Ministers can be approached by brides and bridegrooms with some special requests to add to that special day. For the most part they try to be accommodating.

Brady Randall, pastor of Orchard Hill Butler County, said most requests he receives are for changes in the wedding venue.

“For example, in the middle of September I will be officiating at a wedding at a picnic shelter in Alameda Park,” said Randall.

Randall said he tries to be accommodating but he added, “A wedding has to have certain elements: vows, a ceremony and Scripture. Other than that, I can give a couple leeway.”

The Rev. Peter de Vries, pastor of Old Union Presbyterian Church in Mars, said a wedding between two outdoor enthusiasts stood out for him.

“The wedding was in the family barn,” said de Vries. “And the aisle was decorated with fishing rods instead of flowers.

“Instead of tossing the bouquet or the garter, the guests put their names on archery targets and the couple shot arrows.

“If any arrow hit your name, you won a gift bag,” said de Vries.

Pastor Michael Harvey of Harvest Community Church in Freeport, said, “My personal feeling is whatever the bride and bridegroom decide to do to make it a memorable experience for themselves within reason.”

However, he added, “I tell them you want people to remember the wedding. I did one ceremony with an animal and it was a disaster.”

Harvey said the bride and bridegroom had grown up along the Allegheny River and decided to have the wedding on the river bank.

“The bride wanted to make an entrance in a kayak,” he said. “So, she went a couple hundred yards up the river and came floating down.

“When her dog saw her coming around the bend, he lunged for her and almost pulled the bride's sister, the maid of honor, into the water,” said Harvey.

The Rev. Jeff Lang, pastor of the West Sunbury United Presbyterian Church, said the most frequent requests he gets are for less of a ceremony.

“Most requests I get these days are for a shorter, simpler service,” Lang said.

“A full Presbyterian wedding service includes a service and Communion. It is a lot like a Lutheran or Roman Catholic service,” he said.

“Most couples now are opting for brevity in their wedding service,” he said.