Plan the Perfect Military Wedding
The day's finally arrived. After all these years waiting for the right one, you've finally find that special someone. Soon a marriage proposal comes your way, one that's sure to change life forever.
Finally, you've got the chance to plan the wedding you've dreamed about since childhood. And all your plans start falling in place, almost like magic — when suddenly something comes up to change the tune. Your soon-to-be spouse learns they're about to be deployed overseas.
All your hopes and dreams for happiness seem lost ... at least for now. You still long to marry — but there's so much to do, and so many unique circumstances that other couples don't face! From finding a chaplain to paying those amped-up fees involved in a rush wedding, your task list can seem even more daunting than the average bride's.
True, it's not like you're the only one to face this. Others, too, have lived the military life from day one, and were so proud to play a role that they enlisted as adults. If you're one of those who grew up in the military, shifting from base to base and city to city, you probably long for a military wedding that embodies all the traditions and pride you've cherished all your life.
Yet, as you know, there are plenty of rules and regulations when it comes to doing things military style — even for weddings. And staying within the guidelines can be overwhelming. As a bride, you need answers on how to do it — and those answers won't be found in the pages of all those bridal magazines or bridal books. But take heart!
It goes without saying: there are vast differences between a civilian and a military wedding. In the the latter case, the ceremony may take place at the base/post chapel. Your officiant will be a military chaplain. The Arch of Sabers or Swords (depending on the branch of service) is used. And you'll need to pay special attention to the special formalities involved with invitations and seating arrangements.
To help make your military wedding planning a little smoother, try these tips:
Even if the couple chooses not to have the traditional Military Wedding, insurance (unless they are having a quick, simple civil ceremony at the courthouse) will save headaches and cover the loss of deposits or money due to changes or cancellations. When you marry into the military, never-ending shifts in deployment dates — quick deployments, delayed deployments, and extended deployments — are common. It's best to plan ahead and be safe.
Take this example: The date's been set for a year out. You paid the deposits, and prepared the invitations (whew!). Then a set of orders shows up for the bride or groom that read, "Report to your duty station 19 May 2007. " Unfortunately, the wedding date was set for 25 May 2007! You now have to change everything ... and even re-order those invitations.
Unless you're working with extremely military-friendly vendors, there's a real risk of losing hefty deposits. Insurance is your best bet for safeguarding against this.
For a new bride who's marrying into the service, there's a whole new lingo to learn. For starters, you'll need to get acquainted with the formalities of the Arch ... but do the groomsmen raise Swords, or is it Sabers?
Here's your answer: Sabers are used for Air Force and Army. Swords are used for Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. The National Guard and Reserve go by the same etiquette and regulations of their service branch (i.e. Army National Guard, Air National Guard, Naval Reserve, etc). Also, although most military personnel won't own a Sword or Saber, they can contact the Chaplain — who'll normally have these on hand for your use, or if not, the Commander will.
There are plenty of other terms you'll want to become familiar with and knowledgeable about, but don't worry ... as time goes on, the language will become second nature.
For tradition's sake, you're better off leaving it in. After all ... wasn't it the tradition that drew you to the idea of a full military wedding in the first place? It's best to only omit this step if the bride's the service member.
If you're not familiar with "the Swat," here's how it works: When the groomsmen assemble after the vows, the bride and groom then pass through the Arch of Saber or Swords (this symbolizes the military's welcome, and the couple's safe transition into their new life together). The couple pauses as the last two men lower their sabers or swords in front of the bride and groom. Then, the man to the right will then lightly "swat" the bride on the rear and say "Welcome to the Army" (or name the appropriate branch of service).
It's important to know the proper seating arrangements for guests — not to mention, where the bride and groom should stand, including who stands on which side. The standing arrangement is determined by whether the service member is an officer, or enlisted.
A guest list will have Commanders, other Officers within the unit, and peers. It's important to know the proper seating for all your guests ... and also for the receiving line. Everyone associated with a service member (i.e. their Commanders, Officers and peers within the unit or office) should be invited to the wedding.
When seating the groom or bride's Commander and spouse, seat them with the family of the bride or groom, whichever group they represent. Commanders are usually seated in the front row when the bride or groom's parents can't attend. Seat all other higher-ranking Officers directly behind the family of either the bride or groom.
My husband was active duty Army for nine years and is now serviing in the DC Army National Guard. When we reply to invitations, have address labels printed, etc., how should we convey his rank and branch affiliation? Is it even appropriate because he is not active duty? For example, is something like, “Captain and Mrs. John Doe, ANG” acceptable? or is it just Captain and Mrs. John Doe?
Hey all. I just have a quick question:
I’m engaged to an NCO stationed in Oklahoma, yet we are planning on having our wedding back in our home state of Michigan (since most of our families live there). I am really excited to have a traditional military wedding, but I am concerned about being able to pull off the Arch. All of my fiance’s military friends live here in Oklahoma - is it too much to ask them to fly all the way to Michigan? And if they are willing to do so, what if they can’t get leave time? Any comments or suggestions?
Jessica,
I would talk with them about it first and see what can be done and then go from there. it is not to much to ask if you they were included on the guest list anyway. so that alone would be a big plus.
Hi Stacey (you seem to be the go to gal),
I need help to incorporate some naval touches into a 1940’s garden themed wedding. The groom is in the Navy as well as his groomsmen and they will be wearing their uniforms. The overall feel of the wedding is simple garden, with mason jars, vintage photos, pearls and peacock feathers. The brides colors are cream, teal and accents of brown. She does not want the military theme to be overstated but would like small simple touches. Any ideas would be greatly apprciated. The only thing I could come up with is incorporating the anchor, but how?
Thanks so much!!
Ruth,
ya’ll are to kind!! i am so happy i am able to help with the brides special days. I love LOVE! the anchor, it is actually perfect for a 1940’s style wedding. i would add it on the programs ( motif), invites, paper goods. i would make sure the paper has an vintage look to it to bring out the naval theme. another thing is to find a naval charm ( anchor?) and have it attached to the bridal bouquet on a tiny blue ribbon( for the something blue). also think about a anchor cake topper. that is actually all i would add, so it would be simple and beautiful for the theme.
Ruth, another idea is to have old looking frame plaques and name each table after a USS ship.
Thanks Stacy, these are great ideas. Do you happen to know of a good site that sells the naval charms? I would like to just get some white plastic ones; I’ve looked and have not had much luck.
Would incorporating the sailors hat be too much? And if I did it how would you suggest to use it. Keep in mind this is still a garden style wedding.
The only other idea i had for adding the naval touches was to frame vintage pictures of the ships and soilders.
Thanks for all your help.
ruth,
i would try craft stores, they should have what you need.
*these are not white but they would work great
*more charms
*silver charms
*OMG! look at this!
*anchor cake pulls
*love this!
your right the white plastic anchors are very hard to find! if soemthing happens and you cant find them then just find a tall lightweight anchor and set it beside your wedding cake with a sailor hat. that would work very well. actually i was gonna suggest putting the sailor hat by the cake in a setting. the frames with the ships/ sailors would be perfect and a great conversation piece. i love wrapping the bouquet with the nautical rope. if you cant find any white charms just add a silver one to the bouquets. with the rest of the decor it will be a good balance. if to much nautical is used it would take away from the 40’s theme and make it more ship like. just a few touches would be enough. in the 40’s they didnt have much so having a themed glass heirloom looking cake topper and the groom in uniform would have been how they would have decorated. ( even though the cake topper i posted most likely wouldnt have been invented). it would have been a simple cake with a very traditonal bride and groom topper ( the one with the lace and white plastic). those silver cake pulls could be used and are gorgeous! that would “fit’ into the vibe and still staying true to the 40’s. i would actually stick with the metal naval charms instead of the plastic for more authenticity. LOVE the vintage frames though! flea markets and second hand stores. have any old family letters from the 40’s? make copies and set those out in strategic areas. another idea is honor all those soldiers and get pics and enlarge them, put them in frames, and hang them on a wall with vital info like a military hall of history.guests would most likely get a kick out of it! great for cocktail hour. just any military members from the family/friends. this would be a rare but very remembered thing to do at a wedding. plus it is really not that expensive to do. simple frames from a dollar tree or flea market and enlarging pics to a “decent” size would be sufficient, they all dont have to be 8×10 or bigger. just an idea!!
Thanks Stacy -
I love the idea for wrapping the bouquet and the cake pulls.
Thanks for all your help!
Hi Stacey, you seem like the lady to go to when a girl needs help! I just got engaged last weekend and with the groom in the military the wedding is planned for the first weekend of Feb 2010! I am so far behind already and have no clue of what colors I want! I am having trouble because the groom and the groomsmen will be wearing thier dress blues along with two others, while one will be in his dress greens, and two others in tuxedos. I will attach pictures of the venue we have! I was thinking some colors that are more casual like a dark brown, ivory, and light yellow. Please help me!
Thank you so much!!
Vanessa
vanessa,
WOW! what a venue! it looks like a tuscan or spanish type setting. as far as the guys dont worry about matching the uniforms. i am loving the dark brown, yellow, and ivory.
* check out how it resembles this italian venue! have you thought abput adding only faint touches of orange or even pink? it doesnt have to be much just in the centerpieces.
if you like the tuscan theme, consider ( also) using grapes in your centerpieces.
* beautiful centerpiece
let me know if this is something you would like
Hi,my names sarah and im getting married in september 2010.My fiance’ is in the National Guard and is planning on wearing his class A’s,i dont really want to use green in my colors,but im confused on which colors to use,so that it still matches him but doesnt clash.. The wedding will be outside,so i want fall colors.. Any ideas id be so greatful and maybe ideas on flowers too,i was thinking sunflowers,but im not sure how’d that look…
Sarah,
Since his attire will be his uniform, it is not necessary to match. with his class a’s, you are in luck cause fall colors will match perfectly!! green will go with everything, that shade also. sunflowers would be beautiful.
*check out this
*WOW!! I love everything about this wedding! the colors pop, look at those sunflowers!
*beautiful!
*this is just perfect!
i just put together a board to give a idea of the color scheme. i simplified it cause the many mixes of colors with the green ( on the board) looks to busy.
I am getting married to my best friend and we both have agreed that we are going to have a Military wedding, but in a church to make our families happy. I need help finding places in Michigan that will meet both of the requirements. I am an Army brat so I know how things have to be just not all that good with the state we are planning on getting married in…If anyone could help me that would be wonderful..
Thank you very much,
Amanda
I have in the middle of a HUGE dilema. the wedding is 81 days away and I have everything planned. The colors I have for the BM’s are a burgundy/wine colored dress and they will be carrying green orchids that have the burgundy lip in the middle. My dress is ivory and I have white orchids with the burgundy lip. I did all of this because my fiance is in the army and was going to wear his class A’s. However, he just got promoted to CPL and wants to get his dress blues. Should I change the flowers? What could I change them to? Should I leave them the same? ugh! please help!
makayla,
i would leave everything alone. the burgundy/wine and the green orchids will be a gorgeous compliment to the dress blues. it is actually probably gonna be a better combo for pics especially with the jewel tones and the fresh green. if you want to pull in some blue just leave it to you and him and wrap your bouquet with the same shade of blue he is wearing in the ribbon around your bouquet. the ribbon and his uniform can be your something blue!!
I am getting married on Valentine’s Day and despirately need some guidance. My fiance’ is a Marine but I think the only thing Military we are wanting is the sword ceremony. The wedding will be held 4 hours from a Military base though so is there any way that we can still make this happen??
Thank you,
Kristin
kristin,
Hi! do you mean the sword ceremony at the location?
*tips
i hope i gave you the right link you needed if not let me know!!
I”m needing help! I recently got engaged to my best friend and he just happens to be in the marines. We dont want a full military wedding but we cant decided on colors. He will be wearing his dress blues and i desperately need help in deciding the colors and arrangements. He is leaving it pretty much all to me and i can’t decide. Can anyone help?! Our wedding date is July 31st, 2010
Maybe different blues & silver would look really beautiful. I will look up some links & post the links for you but don’t worry everything will be fine I’m in the same boat with my fiancée he wants me to plan everything my self too
stephanie, first what color is your location. this will play a huge factor in your colors. do you have a pic?
Hi My name is ashlee, and im engaged to the man of my dreams, and he is in the national gaurd and we are getting married march 20th 2010, and he is going to wear his green tux or whatever, and i dont know if i should have my colors the dark green & like Black & silver, i just dont want anyhting to clash at my wedding, but were not making the wedding a real military wedding, so im so confused how to do all this stuff, since im not in the military… HELP Me Plz
ashlee,
you really dont have to match his uniform. are you wanting something with some color? i do love black green silver white color scheme though. it is very sharp when put together.
*google images and boards
*black white green
*more black white green
there are lots of colors that go with the dress greens. could you tell me the colors you both like then i can find some ideas or make you a wedding board.
*wedding forum page with pic links
*navy and green
*yellow and green
*this will always be one of my faves, the orchids have a touch of color to add.
*champgne and green
*sage and purple
* if you wanted you and him to really stand out as a couple wera this!so beautiful
*you can search any color or type any color combo you want and see how it will look, i love this site
well both of our fav. colors is green… so thats the other reason i would like to have green, but i dont want his suit really dark green and our green a light one… ya i love the black, silver, green & white theme too i just didnt know if it would look ok? i know i have 5 months left but im already freaking out about everything… i feel like im going to for get something, or not get stuff done in time.. so more ideas plz, lol
ashlee,
have you thought about putting the girls in black? then add green and white florals? silverware, silver accessories, cake plate, silver floral containers? i think it would look fantastic, very very nice. have cylinder vases with floating orchids and a floating candle? white linens, black napkins or black runners. simple chic.
if you do this color scheme i would have a a lighter shade of green like hydrangeas with white roses or orchids to contrast. another color is using brown and green. that is a gorgeous combo. since you love green i would stick with that, but not the same shade as the grooms suit. it will not flow as well if everything matches that shade of green. now adding lighter to darker greens with whites inthe florals would look beautiful. you could add a touch of very pale yellows in the florals.
*something kinda like this
*or this ( i love love love how this looks, with a touch of pale pink in the florals to break it up a bit)
*carla wedding, love how they did this ( this is a great way to decorate for a march wedding)
*more from previous wedding
if there are other colors youd like me to look for paired with green, let me know which ones you both lean too. thanks a million!!
omg i love the ideas :) thank you so much… he doesnt care on the detailes im planning hes just showing up..lol so i def. can use all the help u want to give :) my info is froggiez1@hotmail.com or cell # 309-299-2470 i will take all ideas u can throw at me, :)
ashlee,
keep me posted on help ya need. i am so happy you loved those ideas!! have a wonderful wedding!
Hi ladies!!!
Ok… so I am recently engaged to the man of my dreams (and of course he has to be a soldier lol). I have no clue where to start. I am attracted to the idea of a military wedding but we will be getting married soon (December)… and it will be a very small wedding- both been married before. Mainly just family and friends. I am worried about attendance and of course “the arch”. Any advice???
Of COURSE you can have the Arch if you want! Check out http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/military_marriages/index.shtml, which gives invaluable advice on military traditon and customs. There is also a book out called the Military Bride, by Vanessa Baldwin. If you want to do the Arch, ask the post Honor Guard to assist you. Just be warned about the swat. Expect it. Welcome to the family and have a piece of cake for me! :)
Becky,
Thank you for your help. I am hopeful this will all work out. With my fh stationed in Alaska it is difficult to come up with enough to do the arch - my main worry. I mean of course we could fly “his guys” down here to Georgia, but man that gets expensive fast.
ashley,
if you need any help with colors etc. let me know. would love to help out!! have a great day!
Hi, I’m Melissa & I am engaged to a US Marine. We live in Jacksonville, NC and are planning on having our wedding July 2010. The main colors are red, white, and blue..but I don’t want it to come off as too patriotic, you know? How can I keep my colors, but keep the USMC theme as well? We are having a traditional USMC wedding.
melissa,
would you consider adding another color to the palette? like here, where they added shades of wines, burgundy and red? pretty nice!
*color board
*another idea
*military real weddings
*wedding board
*brides.com
*real wedding
*nice
*blue and red
*lots of pics
Hi! Melissa I just want to say welcome to Jville!!! I live here to; In Midway Park base housing.Hope you find everything you looking for,I have to plan my wedding for next year too;I don’t even know where to start.
I’ve been engaged to a wonderful man for almost a year and planned on getting married before he was deployed but did’t want a shot gun wedding. He will be returning home july 2010 and could be deployed 6 months after returning home. We have both been married before and had bad marraiges. Is it proper to have another formal wedding like our firsts and since he is in the national guard can we have military style wedding? Also, I’m not sure on colors that would go with Army colors. My sister was my maid of honor in my first wedding is it okay to have her as my maid of honor in this one or not? Were close and really want her in it any ideas?
the color scheme you wanna keep with navys or blues or whatever matches the uniform. if you can have a military wedding i’m not sure.
jennifer,
yes you can have a formal wedding if that is what you want. yes as long as he is active you can have a military wedding. just follow the same etiquette for the branch of service he is in. army national guard. i would love to help with your colors! it is best to look at the venue, you will want to compliment that. you can have her as your maid of honor again.
*military wedding tips
*more tips
*the knot military weddings
*army weddings
*real weddings
Of COURSE you can! I’m marrying into the Army for the 3rd(!) time! (I’m a glutton for punishment!) And welcome to the family! :)
Amber,
as long as he is retired or active you can have the traditions including the uniform. if he is active/retired he can choose either a tux/suit or his uniform( matter of choice) that is for any gm too.
*civil and military guidelines
*military Q&A
*red and yellow wedding board
*lots of pics to search
I am recently engaged to a man who was in the army for 15 yrs and i myself grew up i an army family. we decided to have a WWII era wedding . Dress like they did back then and encourage our guest to . come dressed up as well . we are restoring a 1942 army jeep to drive away in. I am having a hard time finding info on wedding announcements from back then and how the receptions were done if any was planned. Any ideas ??? thanks
Hey there!
Me and my Navy Corpsman have been engaged for a few months now and he finally got the OK to have leave around Christmas. I already have my dress picked out, it has a blue sash to match his Navy Blues, or even whites depending on what I decide he wears! Anyways.. Im hoping for December 19th, to be the wedding day. Its so close to Christmas, and he is in the Navy so Blue is a MUST color in this wedding. However… I can not for the life of me decide on any other color! I would go with silver, but its the colors from my high school and I dont want it to look like a winter prom! I also dont want to incorporate too many reds, simply because as so many women have said before me, I dont want to make it a patriotic wedding! I would love a winter themed wedding… but I live in Arkansas… so its never really snowy or “wintery” here so Im so afraid it would look like a high school winter dance. Soo.. what can i do to shy away from the “winter prom” and “patriotic” feel? By the way we are getting married in my hometown church. My church and most of my family kind of look down on dancing as a whole. But me and my fiance both have dreamed of having our first dance to our song “Over the Hills and Far Away” by Led Zepplin.. is there any way of making this easy on my family and church family?? There will be a first dance… and we arent wanting any “Party” dancing like the grinding stripper club stuff, but more of any elegant but fun time. Also… what can I do about favors if I dont want the wintery patriotic stuff?? HELP IM SO CONFUSED!!!!
hey i read this and when you were talking about it i imediatley thought of silver, but you said you didnt want a “wintery feel”.. what about some kind of purple, like an orchard or something. Or maybe a yellow color with the blue and maybe silver etchings. Im not sure about why you dont like dancing but i think that the Led Zep song would be a really good choice. I agree about not having a patriotic wedding and Im glad your thinking of it. Also Dec 19 is the day i started dating my fiance and 1219 is always a special number for us, so i especially loved that :)
Samantha,
can i see your venue? to see what it looks like and find some complimenting colors with the blue. another option is to have a monochromatic blue color scheme with shades from light to dark blue. also can you tell me some colors that you like versus dont like? can’t wait to hear fomr you. also the song will be perfect and go with what you love not what is expected. It is your day afterall!!
isnt this beautiful?!?
*style me pretty wedding
purple would be a great choice like Alysia mentioned.
*blue and purple wedding board
*wedding boards
*blue and gold is another choice
*navy blue wedding boards ( i included this because of the bold color paired with navy, you said you liked led zepplin, so this might be a way to go, romantic and edgy. so if this suits your personalities better then consider pairing it with pink, would be an awesome color combo, just use soft fluffy flowers to make it look more romantic)
simple blue and green would be a great color combo.
*blue and green boards
*navy and green
also signup and login at theknot.com once there, click wedding photos and it will take you to color galleries. you will love this!!
brides,
check out this great 1940’s theme military wedding in red white blue. it is so great!!
*the knot real wedding
I have a simple question. My husband and I just got married June 28th, 09 by his brother with about 7 family members there. All my husbands and it was right after church. We did this because he is in the military and was moving to a new base. We know we want to have a vow renewal next year for our one year anniversary for all of our family and friends….but would it be okay to go all out with the blues and wedding dress and all that jazz? I bought my dress and then we got married a lot sooner than expected. I don’t want people to think we are being tacky…and a lot of my family thinks it will be okay.
ashley,
by all means have your dream wedding. there are a few things though i would not incorporate. not being “give away”, since your already married, no blusher veils( these are reserved for first time brides), your married so a bachorlette party wouldnt fit, though you can have a simple get together like a lunch or a mani and pedi day. everything else is perfect to have!! i wish you all the best!!
Hi Ashley!
My husband and I have been married for nearly 12 years. he is in the Navy and I recently joined. We are planning our vow renewal next year and I would like him to be in his dress whites as I would like to be in a nice navy Blue gown. I never had a bachelorette party, but it will be nice to hang out with the girls for a night beforehand. I was never given away, so I am thinking about asking a very special person to do the honors. I feel whatever you would like to do is up to you and your groom. Have it as big or as small as you want. I am not one to adhere to all the wedding “rules and proper etiquette” as you can read. I am in it to have fun, love my day and make sure everyone is happy and good to go!!! Good luck and take care!!
Hi Ashley,
I had a chuckle when I read your story. My husband and I have our wedding planned for May 15, 2010 and in May 2009 he was told he was going to be deployed in August one year! We rushed to the courthouse on June 27, 2009 and got married! THEN….two weeks after we got married, his orders were cancelled! Sooo, HECK YEA I’m having my big fat greek (ok Irish) Wedding with the white dress the cake the bagpiper the whole nine yards! He now has his new orders set in stone and he will unfortunately leave a month after our wedding, I already had the dress too!
hi everybody!
i made a gone with the wind inspired theme and thought it would fit perfect for a military wedding because it was during civil war days. when grooms married in their uniform. i updated it but still wanted to keep that southern feel. i couldnt find a military groom on the board site so i just kept it like it is. anybody marrying at a grand house or plantation? this would be the perfect theme to fit in!!
i recently just got engaged to a marine! we are planning our wedding around march or may of 2010 depending on leave and deployment. heres our problem, he is from texas and im from west virginia. we have family and friends that wont be able to make it either way but we want most of them there so we were thinking a place in between both states. Of coarse we are doing the traditonal military wedding but my colors are patriotic and we want it in marine theme not the fourth of july. you help would be greatly appriciated!! thanks
megan,
are you wnating just red white and blue or you wanting a different variation of color? could you tell me what type of mood you want to set? and also what does your venue look like? i will help however i can!!
Hi, im Jasmine and I am currently engaged to a Marine. We have been together for 3 years, he purposed to me on Christmas, and we have the plan to ge married when he comes back from his deployment in afghanistan. The wedding should be sometime around march or april. Not really sure yet….. But I am really confuse on what to do. We are from a little town in Texas. We have decided to do a military wedding. I wanted to use the colors navy blue, red, and white but I don’t want it to come across as a patriotic wedding, so what should I do? Also he is white, baptist, and I am hispanic and catholic, so what can we do about the ceremony? If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know.
Jasmine,
*red white blue wedding
*military weddings and red white blue
*the knot and red white blue
*project wedding and red white blue
*wedding
*blue and red wedding board
*real wedding ( it would look stunning like this except in red and blue)
*baptist marrying a catholic
Hi my name is bethany i am marrying the love of my life he is my marine i would like a military wedding are they hard to plan because we are doing this in a shorter amount of time than normal. ypu all know gotta work around leave lol any help or ideas would help alot
bethany,
can you tell me what your vison is? colors you like? theme? venue layout?
i would love to help!!
im getting married to a wonderful man in the navy and im planning a military wedding. im not sure if maroon, pearl, and navy would be good for a december wedding. i love the combination and have found things in all the colors that would look wonderful at the chapel but im not sure if they would work for that time of year.
bella,
i made 2 boards to show how it can look. i like the vase centerpieces with rose petals and votives. you could add a few cranberries tothe vase instead of flower petals if youwanted more christmas like feel. these would be inexpensive and elegant. the towering trees look great too!! why not have both? have a few tree centerpieces with hanging votives by the placecard table, etc. it lends a wintry feel. i chose navy for the bridal party due to burgundy flowers are more natural and easier to get. plus navy is a great neutral color. i put the main decor in pearl white, so it would also be wintry. i think that is what i would do, however, at the base of the tall centerpieces you could choose burgundy flowers, that would be stunning!! i thought navy in small doses would be elegant, you could have your favors with a navy blue ribbon. overall, i would go with this cause it is perfect colors and i love how it looks!!
OKay so i dont even know where to start.. Im new into all the Navy stuff. I feel like my heads going to come off. We have picked March 20,2010 to say I do, becaause he deploys end of april or the start of may. I dont know what colors to do. Should i do Navy blue and yellow or red, white, & blue? And if not the whole grooms men are in the service what do you do? Do you let them where there uniform? If so dress blues or whites? Im so scared im not doin anything the right way. Then i have my brothers walking me as my dad is no longer close, one of them is a Marine. Can he wear his dress blues? sorry about all the questions.. and if you have any ideas i would love to hear them
Thanks
whitley,
if the some of the men are not inthe service its not a problem. you can go one of two ways, first have all in tuxes or suits, or the groom wearing his uniform just have the guys in a simple tux or suit. most go with the dress blues. i do think it would be amazing to allow the ones in service to wear this very honored uniform. as long as the soldiers are active or retired they can wear their uniform. do you have a pic of your venue? once i see it i will be able to see which colors compliment. you could always do a navy blue, yellow, red and white color scheme. and if you have any more questions please dont hesitate to ask!! i will help in every way i can!!
Major question! I have searched the web looking for an answer, but to no avail. We are already married (20 years) and plan on renewing our vows Sept. 2010 because when we did get married it was a rush wedding due to his deployment to Iraq. He promised me the wedding of my dreams (military of course). Well with military life, kids, ect. it took 20 years to find the time. lol We have our colors, dresses, invitations, ect all picked out. No problem. Here’s my big question…can I still have the military wedding of my dreams since he’s been out of the Marine Corps since 1991? I hope someone can help me out with this! *fingers crossed*
lynn,
i just read that you can have a military wedding if the groom is active or retired only.
* Civil and Military
i think you will find this page very helpful!!
*military wedding guidelines
Hey! My name is Summer. I am getting married June 12 2010 to a US Marine. We plan to get married in a little wooden country church in our hometown of Mississippi. Since he is wearing his dress blues I need ideas on colors that would match his uniform. Originaly I wanted to use the colors navy blue, red, and white but didn’t want it to come across as a patriotic wedding… ex. BM dresses Marine blue, all the girls including me with red rose boutiques and of course me in a white dress..I am so very proud of him and his career but is there any way to use these colors without making our wedding look like a tribute to the US?? haha need help!!
summer ross,
something like this would be perfect, i have loved this ever since i first saw it!! it still gives the same feel, yet its different. you are not required to match his uniform, you can plan the wedding in any shade youwant. another color you can do is take your traditional red and use a deep magenta red instead.
*2008
Cranberry, Pistachio, Navy
i made a board so you could see a main red white and blue color scheme. it doesnt look patriotic at all. i do hope you like it or you canat least see how it might could look together!! i thought it really turned out, i searched until i found just the right elements, trying everything and found small touches of red fromthe brides bouquet tothe votives was all you need to make it come alive, in an elegant way.
So im a newly engaged girl and i cant be more excited! im engaged to an airman. so far i have not found the perfect venue but the perfect dress did come. the only issue is im from el paso currently living in san antonio and now the decison of where the wedding is going to take place is touchy. how do we go about choosing a place without hurting anyones feelings? his family and i have had issues but its for the most part becasue he is very family oriented and he has never been “shared” as his mother puts it. anyway i need to make a choose of what to do before i can start planning my wedding. its so frustrating that i have to put my plans on hold over this. any suggestions?
erika,
his family will learn to adjust and this is just one of many times that it will be a learning process for everyone. dont continue putting your wedding off due tothis, this is about the 2 of you making a comittment with your loved ones there. find the venue of your dreams and plan your wedding, dont hesitate another minute. all that matters is that the 2 of you are happy with the venue. 
i would sit down with my fh and talk with him about where he would like to marry. i completely understand the dilemma and the heartahce that this can cause. when a decision cant be reached a destination wedding usually is the only way to keep the peace. if you two are paying for your own wedding, then you should find the venue that fits your budget, tastes, and overall the vision you have. there is no reason a wedding cant be family oriented anywhere it takes place. maybe find a happy medium, a place where neither family lives that would equally take traveling fromboth sides. i am thinking it is hard for the mother to let her son go, in a sense, and another female, the wife tobe, take the place. just as a father has a hard time letting go of his daughter that is soon to be married. its usually a feeling that needs reassurance, that i am happy, in love, and getting married, but you are still my family and that wont change. i know new journeys in life like marriage, bring new adjustments. i am betting, it is not so much the venue, that it is unassured feelings. i hope i have answered your question
the one think I learned about the place and everything else, you have to remember that this is your wedding, you and your fiances. yes everyone is involved and wants to be there but you should pick the place that you and your fiance want the most.
I am in Texas and I am having my wedding in Ohio where my fiance is from, and my family had some issues with it and i still hear some crap from them. But, they are my family and they will be there no matter what.
Remember, this is your wedding, do what makes you happy. the people who want to be there will be.
Hey Erika! It’s crazy how alike we are. I’m from El Paso as well and moving to San Antonio sometime soon. My fiance and I met and lived in Missouri for most of our lives, so I get the whole wedding venue confusion. He wants to get married where he is stationed (north carolina) and i want to be married where we met and grew up (missouri), yet all my family is in texas lol. I’m pushing for Missouri since that’s where we started but who knows. Go with where you feel is most important in your relationship (where you met, favorite memory place etc)
Just curious… where is your airman stationed, and where is he from? If he’s stationed here in San Antonio, there are some gorgeous places on the Riverwalk, or even on the one of the Air Force bases, OR there’s Ft Sam Houston, for a venue. His hometown, if not that far away, shouldn’t neccisarily be left out of the question, but then niether should yours be, since El Paso isn’t really all that far from SA.
As a mom, myself, I can relate to how hard it is to let a son go. I love my son. But he’s 25, and the string have to be cut…
Good luck to you…
Hello, me and my husband, who is a Marine are planning our vow renewals. When we got married, it was rushed because he began training to deploy 2 weeks after. Our wedding wasn’t even during the time of year we wanted it in and we sooo didn’t have the reception we wanted. Also, we hit a few bumps in the road, so we decided that close to our 5th yr anniversary we are going to renew our vows. I would like to do them in April because we want to host them in Savannah, GA and I don’t want it to be too hot. We are planning to do the ceremony in a park at a fountain and then the reception at an old center near River St so that after the reception us and our younger guests can continue our party on River St. I am concerned about our colors because he is wanting to wear his blues and I kind of want to use pink because the Azaleas will be blooming around the found, but I don’t want the colors to clash. So I was considering using black and white with red roses to accent. We are only going to have to people on each side stand up with us and I was going to put my girls in black knee lenght dresses and the guys will be in military uniforms. And since we don’t have to actually have an officiant since we are already married, we are going to get his grandfather to do the service(my grandfather passed away 8 yrs ago). We figured with his grandfather doing the ceremony it would be more memorable. There is also a Marine Corps Memorial at the end of the walkway where I’ll be walking in at the park. Anyone have any suggestions on colors, if black and white with the red roses would be better or will the pink work? I’ve attached pictures of our locations and the flowers at the fountain. I couldn’t find many pictures of the reception location. Help Me Please!!!
hi brandie, could you repost the pic? so i could get a look.
dont worry about matching his uniform. have you thought about mixing mostly pink with a few red azaleas?
* A Military Fairy Tale
i wanted to post a pic and doesnt the pink look wonderful!!!
I Thought the pics posted my bad
I am adding a picture of the flowers. The azaleas are pink there.
I can’t open the link for the military fairy tale. Can you send it to me again?
heh brandie,
here is another link….
*real wedding
if it still dont work try typing in google search…
the knot military fairytale.
if it still doenst then youmay not be signed up for free for theknot.com, once you dothat see if it helps with the pics. ihighly recommend it, plus you can go to wedding photos and it will take you to color galleries to browse, you can search the knot, even look at military weddings. its a great site!! let me know if this works!! i am from louisiana and the azaleas are gorgeous arent they!!
The azaleas are pretty but I was looking at the page I think that it was the ideas for wedding favors and I liked one of the pictures that was on it. Question: If we renew our vows in April, would it be okay to use Red, Black and White if I don’t want to use the azalea pink? I know that david’s bridal has dresses in the azalea pink.
brandie, red instead of pink is just as beautiful!! if you prefer the red is it a sure winner!! red azaleas would be so fitting!! i love your board. one thing i didnt think of. azalea pink can sometimes be a dificult color for bm skintones to pull off. where red is a more flattering shade.
I think that I’ve found a better location. We’re actually thinking about renewing our vows at the National Museum of the United States Marine Corps in VA. I think it will be an awesome venue since he wants to wear his blues and it’ll be a military themed vow renewal.
brandie,
okay, let me know if you need any help!! good luck!!
me and my fiance are getting married in november the groomsmen vary from navy, army, and marine would it be okay to have them each wear their own uniform? also what about the groomsmen who are not military how can i coordinate their suits to match?
-suzie
suzie,
i think it would be an honorable thing to do is let them wear their uniform. for the guys put them in simple black or navy blue to compliment. whatever you put the guys in they will just compliment naturally and since the uniforms are not meant to be matched it will be okay whatever you choose.
Hey guys, So wow ive read some of this and the girls on here are amazing :-) and right now I need all the help that I can get haha. My boyfriend and I have been together 3 1/2 years im 19 and hes 21. He enlisted in the active Army a few months back and is gone at traing now. Its been realy hard on me, but I need to get through college and all even though our lives were turned upside down by his decision. I love him So much, and we have really talked about gettin married especially before he deploys. He told me in letters and on the phone that he wants to get a civil service in July when he comes home… JULY IS 2 months away! lol… not to mention none of my family lives around here and it would be a very quiet and lonely day :-( So I brought up the option of maybe having an engagement for a month or two starting in July… since we would be able to get rings. and have a civil service on his predeployment leave (he said it could be as early as october)… I would still want a reall wedding with vow renual and hreception when he returns from deployment which would be over a year from now. Which would give me pleanty of time to schedule and make plans for it. Is this an okay option? For sake of our relationship and everything else we want to be married before he deploys. Also If i had the civil service how does that work? I would want our parents, and my grandparents there, idk if he would want his grandmother to come from SD or not. Im an only child and he has two older sisters…. What do you wear to a SC? and when we get the marriage certificate would I change my name and info and tell the rest of the family and everyone or keep it a secret and plan for the big wedding… I already know he wants to wear his dress uniform *olive* and I want a corrally pink color for my bridesmaids. I want a semi big dress with glitz on it :-D I like colors and sparkles. he wants the sabers and all but I dont really want the wedding on base. Id be happy just having it close to our home towns, before he enlisted we wanted a church service and a reception outdoors with a big white tent and sparkly lights by a lake….. lol… I have no idea where I would find this venue or how to plan for it, especially without him… i Know i still have at least a year but Im in college and alot of my family lives overseas so i need to plan it all up… im countin the days for him to come home so we can get rings :-D …. should i do the civil service in july? or wait till sep so i can have my close fammily here, I know im kinda countin my chickens before they even hatch since he hasnt *officially* proposed yet, but thats just how its working out for us lol… Sorry this is so long, I know most of you probably are super busy and arnt here for advice lol.. but Id appreciate anything… Hes he only one i know int he military that im close to and im kinda being throwin into it head first lol…
alysia, hi!! first i want to say congratulations!! for your civil service ceremony, i would find out if your fh wants guests( immediate family) or just the 2 of you. that will help you choose the right month. if there are guests you could go out for a nice dinner afterwards. for your attire, CS brides have many options: wear something they already own( dress, slacks, or jeans) , buy an evening gown and reuse for the big reception ( 2nd dress), some wear simple wedding gowns( depending on the formality they want for the day), buy a simple casual or cocktail dress ( reuse as your honeymoon attire). i just love the tunic or maxi dresses with beaded shoes. that is what i would choose. carry a small bouquet or a long stem rose with trailing ribbons. you can look every bit of the bride!! as for telling family and friends, i would, waht a joy to announce youare offically married! whether a small civil ceremony or a large celebration, you are man and wife, what a wonderful day either way!! so yes you will change your name and all the legal things that go with it. since you will already be married, some of the invite wording can be different, unless you want to keep it the traditional route. that is okay too. i love your color scheme and ideas thus far, when you get ready to plan the big event let me know!! i would love to help!
thanks! :-) im thinkin id probably buy a cute dress or something nice but not super fancy and i LOVE the idea of the small boquet with big ribbons i could even get the colors of my future “wedding” in there so i could have it dried and used somewhere in that :-D obviously he still has to come home and “ask” me and we stll have to get rings, were going to get them all at once to make it easier since everything will be so close together. I think we’ll do the CS on his predeployment leave whenever that is … im hoping soon for the marriage part, but im hoping not so soon for the deployment part :-( ill deff be doing alot of planning for the ceremony and stuff after he comes back which will be who knows when :-( im super excited about planning lol.. he has NO idea what hes getting into :-P hes probably lucky that he’ll be gone while im settin it all up haha… and i would love to have you help as well :-)
So im engaged to a marine and we are planning our wedding for a year from now. Im trying to get an idea of what we want. We are both from a small town in Ohio and want a small wedding. I love the new black and white themed weddings and such, but im not sure if it will go with our idea of a little country wedding. I also want the best color scheme to go with his Dree Blues. What is your take on a Marine style wedding in a little country church?
hi katie,
i took what you said you wanted and made a wedding board. i think the black and white it amazing!! i would not change a thing!! i gave 2 different bouquets, one i is more black and white and the other is a touch of yellow. i thought either one of these would be perfect and especially accent country buildings. to me there is just soemthing about yellow that really compliments stone or rustic buildings. let me know what ya think!!
Thanks so much for your advise. But i just got news that he will deploy a month before our set wedding date which was in June. We have moved it up to February 14. And i changed the colors to black with red. Its still in the same old country church and all but im stuck. All my set ideas went down the toilet and im rushing to get an idea what i should do. I dont want to look tacky cause its a Valentines wedding and i dont want a bunch of hearts everywhere, lol. Do you think that it all will still work out even though i had to change some things? Im so worried it wont all come together like i want it to. Thanks again!
Katie
hello,
my name is makayla and I am engaged to a soldier. I am down in tx and he is currently deployed. We want a non-military wedding but we want to have some military aspects, like the sabers. We are having the wedding in his home town in OH. he will be wearing his class A’s and I want my colors to go along with his uniform. I am doing a champagne and a light green color but I want to add another color to the scheme..any suggestions? We aren’t technically on a budget but I want to keep the wedding around 5,000..and I am becoming more and more confused on how to do that with our ever-growing list.
makayla,
when are you getting married? i love champagne and light green, it is beautiful! i have some pics below, girls in a green dress ( this is pistachio, though it looks grey and grey would be a perfect color to add) paired with citrus colors. when on a budget if you want your wedding to look more lush, either use tones of the same shade ( monochromatic) or pops of color paired against a neutral background. i think these links would be perfect for your color scheme!! let me know whattcha think!!
* Green & Champagne Wedding
*Hot New Wedding Color Combos
* Hot New Wedding Color Combos
*Hot New Wedding Color Combos
*Hot New Wedding Color Combos
makayla,
sorry about the bottom posts, they will require a log in. its free and simple.
makayla,
last pic. i do hope you love it. i have been waiting to use this one. again, my apologies, the dress is peridot.
*The Vineyard Collection by Priscilla of Boston
Style# 1302
Color: Peridot
ahh I love it!
the signature drink is such a cute idea! I wanted to use those flowers anyways and it does look really cute. However, since we wont be in OH until like 2 weeks before the wedding, I wanted to have fake flowers so I could get them done and ship them up there before the wedding..and I dont think I can get those flowers fake? We are planning the wedding to be mid-january.
makayla,
you should be able to get those flwoers fake try here:
saveoncrafts.com
aww thank you so much! you are a true genius about everything! Do you think that adding that light lavender/pink color that are in the flowers work? That way I have an olive green, champagne and the lavender.
makayla,
absolutely!! very romantic and beautiful color scheme!!
you are absolutely amazing at what you do! Im so thankful I ran into you! I went today and got my wedding dress and it has an old time look to it and found my bridesmaids dresses in peridot. thank you so much!
makayla,
you are most welcome! i wish you all the best!
Ok so my marine and i have been engaged…we went through so rough times in our engagement that has held our wedding off. As of right now we are really good…other than the fact that he is in California for 5 months training to go to Iraq for 7 months. He will be gone for my 21st birthday which really sucks, but i have to deal with it and be strong and supportive of him. I love him with all of my heart he is my everything. So we were thinking on his 10 days of leave that we would get married at the court house and then have a real wedding when he returns from Iraq. Sound like a good idea?? Let me know what you think.
Thanks
<3 alysia
alysia, it sounds perfect! when you get ready to plan your wedding write back; i would love to help with your special day!! i do wish you all the best with your new marriage!
Thank you so much Stacey. I will be sure to get back on here because i do have a lot of planning to do alone while he is away in iraq and i will need some extra help. Thanks again.
Ok, So this will probably be a long post..
My husband and I are already married, we had a civil wedding, nothing fancy. We went through some bumps in our marriage and now we have made a complete 360 in our lives and have come to be extremely happy, we have only been married for a year and 3 months, but we want to renew our vows, he is currently a Staff Seargent in the Marines. My problem is that I have noooooo idea where to start or what to do… Our budget is in between 10,000 and 12,000 I would love to incorporate his carrer into our marriage for it is part of our daily lives. Personally that isn’t the big issue, we live in elizabeth nj and I am having trouble finding a venue to fit our prices… I would love to have a park and tent wedding with the food catered,( most parks dont allow alcohol) or a beach wedding. We dont want to be more then an hour from elizabeth or more then 2 hours from hicksville ny, because of the trip for his grandma. also my husband is jewish and and I am cristian, how do we go about our ceremony? I think the biggest problem for me is that i dont have wedding experience (haven’t been to many :(, only when i was young) and so i dont know what to look for.. I am a full time student and time is something I lack, but we cant afford a wedding planner. What should I do.. i feel like just not having a wedding because its so hard and I have no one to help me….
camilla, not to worry.
*interfaith wedding
*A Sample Interfaith Wedding Ceremony, with Both Priest and Rabbi Officiating
*Common Ground for Jewish-Christian Weddings
*Sample Jewish – Christian Interfaith Ceremony
camilla, i think it is a wonderful idea to plan a wedding.
the first thing you need to do is find a venue. if you are wanting a park or beach area, you will need a permit. i gave you some links, you will need to talk to the rabbi and pastor about the proper renewal vows.
*interfaith prayers
it would be ideal and sometimes less expensive to find a venue that caters and will allow you to hold the wedding in the same room. for a tent/outdoor wedding you will need to rent everything, have proper restroom facilities etc. this can run into $$$. you have a nice workable budget which depends on the size of guest list you want. when i first saw your post. i immediately thought simple yet elegant restaurant wedding. you could still marry outdoors, can you find a venue that has an awesome garden? a home wedding is nice, still alot will be needed or perhaps renew your vows in a park and then head over to a restaurant? i want to help you plan a beautiful wedding!!
please dont call it off, together we can get this done!! with a restaurant wedding, you will not need much decor, everything is done for you. that is why those are my faves hands down as far as being practical.
i am trying to find a article that backs my restaurant idea. even if you want children there, it CAN still happen.
here it is, this could even be adapted for outside and made as romantic as you want it, it exudes casual romance, i just LOVE it! i dont know why but i felt you would love it. i hope it opens on your computer.
* the wedding*
if it is hard to open go here.
http://www.figandolive.com/Brides-FigAndOlive.pdf
What is your envision as far as colors or setting? a theme? the mood you would like to set? casual, semi formal, laid back? how many guests do you plan to invite?
here are some pics that might help…..
*reception gallery
*wedding color gallery
if you want to proceed before you get your venue. i would suggest a neutral color palette, that will go with everything. white, ivory ,or cream is a fair color scheme, plus an all white decor is just super dreamy!! it will make planning more difficult without a venue tho.
please let me know what you think!! write me back and we will talk more. looking forward to your reply!!
Hi Stacey thank you so much for the reply, I will def start looking into restaurants, I guess we will most likely have children there I have a huge family and it would be kind of weird to exclude them since everyone is so family oriented, My mom is one of ten so I have a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins, plus many friends who I have remained in contact with since high school, so a small wedding will be kind of hard, The guest list will end up between 120 and 150, I know big for a restaurant wedding. I would definately love to have an outside ceremony even if the restaurant itself provides the space for us to do so. And when you said simple but elegant you were absolutely correct
I love colors, and we are looking for a late may early june date because we will be re-stationed around that time. Colors that I have really found to be preety as I look through magazines are, a blue which is in between turquoise and aqua, (yellow & orange), My husband and I love chocolate so I wanted to incorporate that into the favors, and the wedding some how, (not the color, the actual chocolate 
) My biggest issue finding a venue has been something that will fit into our budget, the new jersey area is expensive, and like i told you before we need something that is less then 2 hours away from hicksville, new york because of his grandma, and hopefully around an hour away from us, that has been the hardest task so far. When it comes to favors, invitations and many of the details I am pretty handy I can make a lot of things (crafty) i just need ideas and some guidance… thank you so much for your help, talk to you soon.
camila,
i would have a chocolate wedding cake and give 2 types of favors white chocolate and brown chocolate. this wont be any more expensive than if you bought all of one flavor. that is fantastic that you are crafty, a diy bride is always a plus on a budget. wow! you will have many loved ones to share in your day and that is wonderful. i agree with finding something that has an outdoor patio or garden. i love the color scheme!! keep it simple, white linens with aqua accents, centerpieces of yellow and creamy orange. have chocolate cake with white scroll design, girls wearing aqua carrying bouquets in either all yellow or orange. you carry white with aqua ribbon. ( as most know i love adding shades of blue ribbon to a white bouquet, it also stands for something blue) being craft i have a treat for you!! realsimple.com has the most amazing idea! wedding flowers from a supermarket!
check it out!
*wedding bouquet ( this is the one i think would look superb with aqua!)
camila, more pics.
These are great! thanks Stacey. Do you have a website that I can look up wedding venues and an estimate of prices?
camila,
i google searched hicksville new york wedding venues also try elizabeth new york wedding venues. i would start from the beginning and call to find a place to suit your needs. i found alot of places also call local parks or gardens your interested in. if you find a garden you will not need any decor EXCEPT the bridal party florals. it will be decorated for you, try to find a place that already has chairs. it will lessenthe $$$. also try all the restaurants. i am not sure what you have in your area. i am sure you will find a beautiful place!!
My Marine and I are planning on getting married in Nov…i have well along with planning but have come to a problem…invitations are coming up and i know there are a million and one rules for weddings and military weddings..right now he is LCpl but possible to be CpL when we get married…How do i write his name on the wedding inviation if he is LCpl or CpL??? also is there a site that will let me type in the ranks to see how i should write the other members of the military that will be there as Guests???
tes,
*military wedding invitation etiquette
*wedding invitations to military personnel
if you need more links just google search military wedding invitations ( lots of info)
hope i helped!
thanks stacey, that did help a lot
Hi! Im in the process of planning my wedding to my Marine. There have been so many sacrafices that I have made to pull this off. I just dont know where to draw the line.. but it seems like we can still do our wedding plans before he deploys next winter. The date is being pushed back to Nov. 21st due to availablity. The venue is a beautiful small town 20th century style building. On the third level all hard wood, the room has a very warming glow from all the honey wood. I originally wanted Navy blue mixed with some Romantic red and white. However, now that it’s going to be so close to thanksgiving.. I feel like I have too many themes going on. I kinda do like the idea of scarlet and gold bicolor roses.. more of a harvest feel?? I dont know where to stop or start? Please help!
erika,
you can have the guys in either dark blue or black with a navy tie( unless they are in uniform too) i put a lil’ twist to the color scheme with some traditional fall decor. i thought it looked amazing when put togehter and with a “today” edge yet with the romance you loved. this is how it turned out, i do hope you like it. i tried to make it fit the venue. let me know whattcha think!! 
i love the bi color roses. i would keep the colors you began with. i made a board to show you how the colors would compliment, red white and blue can be for year round!!
I am planning a wedding with a Marine as well and due to availability we are doing Nov 28th becuse i know he will be home..we are doing red ivory and blue..I do believe it is important to keep the military theme but remember it is ur wedding too! i think what you have planned is good, i would keep the colors..
Hi!! I had a few little questions. I was wondering what a good way to bring the military aspect into a wedding without doing it in a chapel on base. My fiance is stationed at ft benning ga, but most my family lives in atlanta and theres the main airport there, so we were going to use the nearby base, but the chapel… sad to say is really sad and untaken care of. Any ideas?? Also, some of the groomsmen are military and some aren’t. Should we just have them all were tuxs or mix and match?
gina,
it is really a personal choice on the attire. i would ask the guys if they feel comfy in wearing thier uniform or a tux. i think it is such a wondeful to see guys in their well earned and deserved uniforms. i have such a high respect for the women and men in the military. if some choose to and some dont just line them up in even style uniform, tux, uniform, tux. can you get me a pic of the chapel? i would love to see what decor it needs. also what colors are you leaning toward? i love the idea of pulling in military aspects by the invites have double swords as a motif, another is in your bouquet you could have a sentimental ribbon , say a yellow ribbon tucked into your bouquet for symbolic, support, and recognition of troops. even if you have no yellow anywhere else this would be a heartfelt touch. also the arch of swords, find out the guidelines here. it is beautiful!
We were going to have some men from the Army and the Marines in the wedding but due to deployment we arent anymore..But with the atire we wanted them to wear their uniforms (the men who were in the military) due to respect. And the men who were not in the military were just going to wear tuxs..it does seem to be mixed and match but i believe that respect was the bigger issue…and besides..you could do the men with uniform standing closer to the groom and the other men in tuxs behind the men in uniform…
Hello, everyone.
I just got engaged to my boyfriend on April 29, 2009. He is leaving for marine bootcamp on May 18, 2009. We have been together for almost 5 years. We wanting to have a wedding in august when he comes back from bootcamp. BUt, we wanted to get married when he came back from bootcamp right before he went to tech school. Is this possible for us to do? Also when they are done with bootcamp do he get to come home for a week before going to bootcamp?
Yes, it would be possible to do. Marines get 10 days of bootleave before they go to their next destination.
Diamond…It is more than possible…but you need to get started now…not tomorrow. The list of things to do is incredable and most brides start 9 months to a year ahead of time with preparations…get started and make sure you hire a planner who can help take some of the headaches off you. Agood wedding planner knows the ins and outs and has contacts that would take you a while to find. I know..because I am one. Good luck and have a happy live together.
Hi,
my name is heather. i am gettin married sept 25th 09. i am planning to have a military wedding. my fiance is in the Marine Corps. i am not sure of how to plan and what thing to have at the wedding, someone please help me! any ideas rules comments, whatever. thank you so much
heather, hi!
have you picked your venue yet? if you could let me know a little of what you would like as far as fave colors, theme?, venue colors, fave flowers? i could get an idea of what to look for.
Stacey, you have a gift my dear. Most people nowadays would charge others for such exceptional advice and you do it for free. Thank you so much for the wonderful ideas! I am a bride to be to an Infantryman and your ideas are very helpful! Thanks again, Christiana
christiana,
i am so glad i could help in any way i could and thank you so much for the compliment; it really means alot.
I have a few questions and if anyone has any ideas, please let me know.
First, I am a widow with five boys. My husband passed away in 2006 while active duty. We had a wonderful marriage of 14 years.
Now, I have met another man and we plan to marry in a year or two. We know we can’t rush things because of the kids mostly and family (it is really hard on some that I even thought about dating).
But, I have to move on for me and the kids.
This will be my second marriage and his first. He has no children. He is Army Reserves. He did serve in Iraq.
I would like any suggetions that anyone has that might help us plan a beautiful military wedding. He does plan on wearing his dress blues. I am not sure right now what all we can do.
I know I really don’t want to outshine my first wedding,but at the same time, I want this to be beautiful and special for him as well. I do want a military wedding and all I can with it, so I probably will outdo my first wedding, but I certainly will never love my first husband any less. This is hard and yet this is so wonderful!
I also had thought about red, white and blue colors, but don’t want to over do it. And I have no idea of what style of dress to wear! My first one was long sleeved, long train with a sweetheart neckline.
And also wondering what the bridal party should wear! From the men to the women and the girls to the boys.
Oh, and how can I incorporate my children into the entire wedding?
That is a BIG question!!! They are currently ages 4,6,7,9,12. Right now, no one knows that we are planning our wedding, because it is so hard on some people in my family to handle me dating. And, we have only been dating less than six months. It is just so hard to be away from each other and we enjoy each others company and he enjoys my kids!
CASSONDRA
cassondra,
i am so sorry to hear about your loss. i can imagine the difficulty that you have faced yet happy to see the courage you have to begin a new chapter in your life and your childrens lives. it should be a happy day for you all. i would love to help you!! btw what does your venue look like or have you found one yet? what time of year will it take place? these will be key elements in researching some wonderful ideas for you!! but go to the knot and you can look at many wonderful ideas to get a look for your day. when you narrow it down i will begin searching. you said long sleeve so i am assuming it will be cooler weather. Tip: plan a military wedding just as you would a civil one. dont worry about matching his uniform, in fact i would incourage you not too. cause i have read its not suppose to be matched due to what his uniform stands for. what if your fave color and flower and his fave color? that could be the beginning of a perfect color scheme. also look in your closet it will show what colors you are drawn too. but if you are going with red white and blue. add elegance with sparklers and dreamy all white flowers.
*wedding details by color ( you can also type search military wedding and it will pull up a real wedding gallery)
also google image red white blue wedding board.
*The Perfect Palette ( can click on the color of your choice and see mood boards)
i hope this will help!!
I am getting married to an airman and I don’t know what colors i should use…my finance will be wearing his blue mess dress….so what colors go good with blue? i have thought about a light yellow, a light blue, white, and silver but what color should be the major color along with the blue. Should the bridesmaid’s dresses be blue like the mess dress with white around the waist or would a light yellow look better with blue around the waist? i don’t know how to work the colors together!! please anyone if they have ideas let me know!!
emma,
google image blue and yellow wedding. this is a striking combo that would look perfect with this. however the only thing that concerns me is the groom’s honorable uniform will not stand out if you use the same color as he is wearing and that wouldnt look right. but put them in a light blue with dark blue accents and creamy yellow and white flowers would look stunning. keep the silver in the jewelry and any other metallic accents there are like centerpiece containers and silverware. also google image pale blue and yellow wedding. dont overlook putting your bridal party in pale yellow. but be especially careful here cause it may not compliment their skintones. good luck!!
Thank you sooo much stacey!!! you have been a great help!!
im getting married in a year to amarine and i am totally lost on evereything if anyone could help me that would be great cause i have planned nothing yet????????
brittany,
hi could you tell me a little of your wedding vision, where it is being held, and what colors your drawn too? is it gonna be informal or formal etc.
i really don’t know much yet just that he is wearing his dress blues, and that stuff. thinking of having it at this lake near our home, it will be outside and during spring.
thats it….
brittany,
first google lake wedding then lake wedding board then lakefront wedding also image green and white wedding board and green and blue wedding board.
i found some posts you might love. i am steering toward a green and white or blue and green wedding. but this with the mint green and citrus flowers is gorgeous!! you would not believe how gorgeous green and white go against green lawn and trees.
* check this out, you could grab great ideas *real wedding
*military real wedding
*military real wedding in tiffany blue
now this is perfection, i love this wedding, it has all the elements of romamance….simply. it just appears full of the true meaning of a wedding.
*real wedding on the lake if you chose this, it would be heavenly not to mention simple to do. dont worry about making the wedding match your fh’s uniform. it is usually not recommended to do so, since it is a uniform of honor. if complimenting his uniform means alot to you, then this is the wedding. isnt it breathaking, yellow and green with brown would fit for summer and spring as well.
check out all real weddings at brides.com also venture over to theknot.com click on wedidng photos and it will bring you to a color gallery. see what grabs ya!!
So, my wedding date is’nt set in stone but i would like it to be in August of 2010. I will be 19 and my Marine boyfriend will be 21. Simple as it is…
Does my wedding have to be a Military wedding, with all those rules and regulations? Or can i just have like a normal Civilian wedding? Of course my hunny will have on his dress blues, but he wants me to have the wedding how i want.
So is there any rule that it HAS to be a military wedding?
kaylee,
hi!! go ahead and have the civilian wedding, i have read military weddings are optional, even his uniform is not required UNLESS it is a military wedding. so plan the day of your dreams!! have fun and congrats!!
the military wedding websites do not work.
Sorry, Christina, the site must have gone out of business!
We’ve taken the links off for now. Sorry about that!
I’m in the Air Force Air National Guard, a Reserves component. My fiance is not in the military. I’ve been unemployed 1 year, my employment benefits are gone, and I’m doing part-time work with my reserve unit as needed to fortunately meet my family needs. Since we collectively cannot afford a church wedding and reception, I am encouraging my fiance to consider the military wedding at my ANG base with the assistance of one of our Chaplains. There is still a cost, but not like a full blown civilian wedding. I’m lost as to how to make this nice without costing me hundreds of dollars I can’t afford to spend. My fiance has a new black suit he bought last fall. I’ve a wedding gown from 2 yrs ago from a previous broken engagement that I’ve never even tried on since the engagement ended just before the gown arrived. Since I’m the military member and my fiance isn’t, I don’t know if I’m to wear my unused wedding gown or am I suppose to wear my service blues? The ivory wedding gown is formal since the wedding I planned 2 years ago in the previous engagement was to be a more formal wedding. Will it be appropriate in this type of ceremony? I still have the blank invitations from that previous engagement…antique looking hand made paper with embedded tiny flowers pressed throughout the paper…all I have to do is print the words on vellum from my printer and attach. Is this inappropriate to use? I also had red silk roses I was going to make as a bouquet…now adorning my side table…my original wedding colors were going to be a very subtle red, ivory and blue with the theme being WWII in honor of my former fiance’s father. I can still throw all this together since I already have these items on hand…but I don’t know how appropriate this is…and of course, we cannot afford any reception…no party favors and big cake…and no one to dress up my hair or makeup…no photographer. Since we want to tie the knot this May, any and all advice will be appreciated…
dai, i am sorry about your dilemma. you said WWII. this is what i would do. go all out with this theme. whether you cut your guest list or not. it will be very inexpensive. in those days brides wore what they had, which is perfect , and cake and punch(upgraded to today to champagne) reception was the norm, with a few finger sandwiches and add chips(ask family to chip in making stuff) have the groom wear the black suit and red bout. find a place to marry(perhaps a family backyard or outdoor location.outdoors is already decorated for you)
WWII was famous for their last minute weddings and the decor was simple. it was a time of ration. so for you i would go with the 1940’s theme in the old fashioned sense by keeping it exactly how they did it.(maybe your fiance would LOVE this authentic theme) collect vases from flea markets, out of your home, friends and family. keep it mismatched on purpose. usually the only arrangements were flowers gracing the cake table. maybe some ribbons etc. it was not decorated in a big way. for the consider cupcakes or (if your guest list is larger) 2 supermarket sheet cakes on table with a round (your cake) in center on pedestal cake plate. borrow your cake and knife set. have old fashioned ideas with it, coffee, mints, nuts and punch. buy paper napkins at any store for cheap (like walmart or sams etc.) nothing fancy just plain napkins etc. borrow or buy a simple set of wine glasses(preferrably the saucers;squatty looking glasses, this was th enorm then)
you can also see where youcan marry on base or check out WWII air hangarmuseums which would give guests something to do, its a great little bonus for no xtra charge.(like my daughte married the night the christmas parade was, it was like it was planned just for her, her wedding was super inexpensive, i will give you the ebay guide i wrote to read)it will appear you set it up just for them.they should let you have a simple cake and punch reception there too. see if they(if they havent already) add patriotic banners. they may have some in storage and be happy to let you use them. if you wnat to honor this time, then a little patriotic would work and the boldness would appear to be more.
orientaltrading.com (lots of decor for VERY VERY cheap) use the invites. and use the dress if its gonna be a more semi formal occasion, it wont hurt. but why not wear a simple fitted 2 piece skirt suit or 1940’s style dress( do you have something that couls work already?) with 1940’s style heels. it would go better with his suit. and wear a birdcage veil. it will still be up to date. carry the red roses. tie off with a white ribbon. they do have fresh red roses at walmart for $5.00. tie with ribbon, instant bouquet. have greenery for centerpieces if you use a banquet hall, just clip your own. make sure its not poison!! stick with ivy, add little flags. (i promise it wont look cheesy) if the other details point to patriotic and WWII. i hate to ask this, but do you have a seamstress inthe family that would alter the dress into tea length or a simpler dress?that way it would be different than for th efirst wedding but still new to you. i really think a tea length or suit is the way to go. i just read a military bride can wear a dress. do our own makeup and hair and see if there is any photographers in th family. the first 2 links are typical era style. a use what yo uhave style. it looks awesome!! remember carnations look so good bunched together!! and was the popular flower then)
*‘nole’s wedding’
*‘heather and kevin’
*short dress(google image tea length wedding dress)
*wedding dress(my mom said this would still work, late 1940’s to 50’s dress)
*stephanie james couture( isnt these great!!)
*Wedding planning…Can you give me tips on how to keep my wedding under $5000?(disnt know your budget but here are some ideas)
*real weddings”(click on photo galleries and see tips for different weddings great tips!!)
*Christi & Trevors Do-It-Together Wedding
*Kara & John’s Simple Sassy Wedding(this is one of the best weddings i have ever seen, they even used plastic cups and it still looks fab, your guest would love this one, i cant stop looking at it and i love the tables WITHOUT the place settings, just like a family reunion, fix your plate and sit down!! smile)
*Thrifty Wedding
google search how to plan a wedding under $(insert your budget here) you will find loads of tips!!
*Real Weddings
*budget friendly wedding baord. (some of the best wedding boards with details!!)
here is my ebay guide:
*The Simple Wedding!( my daughter didnt have a photographer, she just asked family to do this, pics were so good!!she didnt require all the formal shots etc) she cut out alot of details that a formal wedding has and walked away with a wedding people STILL talk about.
yes her wedding really was under $300.00 and everybit as beautiful!! the location was key though. it already had everything including the decor. she didnt have to add anything but a bouquet. seriously it does make a difference when decorating and your budget overall. she chose a one pot wonder for the guests and STILL had food leftover, but the venue didnt charge for that. just what guests ate. how cool is that!!
so find a venue that has everything, including simple flower centerpieces. dont add unnecessary decor, you wont need it. have cake and punch. play era and today tunes on a ipod or sound system if available. have both ceremony/reception in 1 spot. let guests sit at tables instead of rearranging or renting chairs. i know i wrote alot but i hope this helps, i wanted to show you can have a beautiful wedding even on the strictest budget. also think potluck buffet instead of gifts. people will be glad to help!! that way you can have a reception.keep food simple so they wont be inthe kitchen a long time. or get married at a military setting and then have a casual bbq reception in a backyard. (people can pitch in here too)example:
*Wedding Album(another jaw dropper!!)
if you go with your dress just keep all else same, simple with food etc, just have the decor with a more elegant appearance but less is more. think strategically. add lots of greenery so it will be more lush.the costs wont change hardly at all. let me know what you think.
if you need any more info please write back, i would love tohelp you with all this.
Oh wow. that sounds exciting and stressful. I have a few ideas for you. I am currently putting together my wedding with a marine however I have also helped with others as well including my sisters. She was a marine herself. Ive worked with budgets of 1000 to 5000 before. I believe it is only customary for a man to wear a uniform. I suggest you wear the one you have unless it makes you uncomfortable.
I also suggest that you look into cupcakes. It is a new trend so no one would question the amount you spend on these however cupcakes can be a much less expensive alternative.
Also I know when my parents got married they asked family members to pitch in for food for a pot luck. You may not get much of a say in what you have however its not a bad way to go.
As for a place for a reception, look into public parks. Most have pavilions. I also know that many bases have parks on them as well. These may have to be reserved for such an occasion but usually do not cost much if anything. With an outdoor reception you can also have glitter to throw as your exit. Big bottles of glitter can be very cheap at craft stores and the glitter shimmers in the sun.
Another cheap trick, put on your invitations that you would like guests to help contribute to the wedding as a wedding gift. For instance, tell your guests you would like them to bring digital cameras and send you a cd afterwards. Another alternative is to tell people 35mm film will be provided and offer a drop box. Even developing this film can be much cheaper.
Hello, I am trying to plan my big wedding. We already got married at the court so our son will get the benefits. So we are planing a big wedding in July so I can have the wedding of my dreams. Well my husband is in the Marines (the 3rd generation in the Marines) and I am from a military family myself (navy mostly but some army in the mix). So it’s kinda obvious that we want a military wedding. My brides maid dress is wild orchid (a bright purple) and lilac (light purple)…and that’s where i am stuck. Also is it okay to have the arch of swords not be done by his groomsmen. Because he wants his friend that he has been friends with since high school be his groomsmen. thank you
suriati,
okay i read that the groomsmen donot have to do this. but have someone qualified to do so. i would call or talk to someone in the military to find out rules and regulations to this issue.
have you thought about colors you like? what colors are the venue? can you send me a pic of the dress so i can see what could compliment it? my first thought was purples, green and white. with green and white flowers for the decor. then tie inthe purple inthe reception tables and cake. (google iamge green and purple wedding board)also google image green and lilac wedding board. ( great ideas here) and then lilac wedding. i posted some pics.
*Lilac and Green Wedding
suriati,
more pics.
hey ladies
any help?
well im really glad i found this website ive been looking at so many diff. sites to try and plan my military wedding. im engaged to a us soldier and he will be wearing his dress blues and so will all the soldiers with the sabers BUT i have no idea how i can get a really good looking combination of colors to match their dress blues!
ema,
what are some colors that you love. this will help narrow down what you dont like. when is your wedding date? what does your venue look like? for starters google image and google search real military wedding. and google image military wedding board. there are a lot of links you might find helpful. there are so many colors that coordinate with blue, but remember you do not have to match his uniform. plan the wedding as if he is wearing a tux or suit. it should be neutral, since it is his military uniform. it will look wonderful no matter what you use.
example…( see how wonderful it looks with pink!!)i hope this helps and takes the stress away!!
*A Military Fairy Tale
*military wedding colors
*Shannon & Peter in Colorado Springs, CO ( just type in military wedding in search box, it will pull up real weddings(go to the one with galleries, it has pics)
go to links here and see if anything stands out….
*Reception Stories
*wedding details by color
hey everyone im an army fiance and we just got engaged and he is in iraq right now and we are going to have a military wedding but i dont know where to start! he is based in fort drum and im in minnesota till he gets back so its hard trying to plan stuff from here
Kayla,
could you share your wedding vision with me. like the colors you both like, the venue? the ideal setting and mood you want to present to guests. the formality? your ideal flowers? i would love to help you!! oh! when is the wedding date? after you decide the date you should look around for venues and share everything you find with him, that way you can narrow it down. if you have your eye on a particular venue, you may want to check to see if your wedding date is booked, cause if you want it badly, youmay have to be flexible. if i know a little bit about waht you like and dislike, i could put together some ideas!! i look forward to your reply!!
Hi Kayla,
I am stationed at Ft. Drum…are you planning on having a wedding here in NY or in Minnesota? I have great vendors, who work on a budget. I did my military wedding for $4000, and 80 guests. Most of my budget went to buying tickets and hotel rooms for out of town guests. Welcome to the Army…
My name is Faiht, i just got engaged to a Marine and we are getting married in June or July. I can’t decide the color theme. Here is a picture of my wedding dress. He will be wearing his uniform. Do you have any suggestings?
Girl ilove i know you dont know me i am engagd to a marine myself i picked a dress jus like this one take alook at it i love yours
Nice to meet you!!! When are you getting married? My fiance just left for training in San Diego.
I love both of your dresses absolutely beautiful! I myself am marrying a marine in May. He is stationed in San Diego, and its amazing here!
Congratulations to the both of you!
Thanks, my marine is in MCT and we would like to be stationed at San Diego. We both like it there.
I love your dress!!!
I am engaged too But we are Air Force family. I found the same dress only in blue the problem though is it turns out the site I found it on was a fake. I was wondering if you could tell me where you found yours at? I would really appreciate it!
Where did you find that dress?? it is beautiful. im looking at a dress just like that for my wedding. i just got engaged to a marine in december and now he is depolyed. well congrats!!!
I found this dress at David’s Bridal But if you go to the store they only have it in red there but you can order it in any color you want! The different color selections and to see what it would look like in that color you can find on their website http://www.davidsbridal.com. Also the dress by it’s self is $599.00 but my total was around $722 with alterations and the slip under the dress plus the staapless bra that comes with it. Good luck!
I found this dress on ebay. there is a seller who make all kind of wedding dresses. He is from China. here is his store name:haohaohuihui wedding stone. All the dresses are custome made and it only coast $70, It’s for real!! I couldn’t believe it> So, take a look!!
Thank you so much! You just save me a a lot of money!!!!!!!!!! Wish they sold the Air Force’s Mess Dress on there! LOL
Your welcome!!! hope you will found one that you like!!! Congrats!!!
faith, what color are your bm wearing? and color of your venue?
* A red wedding color palette
* Jessica Lynn’s September Wedding
* Red and Yellow wedding colours
* Cooking Light magazine covers
( magazine cover cake floral, scroll down to Cooking Light #53 …. just beautiful)
* “red velvet” red orange yellow gold cake fall ( its a fall cake that could work so easy for a summer wedding)
* Jen & Travis are Married! ( the last wedding in the greens would be gorgeous)
you can also consider a champagne, white and ivory wedding. simple and no color matching!! smile. like here for example….
* Glam Up Your Table for a Party
( this idea is low fuss and beautiful) for a pop of color use simple red calla lilies instead of white. i personally think if your going with color, red and pale yellow would be beautiful, so would red and peach.
Thank you so much, I think i like the idea of red white and yellow. Would that work?
faith, yes it would be gorgeous. i was thinking white in the mix, since its a standard color i didnt mention it!smile. and i am so glad you like the colors. it will be so beautiful with that gorgeous dress! happy planning.
i love this dress! where did you find it?!
I found it on ebay. there are so many beautiful dresses by this seller and they are all $70 and is custom made. this is one of it.
That is a pretty dress. Both my fiance and I are Marines. That would work well with blue and gold or blue and silver color scheme so that you can tie in the color of the Dress Blue uniform.
congrats!!! I never though of those colors? they would really go.
where did you get your dress from???
On ebay, a seller from china and is custome made for only $70. the seller store name is haohaohuihui wedding stone. Check it out!!
i am also engaged to a marine and i cant seem to find a dress that will match his uniform can you give me some ideas????
well I am about to get married February 6th 2009, with the civilian justice of the peace.. But we want to have a military wedding… but since we are already married is that going to be possible?
Jen…I would say it is possible. My husband and I are having a military ceremony on our SECOND year anniversary. Neither of our families were happy about the quick JP wedding we had so we’re having an actual ceremony for the family in October of this year.
yeah our family’s are not happy about it either.. but that is what we want to do.. plus we have our reasons why we are doing things this way..
The chaplain knows that we have been married for a year now and understands that we want to have a ceremony that all of our family members can witness and take part in………it’s kindof crazy because, even though I’m already Mrs. Wilson, I’m nervous and excited about walking down the aisle.
I’ve just recently got engaged to a Marine. I’m having a hard time trying to decide what color accents i would like. We decided on Blue and Silver but I want to add another color. I’m also having a problem deciding if I want to use red & white roses or if i would like to use blue/yellow or white roses. any help would be very much appreciated! I’m new to weddings so i dont really know what I’m doing
amanda, i would use yellow roses. the contrast would be amazing, especially with the silver and blue color scheme.
* Blue & Yellow Preppy Wedding
* Wedding Wednesday - A Delicate Light Blue Wedding
* Blue hydrangea, yellow rununculous bouquet
if ya need anymore help, please dont hesitate!!
* Inspiration:Yellow and Blue Reception
(gorgeous!!)
* Help finding pictures…royal/marine blue
* Real Wedding - Sasha Souza Events, Brooke and Mark, III
(omg!)
Hello! My name is Leslie and I have had a civil ceremony to my marine and am planning the religious ceremony for June 20th 2009. I am having alot of trouble deciding on colors. My husband will be wear his blues but with the white pants instead of the blue and red ones. I have been thinking about doing black and white then using green as my accent color. I am not sure though any color suggestions would be helpful. I really dont want red white and blue. But it needs to match. I really need help. Please!!!!!
leslie, i just took a look at the uniform. I absolutely love the way this will look. stunning and chic! that green will stand out sooo much with crisp white, and touches of black. google image and search black green and white wedding boards for different pics(lots of em’) also over at theknot.com go to weddingphotos link then green wedding details etc. lots there. they even have real military weddings for inspiration but most are red. and if your looking for budget friendly flowers?!? google image carnations wedding also carnation wedding centerpiece
they are sooo overlooked but make the best centerpieces and bouquets when bunched together. check it out!!
* THE TOP 5 WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS
* Bryce & Jason in Kennebunk, ME ( this is beautiful too!! look add the added colors, i saw a military wedding in pink and it looked amazing, not awkward at all, i would plan the wedding as if the uniform want a color factor because it blends!!
)
* Tina & Russ in Vicksburg, MS
* Wordless Wednesday - Karlee’s Wedding Inspiration Board
* Jessica & Tony in Kingston, MA
( this wedding is unforgettable!, just gorgeous!!my fave!)
* Kelly’s Country Club Wedding
( i love how a little pink is added to the brides bouquet)
Thanks a lot Stacy!! I really appreciate the help. Im still debating. My other option I have thought of would be Black and White with yellow accents. I just want everything to flow well together! Again thanks alot!
leslie, you are so welcome!! wow you have 2 great schemes. why not do black and white with yellow flowers and greenery as the “green” then do like in pic add pops of green here and there (keep bm in black) i think this would be amazing. could you imagine having a b&w wedding cake, b&w table linens and then having these fab yellow flowers accented by green?!? i am not trying to confuse you but girls in yellow, black or green would work. with gm dresses accordingly, black suit with yellow or green tie. google image and search your wedding combos. yelow wedding, yellow and green, black white and yellow etc. to get good looks at wedding colors.
you might really love the link below, the paper lanterns give a great summery feel. its really beautiful. the lanterns could easily be mixed green and pale light yellow. above pic it will say courtesy of inside weddings (click for entire, beautiful wedding photos) i posted pics for ideas on black and white weddings on favor ideas website.
* A Punch of Color
* Knottie Wedding: springchic ( this is beautiful)
* Lime and Yellow Wedding
* StyleMePretty: Yellow, Navy
* Spring Wedding Colour Palette
tell me what ya think after looking at all this, espcially the wedding link, what i love about this its soooo easy! paper lanterns are budget friendly. if you will share what type wedding your hoping for i would love to help!! maybe i can narrow down some ideas for ya!!
Hey thanks again. These pictures help alot. I am pretty sure we are going to go with the Black white and yellow. I think it wll look good and the yellow will add a modern feel to it. I want the wedding to be fancy but not over the top and some what simple at the same time. They location is a small plantation and the reception is in an old cultural arts barn. It is absolutely stunning! We do have a very small budget, so we are doing our best to kkeep things on the low cost side with out looking like it. I have already purchased a few paper lanterns in white so I need to get some more. I love the look of them!!Again Thank you so much!!
leslie, your wedding is gonna be beautiful!! after seeing where your getting married. definitely yellow. it is one of the best colors for plantations, castles, etc. it is a happy occasion color. brides have been using it in these particular settings for years!! the paper lanterns will go a long way!! consider having ribbon wands for flower girls, this is an old idea. it looks amazing. and you can diy. (google image diy ribbon wands) and also image ribbon wnads to look at them. just little inexpensive details can make a difference. and use also as a gift to the flowergirls. happy planning!!
Hey- its Cortney again! Thank you all so so much for all your help I think I am going to go with the burnt orange( with hints of gold), white and the navy blue. Thanks for all your help! If any one has any other ideas please send them my way!! My moms not into the wedding planning thing!-
Thanks again!
Hi,
Im getting married in March and im doing my wedding Invitations but im am so stuck on the wording. Everything I have found is like if my parents were sending out the invitations, which mine arnt lol. If any of ya’ll have any info that would help i would greatly appriciate it.
Thanky yall
allaina, here is a great website!! it should help alot!!
* Proper Wording for Wedding Invitations
Hey everyone- I am Cortney and I am 18. I am engaged to a Marine. We plan on getting married the summer of 2009. I am having a horrible time trying to figure out colors. My soon to be brother-in-law is also a marine. When him and his wife got married, they had yellow colors. I was thinking a burnt orange… what else… Please I need help and Im stressing!! I can take all the advice I can get
Thanks Cortney
hi cortney, we just got married, my new husband is a marine, and i had the girls wear navy blue, with a white sash. They looked great with the assorted military uniforms that all military were asked to wear. I think everyone looked so classy and polished. Hope this helps… good luck and congrats to you and your marine future!
Hi Courtney,
I’m getting married again in Aug. 2009 to a my Marine. We had a civil ceremony this past Aug. 2nd. This time will be the religious ceremony. I think I’m going with a red wine color for the brisdemaids or all gold. I love that look, and I can’t decide. Good Luck with your Marine future!!!!
Are you have a renewal of vows cermony or a blessing of the marrige cermony? I have been reading online that with the blessing ceremony is not right to have bridesmaids and things like that.
I only ask because I am planning my real wedding now since i only had a civil ceremony before and im not sure what type of ceremony to do.
amy, it is perfectly fine to have the whole wedding atmosphere for a real wedding if you didnt have it first go around!! smile!! celebrities seal and heidi klum are marrying, from what i understood, every anniversary with the works and each in a different theme, so go for it!! do what you want!! the only thing that will be different is the marriage license etc. read some of my info links on this site. hope it helps!!
cortney, here are some links, colors that may appeal to you paired with orange!!
* Board #238: Floral Opulence
( i just wanted to show you orange and white bouquets against dresses are amazing!!) keep all floral decor in burnt orange and white flowers just add blue here and there like a beautiful blue cake, blur ribbons on favors, wrapped around bouquets etc. dont forget the greenery!! unless your going for a hip look which is more flowers than greenery.
* Oklahoma; Becky & Ryan ( this is a military wedding, bride used pink it is a very nice wedding and does not clash with groom’s uniform. google image orange wedding and look at different colors with orange. see which you love best. there are lots of ideas to enjoy!! like orange and pink, orange and red, orange and yellow, orange and green,etc.
* Board #308: Tiffany Blue and Tangerine
cortney, i just came across this one and i just knew you would love it!! it is gorgeous!! its a military wedding with burnt orange and red….
* The Grand Del Mar April 2008
I LOVE IT!! This is beautiful! Thank you so much! I am for sure going to base my wedding off of this!! Thanks
My cousin married a marine and for their wedding she color cordinated with red and white flowers and gold, navy and white decorations, it was beutiful. Im a military wife, and ARMY veteran as well and i wouldd suggest using the accent colors on the uniform to match you. Use colors off the ribbons, rank and awards. It will show your pride for your husband and look good to.
Hi Emily,
My daughter will be marrying her Marine fiance’ next December. She is having a very difficult time picking out colors for her bridesmaids with the Marine uniform and black tuxedos for the groomsmen. We have been seriously thinking about gold with using red as accents, but not sure how this will look. Do you know what color your cousin used for her bridesmaids? Thank you
Hi ladies,
I left a comment a couple of weeks ago about my air force wedding…well..i decided to use the colors coral and rose red…do you think that would be okay with his blue uniform? …Valerie (Air Force Fiance)
valerie, ooohhhh!! love it!!
* Laura’s Warm September Wedding
* Jessica & Danny’s Inspiration Board / garden wedding
* Social Design / Poll Results! (Purple & orange with professional event lighting)
i found some links but you’ll have to adjust the orange to coral. couldnt find a whole lot.
valerie, the pics didnt take gotta resend them.
valerie here they are….
Dear fellow brides,
So, we decided to have the actual ceremony and reception on our 1st year anniversary. The reason being, that I’ve heard the 1st year of a military marriage is the hardest. In the meantime, he wants us to not tell people to preserve the element of suprise. ( Although I don’t forsee that working)
My worry is that I want gifts, and all the bells and whistles of a formal wedding and reception. Unfortunately because I will already be married, I wont get to have the bridal shower that most brides get. Secondly, I’m afraid people will feel like we are only having a formal wedding celebration because we want gifts; although I do want gifts, it’s about more than that.
I have no control in what the government does with his life, and because of that I have no control over the most important day of my life. I don’t even know how I would word the invitation to the one year celebration. I want to walk down the isle in a white wedding dress and do all the other stuff I’ve been dreaming of being a bride would entail. But I don’t know what effect being married in a civil ceremony would have on that.
Do we tell our families? Do we still register for gifts? Do we have a second church ceremony and a reception or just throw a party? I cant talk to other military wives, because I get so many different responses. It basically boils down to the fact that we have to get married NOW for his peace of mind, because of the military. I just don’t know what to do after that.
I know someone on either sides of our families is destined to not like the way we decide to do things. So have to figure out something, invitation wording, and whether to register for gifts or not, without being tacky. Please help.
anonymous bride, first i wouldn’t worry about what others think. its your day. as goes with a 2nd wedding or a recommitment ceremony you can have whatever you want!! if you didn’t register the first go around then by all means go for it!! if you dont need alot of the wedding items like household stuff then go for sporting equipment etc. things that are more nontraditional. and yes tell everyone!! its a joyous celebration!! you can tell them that you wasnt able to have a big wedding first time and are now at a better place to share with your family and friends a day youve dreamed of. they will be excited i am sure. most couple nowadays pay for the entire wedding or most of it. the parents arent required to pitch in but may do so. and yes have that bridal shower!! why not!! the bachelerette party i probably wouldnt do, just get with the girls for a looking forward to the big day celebration, or spa day!! just to relax!! they say dont have attendents or register for gifts, i say if you didnt at first then do it this time! your gonna get gifts anyway.your gonna get mixed feelings on all this! but its no different then marrying the same person on their 10th anniversary. and having it lavish. i wish you the best of luck!! hope the info helps!!
* A Guide to Renewing Your Wedding Vows
* Open Question: Civil Ceremony Now, Wedding Later?
* Open Question: Civil Ceremony, Chapel Ceremony
* Two Wedding Ceremonies? (TheKnot Thread) My fiance is in the military …
These are really great links! Thank you Stacey for posting GOOD information on what is a really common dilemma for military couples where the fiance is being deployed.
Anon, one of the best things I have heard about this is that many countries NORMALLY have a civil ceremony and a religious ceremony. They’re separate. The civil ceremony is for the state, a formality (and in your case gives you the privileges you absolutely need to get along with a deployed partner). The religious ceremony is the crucial one.
Here, we don’t normally do that, but for you there is still an important distinction between the civil wedding and the “real” one. This is so common with military couples especially during times like these.
My thought is you’ll probably want to tell your parents and very close relatives, but otherwise, I’d just keep mum about the civil part. Make the big wedding the “real” wedding and don’t try to explain your reasoning to 100 more casual acquaintances who may not be in the service or be aware of these customs elsewhere. The last thing you want to do is apologize your way through the bridal shower or receiving line. Just enjoy your big, formal wedding when the time comes!
As long as you are comfortable with this I think it will work out great for you. And check out those links above, lots of other brides have been there! Best of luck!
I’m in the same boat that you are in…. My fiance is in tech school and we just recently got engaged. We haven’t told our parents yet that we want to get married before having a wedding… In fact were going to get married in a few months. I too want to have a wedding with my friends and family but In order to go with him we have to get married. I’ve searched the internet trying to find answers to all of my questions and typically people are not understanding of our situation. I honestly don’t see a problem getting married and then having a wedding later to celebrate.
I would tell your family and if they have a problem with it they don’t have to come to the wedding. I don’t think its tacky; being in the military means you live a different kind of life and that means we can’t do everything the same as everyone else. People should realize that, things don’t always go according to plan.
Its so weird to read your post because it sounds like me. I had the same problems. In the end we decided to get married at the court house and have just our parents there and save the ceremony for our one year. I was against the idea for along time because I had already bought my dress and I wanted the big ceremony and everything. I am extreamly happy that we did get married when we did and now I can call him my husband. Military life is rough and I miss him everynight, soon I will be living with him untill he is called away to a ship. Just stay strong, if having the ceremony on your one year is whats would work out best then do it. Don’t worry about what others may say or think. In the end its being together that you want so do what is needed to make it happen.
-Mrs. Maddox (Full time Navy Wife)
I’m in a very similar situation as well. My fiance and I are planning to have a civil ceremony, just us, to be legally married so that we can have those benefits and live together. We also want to have a celebration or vow renewal for all of our friends and family to be together and see our committment to each other on our one year anniversary. This makes the most sense to us, because we want to get married now so that we can save money for a “real” wedding later. Also, we are paying for it all ourselves and we are both from opposite ends of the country. I’d love for our families to meet and for us all gather together, but it’s impossible to plan that right away with expenses and timing, so forth. I also want to have the chance to wear a wedding dress! We are planning to tell everyone, and explain the reasons why. We are going ot get married this New Years Eve and have our vow renewal next New Years Eve. We’re planning on sending “Save the Date” cards after we get legally married but I’m wondering how to go about saying you’re legally maried but are celebrating it on your one year? Anyways, it’s going to be hard to explain to a few of my family members the reasons, but being a military wife isn’t being a typical wife. I say tell everyone important and close to you - so no one can have an excuse to feel “hurt” later on. If they can be open minded and they love you, they should eventually over time be able to understand you can’t exactly have the wedding of your dreams when the military controls your every move. I think it’s a great idea and we’re going to do it either way. I’m not sure about registering though, I know we will get things either way, but I feel a little guilty about it. Has anyone heard of wedding insurance? I was reading into it and if you’re planning on spending a lot or making a non-refundable deposit on a location (like we are) then you can get that money back if he gets deployed or gets orders to be somewhere else. If anyone has any info or experience with that, please let me know!!!
Good luck with both of the ceremonies!
shannon, hi,
* The Knot: Vows: How to Renew Yours
* Vow Renewal Wording
if you did not register for gifts the 1st time, then by all means go ahead. you will get mixed advice on this but it should be okay. etiquette says no but i know people are gonna ask where your registered. it will make it easy for them. do what you want. theres no hard fast rule that says you cant register!! enjoy your day and i wish you the best!! just go for things nontraditional, since i am sure you already have your household stuff. for save the date just make sure you mention it is a vow renewal or reaffirmation. instead of wedding.
Dear Anonymous Bride,
When you write the invitations, simply ask people to come help you to enjoy the happiest day of your life. How can anyone say no to that?
Everyone always has an opinion on your wedding. You can make a speech at the reception as to why you arranged the wedding like you did.
Make sure you take time to thank everyone who came personally. This will help soothe any hurt feelings.
If your fiance’ can get the leave and you are able to spend it together, then that is all that matters. Life is short so live it to the fullest as often as possible with those that you love.
A retired military wife–soon to be a military mom-in-law.
I was kind of in the same situation.
I knew we were going to get married we were engaged to be engaged, he was pretty much living at my house but he still had a room in barricks and had to do all the bs that single marines had to do. I wanted my dream wedding, white dress gifts dancing friends family and so on. The two of us couldnt really afford anythign much less a wedding and reception, so we wet to the court got our marriage license and got married at the court house. This way he can live at our house and we have the chance to plan and save for the wedding of our dreams and most of the people attending think were engaged. Our families know were married.
So what Im saying is go do the quick and easy court house marriage, and plan and save for the wedding. More military people do it then you would think.
… K
This is totally normal in the military! I don’t think it’s a good idea to begin your first year of marriage based on a lie though. Instead, I would explain to friends and family that you want to be married as soon as possible for legal purposes (or health insurance purposes or whatever), and that you wish to celebrate with them a year later when you can afford an appropriate celebration. It’s not really “PC” to mention you want to have a big wedding for gifts, particularly as you may end up spending more on the wedding than you will receive in return. If you’re concerned about invites, why don’t you have a civil ceremony and then host a religious (most military members seem to be religious) ceremony and invite others to “join the two of us as we unite in holy matrimony.” Hey presto, you skip the whole awkward “wedding numero dos!” tackiness. It’s ok to register for gifts, but put your first wedding anniversary as the date of your wedding on all of your registries. You can’t expect people to buy you gifts for both weddings, so you may just have to wait a year. Anyway, this is what I did, and it worked fine. Good luck to you!!
Oh honey. You are all worked up for nothing!! I consult my etiquette book for everything, and according to Emily Post, if you didn’t have a big formal celebration the first time you exchanged vows, then there’s nothing tacky about doing it at a later time. Besides, your friends and family will probably want to celebrate your love and your marriage. They will want to bless you with gifts. What you are choosing to do is perfectly acceptable. I would phrase the invitations as stating that you are renewing your vows or just having a reception to commemorate your vows one year ago. It’s perfectly normal and your loved ones will understand.
What are the color options for a USMC wedding? My fiance will be wearing his uniform which is red, white, royal and navy blue? I feel like I’m really limited. Suggestions? I DON’T want a patriotic red, white and blue affair!!!!
Hey Jules! Some ideas for you:
* Red & Peach Country Charm
* Peachy Keen
* Japanese Magnolia
* Run for Roses ( this is a red blue and white wedding it is amazing, it doesnt have to be patriotic!! its fab and chic and warm at the same time!!)
so many times it is hard for a military wedding to choose colors but this is the rule of thumb i would use. either classic neutrals and/or with pops of colors. or check out the colors that compliment navy blue. there are sooo many. like shades of pink for example. he has red in his suit so do white red and pinkish flowers. put the girls in a classic color like brown or black. even pink cause pink and red definitely go 2gether. it wont look awkward. i have read posts where brides dont pink a color from his suit but a subtle classic shade. pick what you love. i just saw a usmc wedding where the girls were in a elegant shade of minty green. green and blue also go together.
Some more ideas to get you going:
* Hot Pink, Blue, and White Wedding Colors (scroll down to mood board)
* NAVY BLUE MEETS PINK BLUSH= Inspiration Board
* Preppy Miami (love this alot)
* Blue Yellow Preppy Wedding
* Blue & Brown Wedding ( this is popular and wonderful!! add red to the mix like a soft soft red)
* Blue & Orange
* Hamptons by the Sea
* Plum & Indigo ( love this too) purple and blue go together.
* Purple Inspiration Board
* Dana’s Moroccan Wedding
* LIWeddings thread: Blue & Brown Wedding Colors
* Road Trip (pink, yellow, blue & white)
* Maine Coast Wedding
* Sophisticated Glamour (monochromatic with a Grace Kelly feel)
* Navy weddings, Part III ( love this so much easy going elegant)
* Navy, navy and more navy
* Simply Chic in Blue & Green (love the blue and green and the colored bouquets)
* Beijing to Boston ( this color scheme with added blue would be soooo amazing)
* Apple of my Eye ( my gosh this is beautiful) with the red & green pew decor pic below. it matches the bouquet, just add navy to all this — talk about wow factor!
I SURE HOPE THIS HELPS!! SMILE!! i gave different schemes. let me know what stands out to ya!! i will help more!! whatever compliments navy blue is the key!! no matter if its a military uniform or a plain navy suit, just treat it like a navy suit (as in color and you will have a fab wedding!!good luck!!!
Hi to all the military girls
I am a Lt. JG. Navy mans mom. The wedding is late November. Is it ok for me to wear a long black dress? My son seems to think it would look great with his dress blues and the groomsmen all in black tux. He is planning the arch but not a full military wedding. If the bride’s mother does not wear black is it unappropriate for me to wear black? It is a long black elegent dress. Please help me. I don’t want to give a wrong message wearing black.
Terry, great question. Your son is fine with it, that’s good. Is the bride fine too? Here are some common objections or considerations.
When a mother of the bride or groom wears black, they object to the marriage. OK, this is pretty Victorian. We can forget about that unless it’s a special concern of the bride. Black has become unremarkable for most at a formal occasion.
Does it coordinate with the MOTB? Traditionally the mothers coordinate their color, wearing something similar to the bridesmaids but lighter or more neutral. The main thing is that the mothers shouldn’t burn your eyes in photos together, or with the bridesmaids. E.g. lime green is probably out if the MOTB is wearing canary yellow. This probably isn’t much of a problem with black.
So basically — keep the harmoniousness of the pics in mind, make sure the bride’s on the same page and I think you’re good to go.
Thank you very much Dawn for your reply. To answer some of your questions: The bride and MOTB told me to wear whatever I am comfortable in and I am not getting an answer to what she is wearing. The bride told me black would be lovely. The bride and MOTB have not ever heard of the mother of the groom following what the MOTB may be wearing. The bridesmaids are wearing plum. The bride is wearing ivory. I am sorry I failed to mention these things in the previous please help me e-mail. Would it look bad if I wear black and the MOTB isn’t? My hairdresser and others alike hear clients come in and make comments about how they couldn’t believe they just attended a wedding where the mother of the groom was wearing black. I have struggled finding a dress. Some are too young looking and others make me look and feel old. Lighter colors are blah on me. Do you still feel black is ok? I bought the dress and it still has the tags attached. Things are shakey between our families too. My husband and I love the black dress. Thanks one more time for your help.
Terry, I think your main concerns are resolved here if the bride and MOTB are on the same page. If they don’t provide you with color guidance, and are fine with the black, then I think you’re in a good place. Plum would often otherwise dictate that you and MOTB wear something like lavender and frankly, I’d look like Queen Elizabeth in lavender, so I know exactly what you mean about that.
Black is chic, will match at least some groomsmen exactly (unless they’re all in dress blues), will look good with plum, and the bride’s immediate family is supportive. All that leaves to worry about is the stray guest who might complain to their hairdresser later on. If you can handle a few (possible) reservations from older guests whose opinions don’t really count here, I say go for it! You searched hard for a dress that you feel good in and it sounds like you found it.
PS, one more thing. It’s always nice to know you’re not alone … go through a flickr search for “Mother of the Bride” and click through a few pages. You will see your share of parents in black!
Dawn, Thanks again. I am going to wear the black dress. You are right. There are always those who like to have something to talk about. Thanks for understanding how I feel. You helped a lot. Thank you for the link too!
Hi Terry!
) which also happened to be Mum’s favourite purple and fit like it was made for her!
I’m about to be a bride -this St Valentine’s Day-and I am having a fully formal wedding. The boys are trying their tailsuits in a few days - so I hope they look OK in them! ;-) (esp the best man’s stumpy little legs!!!)
I was shopping with my Mum for her MOB outfit, and try as we might, there was nothing that didn’t look ill-cut or mishapen, or Queen-Mum, to the point where we were nearly gonna take the first thing that didn’t look ghastly!
Mum stumbled upon a gorgeous flowing sequined and beaded dress with a bolero jacket (Summer here in Oz!) which just happened to be black.. she was a bit concerned(*VERY*), I didn’t care one iota what colour she wore, as long as she was the 2nd most beautiful woman at my wedding! I met her straight away to have a look, because she was concerned about it being black etc.. It was stunning! Then disaster struck- a whole patch of beading just self destructed right there in front of the sales woman! Needless to say, there was full scale panic, then I stumbled across a glorious bead and sequin top with full length satin skirt on the reduced rack (of course the sales woman didn’t show Mum that outfit
If not for the beading-blow-out, I would have gladly seen my Mum wearing that glorious black gown to my wedding. I think the black/mourning thing has really gone a bit by the way-side, I mean, even most funerals ask you not to wear black anymore!
Rest assured, that if this Bridezilla didn’t mind her Mum in black, and your D-in-L to-be says it is OK, you go for it!
You deserve to look beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, whatever the colour!
If you were going to wear white, on the other-hand… grrrr.. that would be another matter! (my sister did that at my brother’s wedding- and it looks dreadful in the photos- kind-of pulls focus..but that’s my sister for you.. I’ve got her as my matron-of-honour, so I can make sure she doesn’t wear something stupid ;-) )
Oops Terry! just checked the date on your message, and it seems the wedding has passed! Even so, will leave this here for other Mum’s to see!
I’m sure you were beautiful, and that noone had any more than a passing thought about the colour of your outfit! And if they did? Well, they were at the wedding for the wrong reasons!
Good luck, blessings and best wishes to you,
Natalie B
Ok, I am having a bit of a problem. I am getting married to my wonderful Marine in May. And I am a police Officer, I was it to be a mixed wedding of Military and Police, but I dont want it to be so….. um, well….. hard, that it has no elegancy, feminine touch, and warm feel to it. I would love to have a fairytale feel to it, but with his MIlitary, and my Law Enforcement in the mix.
And does anyone have any idea to colors???
I love the warm browns, teals, warm reds and things like that, but does it match and is it too dark for the season. Course the problem of matching the party. Please, dear God someone help me!
Thanks So much,
Monica
Hi Monica! A bride just asked about red, blue and brown weddings on our Choosing Colors page. I am going to re-include that board here, only I’ve faked out the blues a bit to be more teal so you can see that in action.
This is a very original, very modern color scheme. My feeling is that if brown is VERY predominant, it looks like fall. If you go easier on the brown it seems to work for any season. You can see there’s a bright summer wedding on this board (mostly blue and red, third row). The top row, first pic would work any time of year.
I think this overall scheme would also work with more of a mocha brown, and be a bit softer.
My only concern is that this is so modern (I really like it!) that it might be a bit difficult to get that fairytale feeling. If you took out the red and had that pretty soft teal and brown it might be easier. BUT — I could be TOTALLY wrong! It’s amazing what you can do with the right vision.
What do you think?
so monica i think i can help you out what are the colors of your uniform and his ( branch of service). what you could do is pull colors out of you uniform and his that that it will match and still look eligant. my email is jlo_il_miss@hotmail.com i will try to give you some ideas to help you out.
jenn
Hey guys!! I am not sure if you all have had your invitations printed or addressed any yet, but there are some great websites out there that will help. Check this out if your fiance is enlisted… it is how they technically should be done…
Military Wording: If Groom is a Non-Commissioned Officer or Enlisted Man
My husband was an LT when we married and we were told to have our invitations say this because an LT is technically a junior officer:
Mr. and Mrs (my parents names here)
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
(my name here)
to
(my husbands name here)
Lieutenant, United States Air Force
Saturday, the sixth of January
two thousand and one
at half past six o’clock
(your location and the address here)
I had a great resource in the wife of a higher ranking officer in my husband’s squadron. There are a ton of women out there ready to help who have already gone through this!
Be careful when addressing your invitations as well. If you are inviting other military personnel there are specific ways to address the envelopes.
As for the sabre arch… we were thousands of miles away from our squadron, so we used a local ROTC unit from the university. They were great honor guard trainees that had a great time!!
Let me know if I can help. It is an honor to be a military bride! Enjoy the process!!
Hi…I am having trouble deciding what colors I should use for my wedding..we’re getting married in March..and my fiance is in the Air Force…of course he will be wearing his dress blues. Now I dont know what colors to use..I always wanted a black/white wedding..but it won’t match him…should I use navy blue/silver?? I’m so confused
Hi Valerie! Don’t worry and don’t give up on what you want. It is true that some brides would rather match the dress blues exactly and plan the wedding around it, and that’s fine! Other brides don’t want to horribly contrast with the uniform (like the blue/purple/green example below), and that makes good sense too.
But there is No. Way. in Heck. that your black & white idea is going to look BAD against a uniform. Black and white is a very formal scheme and of course, the dress blues are very formal attire. They look great together!
Here’s a black & white Colo. Springs Air Force Academy wedding that brings in periwinkle as a third color. Check out this, this, this. Even with three colors (and you don’t need a third color unless you want it) you can see how wonderful a crisp bright white and black will look with the uniforms. I say go for it!
Hey lovely ladies,
Jacquelyn
Okay well I am 18 years old and i have to plan a wedding with my Marine Fiance, He is leaving on July 15 2009 and will return in November, our wedding is For March 22 2009, And not only am i crazy confussed about everything my friends and family are giveing me hell because of my age, I have a Beautiful chruch and wonderful spring colors, its just im not sure how to plane a wedding or put anything together, can anyone help me please, it would be greatly aperciated…Thank You,
jacquelyn,
I am 19 and I am kind of having the same problem…with family and confusion. Just don’t worry what everyone else thinks if this is what you want then don’t be worried about what they say. They should be supportive in your choices. What I did about the confusion is I went to my local walmart and found this wedding book that basically spells everything out for you. It helped me out a lot. It also helps if you talk to people that have already went through a wedding. This website helps me out every time I have a question. So what i would do is ask specific questions and maybe check out walmart or bookstores for wedding books to help you with your planning.
I hope i helped you a lot if not a lot at least a little bit.
~alysia
My fiance and I aren’t having the Marine wedding with the swords and all, but he is going to wear his dress blues. I really don’t want to have a red, white, and blue wedding… I DO want everything to kinda go together though. Does anyone have ideas? I was kinda thinking navy blue and a green color.. Sounds ugly but I have seen pics and It looks good. My favorite idea is a gold/bronze with accents to creme and red. Yalls opinions would be great. Thanksss.. oh yea, its in July.. I know some people like to know when so they can pick colors accordingly.
jordan-
just thought i would put my oppinion in on it:D
Those colors don’t sound too bad but don’t you think they sound kind of winterish?? i think you should pick more of a summer color…it’s hard to match the dress blues with a summer color…but i am doin red white and gold for mine…mine will prolly be in march depending on if he has to go to iraq or not…it all depends. Well i am wishing you luck and i hope i kind of helped you out a little
-Alysia
Jordan:
The dress blues will go great with warmer greens. A summery lime green or acid green goes great with the dark blue and makes it lighter. Also, flowers like Hydrangeas and roses come in some beautiful light, bright greens that will look great with his blues and your white dress. Stay away from ivory, it can take the blue into almost black. Congratulations! Whatever you choose, if you like it, it is perfect!
Hi Jordan! Just wanted to say, I really love the navy/bright green combination. It is so fresh and great looking, also very underused. It looks very preppy to me, I hope that doesn’t sound bad, because it seems like preppy at its best. This would be great colors for an outdoor or afternoon wedding especially … country club style, bright green rolling lawns, or even on the beach.
But it sounds like you really like the red/gold/bronze/ivory thing a little bit more. That sounds to me like a romantic indoor evening wedding, a bit fairytale-style, lots of roses and organza and taper candles. I really think you can do that any time of year.
Jessica~
I sent you a request on myspace. I hope you get the request if not then let me know. i will be sure to look for you
THanks
~**Alysia
Alysia - Ok hun =) Just send me a comment on myspace so I know its you =)
I am marrying a Chief Warrant Officer 3 in the Marine Corps, how do I correctly address him as the groom on our wedding invitations? thankyou very much !
~erqueen75
My fiance said that you just call him cheif warrant officer 3 then his name. He is in the Marines also:D
**Alysia