SELTZER - A bride and groom took their wedding to new heights as they married in camouflage Saturday in a large tree stand at the Seltzer Gun Club.
Surrounded by family and friends, Brian Murray, 37, and Dana Rossi, 34, exchanged vows in a wooded area on the grounds. Rossi said she would be taking her husband's last name.
The bride and groom, who have known each other for about six years, wore matching camouflage. The bride wore a camouflage-colored gown and boots while the groom wore a camouflage outfit.
"It's actually been a dream of mine to get married in camouflage because I'm a hunter," said the groom during a phone interview Friday.
Rossi said she was happy to agree.
"I was pleased knowing the hunter that he is," she said Friday.
"Not many women would do this. That tells you just how special she is," he said.
This was the bride's second wedding, the first being a more traditional church wedding.
"This is 100 times better because it's so much more laid back," she said of the wedding Saturday.
With a helicopter hovering overhead at 4:02 p.m., those gathered at the site in the woods looked up. The bride was riding in the helicopter, and she later arrived smiling on a four-wheeler driven by her father, Robert Holley.
"This is the way Schuylkill County does it," Valerie Kohutka, 39, one of the bridesmaids, said upon seeing the bride.
Rossi walked the 17 steps to the top of the stand with flowers and orange ribbons adorning the railing.
The eight groomsmen stood nearby on right. Those attending were asked to wear camouflage colors or informal clothing.
Schuylkill County Commissioner Gary Hess, former mayor of Schuylkill Haven, conducted the ceremony.
Rossi's daughter, Taylor, 15, was on the stand along with Dana's son, Jacob, 12.
Waiting for the big moment, the groom's father, Steven Murray, Orwigsburg, said the wedding was unique.
"I love it. It's different," he said.
The groom's mother, Pam Gerber, said she was very proud of her son.
Parents of the bride, Kathy and Robert Holley, were happy for the new couple.
"I just want them to be happy for the rest of their lives," said Kathy Holley after the ceremony before walking back up the trail.
Robert Holley said his son-in-law was a "great guy."
"What a beautiful day for a beautiful couple. Just perfect," said Judy Graver, wife of borough Manager Scott Graver, who was also at the wedding.
The couple were pronounced husband and wife shortly before 4:40 p.m.