How to Plan a Military Wedding

Military weddings are distinguished from most other types of weddings by the formal uniforms worn by the bride and/or groom and by the special traditions that are woven into the ceremony and reception to make the day special.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Bridesmaid Dresses
• Wedding Gowns
• Wedding Veils
• Invitations
• American Flags
• Flowers
• Wedding Rings

1. Decide if you want to get married in a military chapel, at a military academy or in your own civilian place of worship.
2. Meet with the chaplain as soon as possible, if you do decide to get married in a chapel, to discuss the ceremony and arrange premarital counseling sessions.
3. Ask for permission to have wedding flowers, music and photography inside the chapel. Rules vary from place to place. Many couples decide to display the American flag during the ceremony, in addition to flowers.
4. Select a site for the reception. You might consider officers clubs on base or traditional restaurants or hotels in the area.
5. Order traditional (non-military-style) invitations, but don't forget to include any military titles or ranks held by you, your fiancée or either set of parents. Often, the bride will choose to leave her military information out. This is optional.
6. Include "Full dress uniform invited" on your invitations to indicate that guests are welcome to come in uniform.
7. Determine the types of uniforms the groom and members of the wedding party who are in the service will wear. Typically, full ceremonial dress uniform is chosen (blue for winter, white for summer), including white gloves and swords (for the Navy and Coast Guard) or sabers (for the Army and Marine Corps).
8. Decide on the bridal wear. Many brides who are in the service prefer to wear a traditional bridal gown instead of their uniform. If this is the case, select a formal-style gown with a flowing train and veil to complement the formal men's attire.
9. Select long, formal gowns for the bridesmaids.
10. Have men in uniform wear their military decorations instead of boutonnieres. A bride in uniform can still carry a bouquet.
11. Ask honor guards to form an archway with swords or sabers outside the ceremony location for the wedding couple to walk through on their way out. This symbolizes safe passage into married life.
12. Seat military guests at the reception according to rank and title.
13. Consider using small American flags or other military symbols as decoration at the reception.
14. Have a sword or saber ready at the reception for you and your new spouse to use to cut the wedding cake. This is a dramatic touch that guests particularly enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to secure your site at least a year in advance since many places book up quickly - particularly military academies. This is partly because undergraduates are not permitted to get married, so many compete for limited space immediately following graduation.
• If you plan to be married overseas (whether it will be on base or off), find out what papers are necessary before you or your fiancée leave the United States.
• Consider accenting your cake with military couple figurines representing different branches of service. You can order them at the Ultimate Wedding Store site.
• Most bases will be able to provide sabers or swords, but if you have trouble finding them, check with your local ROTC office.
• Remember to always verify your plans with the proper military authorities.