Two Star Wars fans got married yesterday surrounded by friends and family dressed as characters from the movies. In a pun on the films’ famous phrase “May the force be with you,” Duncan Thomson, 41, and Sammi Gardiner, 39, chose Monday as the date for the service so they could bill it as “May the 4th be with you” according to London’s Daily Telegraph.

The couple, from the Isle of Wight, invited the movie’s director, George Lucas, who sent back an RSVP letter bearing his Skywalker Ranch stamp saying he could not make it. The couple also sent invitations to actors Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill-who played Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker in the films-but they did not attend.

Thomson said, “It was a shame he could not be here, but I hope he sees the pictures and sees that we did him proud.”

However, despite his absence, the bride and groom tied the knot as Han Solo and Princess Leia, exchanging vows themed on their favorite scenes.

During the wedding in Shanklin on the island, Thomson told his bride, “I promise to protect you from carbon freezing and promise to protect you from the Dark Side, through hyperspace and into the far reaches of the galaxy.”

The couple were joined by Thomson’s son Kieren, 18, who, as best man, played the part of Solo’s sidekick Chewbacca the Wookiee. His daughter Charlotte, 20, carried out her duties as head bridesmaid while acting out the part of Queen Padme Amidala.

The pair decided on the theme because their first date in May 2005 was a trip to the cinema to see the Star Wars film Revenge of the Sith. Sammi, an IT worker, said: “The films brought us together and are something that our families, young and old, have always loved.”

The bride’s ring was made out of meteorite found in Canyon Diablo in the U.S., engraved with: “May the 4th be with you.”