wreckage sponsored by British dive operators SubSea explorer.

"David was getting married in four months time so we asked him if they would like to get married on the Titanic and they said 'providing it's not turned into a circus we would be delighted'," Gary Allsopp, chief executive of SubSea Explorer, told Reuters news agency.

"It's a one-off, it's the first in the world. I think it's a romantic story," he added. "We are very excited to be able to say we will be part of history," Leibowitz, 28, told The Sun, a leading British tabloid.

Italian Princess Electra Marconi, whose father invented the wireless transmitter used to send distress signals from the sinking Titanic, will also be on board as the maid of honour, he added.

The expedition, which leaves from Canada on July 26, will cost SubSea Explorer £400,000 ($560,000), said Reuters.

The Titanic was the world's largest and most opulent ocean liner when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 14, 1912, on its maiden voyage from Britain to New York.

The disaster claimed the lives of 1,500 passengers and crew, while about 750 were rescued. The story of the ill-fated ship has generated interest ever since and was made into a film in 1997 which broke records at the box office.

The marriage plan has been condemned as a "disgrace" by members of the British Titanic Society. "It is despoiling the memory of the 1,500 people who died and whose bodies are still down in the Titanic," Brian Ticehurst, a spokesman for the society, told Reuters.

"There is a lot of controversy about it," Allsopp admitted. "People say 'are you happy to go back to a graveyard' and my retort is a graveyard is one of the most peaceful and tranquil places I can go and walk and have a look."