LESAGE, W.Va. — When Joey and Laney Christian were married, there were no church bells or organ music. But there were strings of colorful lights and flowers. And hot dogs. Lots of hot dogs.

The Christians, who were married last month, chose the Hillbilly Hot Dog Wedding Chapel as the site of the ceremony.

Owner Sonny Knight, a LeSage native, said he was living in California when he met his wife, Sharie. Knight’s parents had a hot-dog stand in a nearby West Virginia town and he and his new wife decided to return to Knight’s stomping ground to open Hillbilly Hot Dogs, which has been featured on the Travel Channel and the Food Network.

The small building sits along the roadside beside the restaurant of the same name, fitting in with the other buildings and collectibles purposefully resembling run-down buildings. Inside, the chapel is air conditioned, seats 30 on wooden benches and is decorated with lights, flowers and photos of the 50-plus couples who have wed there in the six or so months the chapel has been operating.

After his wife urged him to empty the small building originally filled with collectibles, a customer suggested he turn it into a wedding chapel — which is exactly what he did.

Sharie Knight, a fan of all things romantic, calls herself the “weenie wife wedding coordinator,” making sure everyone is in place for the ceremony and leading attendees in singing “She’ll be Comin’ ’Round the Mountain.”

She is also known for making “kissy” sounds when spectators want to see the happy couple smooch, which happens frequently throughout the wedding. She also directs the couple to face one another and the guests while they exchange vows.

“I want them to be more focused on each other than on Sonny,” Sharie Knight said. Her husband is licensed to perform the ceremony.

Knight said she loves a wedding. “Everywhere Sonny and I go, we get married again. We’ve been married for 17 years and we’ve renewed our vows 34 times.”

The Christians said they chose Hillbilly Hot Dogs’s Wedding Chapel for their ceremony for several reasons. “It’s a laid-back ceremony,” Laney Christian said. “It’s fun and it’s cheap and we eat here a lot and we like the atmosphere.”

Of course, the reception was all about the hot dogs. Guests placed their order and each dog was made to order.

Ward writes for the Ashland, Kentucky Daily Independent.