Author: Erich Schwartzel / Source: WSJ
“We never got them,” she said, adding she “felt defeated.”
Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Star Wars universe, and his entourage of armored stormtroopers are crushing rebellions—and hearts.
Tiffany and Kevin Culpepper were desperately seeking stormtroopers. Photo: Victoria Gold Photography
Since Walt Disney Co. bought Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4 billion in 2012, demand for Vaders, stormtroopers and other Star Wars characters at weddings has grown so much, there’s now a shortage.
Some desperate couples are wooing local superfans dressed as Vaders and stormtroopers by donating to their favorite charities; others turn to the Dark Side: wrangling characters outside official channels.
Disney revived the Luke-and-Leia myth with a new trilogy that began with “The Force Awakens,” in 2015, now the highest-grossing domestic movie of all time. Though fan reaction was split on its follow-up, “The Last Jedi,” and this summer’s “Solo” fell short at the box office, couples’ requests have skyrocketed as the new movies hit theaters, according to people who play Star Wars characters at events.
Many of the Star Wars wedding duties fall to members of the 501st Legion, a group of more than 13,000 fans in about 60 countries that often dress as bad guys including stormtroopers, Imperial gunners and Darth Vader himself.
The members, who are divided into more than 100 regional groups known as “garrisons,” create their own props and costumes in exacting detail and service local events at no fee.
Requests go into hyperdrive during wedding season, according to Daniel Rodriguez, a member of the 501st in Washington, D.C. “Sometimes I like to shut my phone off because of the amount of email traffic we get,” he said.
Darth Vader Is in Demand at Summer Weddings
Forget flower girls. Couples want stormtroopers throwing petals, and Vader leading the congo line.
Linda Choi and Ace Cheng had several Star Wars characters at their Solvang, Calif., wedding, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Captain Rex, Boba Fett and stormtroopers.
Rob Greer Photography
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Couples have asked the 501st for R2-D2 as ring bearer, and to supply stormtroopers to serve as ushers, or pretend to force the groom down the aisle, said Albin Johnson, the organization’s founder. When he’s not dressing up as a stormtrooper himself, Mr. Johnson, who founded the group in 1997, works as an information technology employee in Columbia, S.C.
Couples requesting a 501st appearance are referred to the nearest garrison. The organization’s policy is “to refrain from any lightsaber dueling, mock fighting or demonstrations between the characters and the public.”
When Ms. Culpepper received a response from the 501st’s Southern California garrison in mid-December, she said the group explained it had learned of troopers doing things beyond its guidelines, and was temporarily ceasing wedding and birthday party appearances.
An officer in that garrison, reached on…
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