Brides and bridegrooms often try to find ways to include their children into a wedding.

A wedding is a time for two people to join as one.

But these days, many brides and bridegrooms are bringing more to the nuptials than their hopes and dreams. They're bringing their children, too.

Many brides and bridegrooms try to find ways to include offspring in the ceremony.

Local ministers see child participation in a wedding as a good way to merge new families while not making anyone feel excluded.

“I think anytime you can include children. It's important,” said the Rev. Brandon Petras, pastor of Butler City Church, 311 Second St.

“For many second marriages, when people choose to get married they need to include the children,” he said. “This is going to make an impact on the child.”

“Including them in on what's going on is very important,” said Petras.

But at the same time, cautioned the Rev. Peter de Vries, pastor of Old Union Presbyterian Church in Mars, the age of the child will determine how involved they will be in the ceremony.

“I do not ask children to make any promise or commitment in the wedding ceremony,” he said. The service is about the bride and bridegroom, not the children.

Pastor Mike Harvey of Harvest Community Church in Freeport, said with second marriages sometimes the spouses' children fill in the parts of the wedding ceremony that, in a younger couple's ceremony, would call for responses from the bride and bridegroom's parents.

Brady Randall, pastor of Orchard Hill Butler County, said it's useful to have a little premarital counseling with the future bride and bridegroom as to how they see their blended family, well, blending.

“I think when it comes to children, it's helpful and wise to do a little due diligence during premarital counseling,” said Randall.

The Rev. Jeff Lang of the West Sunbury United Presbyterian Church said he's noticed a “blending” trend also.

“Of course, there's also been the traditional flower girls and ring bearers, but in the last decade there has been a trend for various children from pre-existing relationships to be integrated into the service,” Lang said.

“I guess most frequently it's the grandparents and these children lighting a unity candle or pouring unity sand,” Lang said.

“It's a ritual action that represents how families are coming together and being blended,” he said.

De Vries said, “I've even developed a liturgy center on stories in the Bible dealing with stepparents or stepchildren.”

Harvey said, “I think with a blended family there are so many dynamics to the relationship. I don't have a problem at all with children being involved.

“You have to recognize marriage is not just between two individuals, it's joining a family together,” he said.