Man rides to wedding atop elephant

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- A groom who rode into his downtown Washington wedding on a 7,000-pound Asian elephant said the entrance fulfilled a lifelong dream.

Manan Shah, 28, arrived at the ceremony outside the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center atop Minnie, a 35-year-old pachyderm owned by Bill Commerford of Goshen, Conn., The Washington Post reported.

"You know how girls want the dream wedding," said Shah's sister, Mansi Shah. "His dream was the elephant."

The groom, who wed Swati Raval, 24, at the ceremony, said his favorite movie as a child had been "Haathi Mere Saathi," which revolves around a young boy who befriends elephants.

Commerford said the elephant is no stranger to attention -- she has previously appeared in commercials for AT&T and Kohl's department store as well as a print ad for Abercrombie & Fitch.