Pastor Stands Atop Third Plane To Administer Vows

As far as memorable wedding ceremonies go, this one raises the bar quite a bit.

Katie Hodgson, 23, and 24-year-old Darren McWalters are crazy about each other. Some will say they're just crazy, but at least they seem to embrace that. When the time came to plan their marriage, McWalters told Sky News TV, "We are a bit crazy together... so we wanted something that suited."

What they arranged will be hard to top. Katie and Darren had themselves strapped to the top of matching biplanes, talked the Reverend George Bringham into strapping himself to the top of a third, and got married while wing-walking 90 miles west of London, England.

The good Reverend seemed oddly unphased by the odd request. "I did this before, about eight years ago," he told The Daily Mail. "It's certainly the most unusual wedding I've ever done... The only hairy moment was when I thought my goggles were about to come off."

The red-and-white biplanes were flown at about 1,000 feet AGL by a team of stunt pilots called Team Guinot. The couple had to shout their vows to hear each other. Microphones allowed the bride, groom and pastor to be heard by guests gathered at nearby RFC Rendcomb Airfield.

Katie's full bridal gown fluttered wildly, and smoke trails from the planes decorated the sky. Eventually, weather forced an early end to the stunt, but not before the knot was tied, and the couple both said they had a blast.

As for who thought up the idea for the wing-walking wedding, Katie provided a hint. "I bring the adventurous side out of Darren -- he used to be scared of heights."

Experts caution anyone hearing this story not to follow the example of Katie and Darren without weighing the dangers if something should go wrong, getting proper training, and making careful preparations.

They also urge caution whenever wing walking.

FMI: www.aerosuperbatics.com/TeamGuinot.html