Saber Arch

MrsKozma

My FI is an officer in the army so we want to have a saber arch, however we are not getting married on post. Does anyone know where I can rent sabers so that our other officers don't have to buy there own? We are getting married in Austin, TX.

iluvmytxrgr

There are very few options as far as renting them.  You may be able to find them online, but they aren't "real".  

kmmssg

Also, if you are getting married in a church you need to ask if the sabers will be allowed inside the sanctuary.  I do know of instances where they were not allowed because they are considered a weapon of war.  Both of these instances were in Catholic churches so the couple had the saber arch outside of the church doors as they left.

brunchbride14

Following. We are also getting married in Austin and looking for some options for a saber arch.  Renting would be ideal, or maybe borrowing from a local ROTC program?

thenewmrsq

OP: Have you asked your FI's friends who will be in the arch if they have a saber? My classmates and I were required to purchase our swords (different military branch) before commissioning. If you have confirmed that they don't have sabers, they can always ask other officers that they are stationed with if they can borrow some. You can't really rent them though. Sometimes, you can get a local reserve unit or ROTC to do it for you, but, from what I've heard, that has mixed success. Good luck!

MrsKozma

Hi everyone, Thanks for all your suggestions. slantta I have literally called, I feel like everywhere and I had no luck. I called the VA in Austin, Camp Mabry in Austin. I also called multiple places at Fort Hood, including: the MWR, MRW equipment rentals, The 1st Cav band, the protocol office, and 3 different chapels on post. All with no luck and most people didn't even understand what I was talking about. I have asked my FI to give it a try to see if he has better luck, if he does, i will post it here. One place I haven't tried yet is UT's ROTC program (thanks rmkuffel). We have started asking my FI friends if they kept their sabers from when they were in school, which are apparently not technically the "correct" ones to use, but at this point I don't know what else to do. Oh, one more thing, slantta, there used to be a place in Killeen to rent the sabers, many of my friends kept recommending I call them, but they are out of business, just FYSA. I'm sorry I haven't had actual success, but hopefully this will save you some time on your search, good luck! Can you let us know if you find anything I'd love to know. rmkuffel Thanks for the suggestion that's what we're probably going to do.

kyrgyzstan

Army Officers are not required to buy sabers while in OCS, ftr. 

thenewmrsq

WishIcouldbeinthe'stan said:

Army Officers are not required to buy sabers while in OCS, ftr. 

Not all Army Officers go through OCS though. West Point grads, I'm pretty positive, are required to purchase sabers. I think its optional for most ROTC grads, but I am not 100% on that. It definitely varies though, so the only way to find out is to ask each person if they have a saber or not. 

thenewmrsq

MrsKozma said:

Hi everyone, Thanks for all your suggestions. slantta I have literally called, I feel like everywhere and I had no luck. I called the VA in Austin, Camp Mabry in Austin. I also called multiple places at Fort Hood, including: the MWR, MRW equipment rentals, The 1st Cav band, the protocol office, and 3 different chapels on post. All with no luck and most people didn't even understand what I was talking about. I have asked my FI to give it a try to see if he has better luck, if he does, i will post it here. One place I haven't tried yet is UT's ROTC program (thanks rmkuffel). We have started asking my FI friends if they kept their sabers from when they were in school, which are apparently not technically the "correct" ones to use, but at this point I don't know what else to do. Oh, one more thing, slantta, there used to be a place in Killeen to rent the sabers, many of my friends kept recommending I call them, but they are out of business, just FYSA. I'm sorry I haven't had actual success, but hopefully this will save you some time on your search, good luck! Can you let us know if you find anything I'd love to know. rmkuffel Thanks for the suggestion that's what we're probably going to do.

http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/arotc/Contact-Us/Directions.php 

The AROTC's website. Just a recommendation, but I would see if you could get your FI to call them. He might have more luck dealing with them as an officer than you might as a civilian. Also, I'd recommend you have FI ask these things: Do they perform saber arches for local military weddings? If not, can some of his officer friends borrow/rent/use the sabers their program has? Is there any special request form that needs to be filled out? He may have better luck if he can get in touch with the Army O running the unit (probably a Captain or higher), and not talk to a cadet. Good luck!

brunchbride14

Thank you everyone! Yes, MrsKozma if you find anything please post it on here.  I have been putting it off because I didn't think it would be too difficult, but apparently I should start figuring it out!