Hello and happy Wedding Wednesday, friends!!
In honor Veteran’s Day today, we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about how you can incorporate some classic military traditions into your own wedding, as well tips for planning a military wedding.
When we first opened up our business in 2010, Randy was still serving in the US Air Force. His military service is something we’re so proud of, and there’s nothing more patriotic than a wedding with the groom in uniform. It just looks so sharp and romantic!
But with military life comes a lot of unpredictability and rules, so, here are a few tips for planning your perfect military wedding:
- Plan ahead. Make sure there are no prescheduled training exercises or deployments coming up.
- Having a seating chart? Be sure to seat your military guests according to rank (unless they request to sit with their families).
- Follow military dress code. If the bride is in-service, she may choose to wear her uniform or traditional civilian attire.
- If additional guests or members of the wedding party are in uniform, they must be the same appropriate uniform. For example, if the groom is wearing dress blues – everyone else must be in dress blues!
- If additional guests or members of the wedding are in a different branch, make sure they were a uniform of comparable formality.
Did You Know?
Instead of standing on the left as with traditional ceremonies, with a military ceremony the bride is to stand to the right of the groom. Why? To avoid his saber!
No Boutonniere’s Allowed!
Another little-known fact is that boutonniere’s are not allowed to be pinned to the military uniform, as it is against UCMJ to add anything to the uniform – even flowers!
Some other rad things you can do to incorporate military service into your wedding:
A Sword or Saber Arch
We are yet to document a wedding doing this, but it is one of the most popular military wedding traditions. Typically done outside the church, the Arch involves 6-8 service members lining up in pairs, with the bride and groom walking underneath the arch as they head out of the church.
Army and Air Force will carry sabers, and the Navy and Marine Corps will carry swords.
Military Colors
Having a bridal party that includes both civilian and military members? Incorporate traditional service colors into your bridal party!
Cutting the Cake
You can use your sword or saber to cut into the cake … just make sure to clean it before it’s put back into the sheath!
Some of this information was gathered from The Knot, Military One Source, Bridal Guide and US Marriage Laws.
Planning a wedding? Have questions? Shoot us an email at randyandashleystudios@gmail.com and you might just see it featured here!
