Are you marrying a military man or woman?
On average, military personal give just under 15years of service to our country. This deserves honor and respect.
Educate yourself to learn how to acknowledge and celebrate their service during the wedding. Keep reading to learn about nine military wedding traditions that you can include in your big day.
1. Military Location
Plan your wedding ceremony in a military location. You can keep true to your belief system while doing so.
The military does provide places of worship for its members. Consider tying the knot in a military chapel if you envision a religious wedding.
Are you looking for something extravagant? Book out the Washington National Cathedral for your big day!
This picturesque location offers gorgeous cathedral ceilings and beautiful adornments from top to bottom.Plus, many of their comrades may be stationed nearby to attend the wedding.
Book this cathedral about 12-15 months in advance. If you cannot get this church for your date, Cadet Chapel in West Point offers a close second for a breathtaking church.
Religious sailors on the West Coast might opt for Liberty Station Chapel. Though much more modest than the other two, it offers a quaint, unique beauty.
Are you looking for a military space to exchange vows without religious undertones? Academy grounds offer well-kept ceremonial spaces. For something a little more creative, you might opt to marry in a military museum or at a historic site in Williamsburg.
2. Service Officiant
A wedding officiant speaks on your behalf and ties together the desires of two hearts in both word and official actions. Energy from this person drives the ceremony, making who you choose an important decision.
Opting for an ordained military officiant pays homage to your spouse’s other essential life vows. You can find active-duty chaplains to officiate your wedding.
Your spouse may know one who they feel close to. Otherwise, you two can look through a list and together choose one who fits what you want.
3. Invitations
As with any event, you will send out wedding invitations to everybody you invite to your wedding. Most of the time, you simply put a person’s name or invite a married couple together as Mr. and Mrs. >Last Name<.
When sending military personnel a wedding invite, do not address them by first and last name without their title. They work incredibly hard to climb ranks and earn their respective titles.
Acknowledge this by writing their title and then name on one line and then their branch of service beneath. Toss out the typical tradition of writing Mr. First. If the military man has a lady, her name is written above his.
4. Wedding Day Attire
Weddings in the military often appear decorated in the dress. But how depends on which future spouse serves.
The groom will typically wear their ceremonial dress uniform.They forgo boutonnieres and adorn themselves in military pins and medals.
Grooms should also follow the grooming rules. This means a freshly shaved face, a tight fade, and no earrings or facial jewelry.
Women of the military, however, do not always do this. While some opt for ceremonial outfits, many still wear traditional white wedding dresses.
The bride may carry a bouquet if she desires, even when wearing her formal military dress. This does not show any disrespect to their branch of service.
In a military wedding, you may also notice the groomsmen following tradition. They will typically wear white gloves with their suits. Out of respect, they do not wear a boutonniere either.
5. Seating
When planning a military wedding, pay attention to where you seat people in the service. You do not want to unknowingly disrespect your spouse’s ranking officers.
Don’t fear, your family sits in front. But behind the family, you should plan for the highest-ranking officers to sit and then move back accordingly.
At the reception, everybody should sit with their own rank. For example,generals sit with generals. Do not just throw all military friends at one table together without taking their ranks into consideration.
6. United States Flag on Display
Remember, all branches of the United States military defend allow you the freedom to throw a beautiful wedding. For this reason,displaying the American flag is one of the popular wedding traditions for those in the military.
Displaying the flag shows respect. During the ceremony, wedding guests should view the flag standing to the left of the wedding officiant.
7. Exiting the Ceremony
When leaving the wedding ceremony, you might also follow military tradition. If the bride and/or groom serve in the military, they will typically exit the church with their branch’s theme playing.
The bride and groom do not make a simple exit. Military personnel typically lines up outside of the doors for their exit.
They stand at attention in two rows and then form an archway with either sabers, swords, or guns, depending on the branch they serve. If one spouse does not serve, then at the end of the arch, everybody typically yells, “Welcome to the >military branch served<.”
8. Receiving Line
As guests enter the wedding reception, they typically walk through a receiving line, This also happens in a military wedding. The groom precedes his bride, and behind them will wave an American flag and the flag representing their branch. Flowers and also decor display national colors.
9. Cutting the Cake
Military ceremonies remain formal and respectful. Forget about smashing the cake in your partner’s face.
Tradition switches to the cake knife for a sword. But do not plan on simply cutting the cake with it.
First, the military officer will present a ceremonial sword to their new spouse. Then, the bride places her hand on the sword’s hilt beneath the groom’s.Together they make the first cut.
Follow Military Wedding Traditions
Following Military Wedding traditions shows that you respect this service your spouse vowed to make an important part of their life. It now becomes an integral part of yours as well, and this ceremony initiates you into that way of living.
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Wedding Details is your comprehensive guide to all aspects of your wedding. From traditional ceremonies to questions regarding the guests, our website offers you one place to do all your research.