Love: The final frontier

At Alissa Mellis and Justin Gruba's wedding reception, held Saturday evening at the Detroit Science Center, guests arrived to Elton John's "Rocket Man." The bride and groom made their grand entrance to the "Star Trek" theme.

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The couple -- huge fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- won use of the Science Center and its "Star Trek" exhibit for their wedding and wanted the event to resemble a cocktail party of the future.

So guests, about 180 in all, sipped Violet Vulcans, a vodka-and-Chambord combo served in glasses shaped like cones, and Kazons, a rum-and-coconut mix named for a "Star Trek" warrior species.

A few guests dressed the part, including Lori Short, 30, of Royal Oak, who wore sparkling purple eyeliner, silver boots and a flowing sheath dress. She said she was going for a dressed-up "Mad Max" look.

Other-worldly plants and flowers served as table centerpieces. Decorating the bar area were vases full of purple liquid that, thanks to dry ice, created a foggy aura. The tiers from the wedding cake appeared to be floating in air.

Mellis and Gruba, who are both 28 and live in Troy, had a church wedding earlier Saturday. They also had a private ceremony on the bridge of the Science Center's USS Enterprise exhibit. That ceremony was led by an ordained minister in a "Star Trek" uniform.

As for the stars of the evening, Mellis and Gruba looked delighted.

"We're blasting into the future," Mellis said

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