Marine Corps Wedding, well partial wedding

hockeyduckie · November 2013

My fiance` is in the Marine Corps and I am very proud of him for serving our country for the last 10 years. Do weddings have to have a theme? my bridesmaids dresses are a dark blue and the best man and groomsmen will be wearing their dress blue uniform with 2 exceptions, one in a tux and one in Air Force Dress Uniform. I was thinking about having white linens with a scarlet red overlay on the tables (combination of round and square). Behind Bride and Groom table we will have the US Flag and the Marine Corps Flag displayed on flag stands.We will also be doing the "Arch of Swords" after the ceremony. Should that be all the Marine Corps traditions or decorations I should do or is there something else I should do?

kmmssg · November 2013

First off, congratulations on your engagement and impending wedding!

I am a 4 time MOB and a 26 year vet (albeit Army).

Should you do something else? IMO, no, I think you are doing too much! As a vet, please believe me when I say I don't mean this in a snarky way at all, but you are going overboard in my eyes.

You are NOT marrying the USMC. You are marrying your FI - the man, not the Marine. What you describe sounds more like the USMC ball. I love going to military weddings, but I want to see a wedding between two people, not a bunch of hoopla surrounding being in the military.

The uniforms sound great, your colors sound great, but if it were me (and I was an NCO when I married my DH), I would get rid of the flags. It is overkill. You should be decorating in a fashion that represents both of you and your lives, not just his service.

I applaud you for being proud of his service. My husband was also very proud of mine, but the only nod the Army got on our wedding day was my uber cool camouflage garter that I had specially made by a friend.

I know I am sounding quite critical and I am truly sorry, but I really think you need to tone it down and show the people, not the service.

ETA - my DD is marrying a senior NCO (Army) in June and he wants NO military presence at the wedding. He just wants it to be him and her that stand out as a couple. Now...he is hoping for a crazy cool Transformer Groom's cake, but that is another story.

Jen4948 · November 2013

I think that the uniforms, colors, and arch of swords are enough military elements for one wedding. If you add any more to that, the civilians could feel overwhelmed.

manateehugger · November 2013

Another future military spouse here - I'm with kmmssg. I think leaving it to the colors, uniforms, and saber arch is great. The flags and decorations will make it feel like a cheesy mil ball, not a wedding.

Remember that while your fiance's service is something to be proud of, it doesn't define you and him and as a couple. You're marrying each other, not the Marine Corps. I'll be bluntly honest - every time I see overboard military weddings, I always think the couple is young and silly and way more into the look and "specialness" of being a military couple than being actually in love with each other and choosing a wedding that represents them.

We're doing small touches - FI wants a grog bowl, to cut the cake with a saber, and I'm sure will play their songs at some point, but that's about it.

doeydo · November 2013

hockeyduckie said:

My fiance` is in the Marine Corps and I am very proud of him for serving our country for the last 10 years. Do weddings have to have a theme? No. A lot of the people on here think the only theme in a wedding should be "marriage". my bridesmaids dresses are a dark blue and the best man and groomsmen will be wearing their dress blue uniform with 2 exceptions, one in a tux and one in Air Force Dress Uniform. I was thinking about having white linens with a scarlet red overlay on the tables (combination of round and square). Behind Bride and Groom table we will have the US Flag and the Marine Corps Flag displayed on flag stands.We will also be doing the "Arch of Swords" after the ceremony. Should that be all the Marine Corps traditions or decorations I should do or is there something else I should do?

I think what you are planning is more than enough.

OliveOilsMom · November 2013

Kmmssg is wise, along with PDKH. Listen to their advice!

mysticl · November 2013

My husband is in the Navy. We got married in the base chapel by a Navy Chaplain and had our reception in one of the MWR banquet facilities on base. The only actual military aspects to our wedding were that DH and his best man wore their dress blues. The Chaplain didn't even wear his uniform, he opted to wear his robes because he preferred to.

Like others have said you are going overboard. You are not marrying the USMC, nor are you joining it. Stick with the uniforms and the saber arch. Only do the scarlet on the tables if it is actually one of your wedding colors. Leave out the flags.

Liatris2010 · November 2013

What do you mean by "partial wedding"?

AddieCake · November 2013

Liatris2010 said:

What do you mean by "partial wedding"?

This.

LiLe422 · November 2013

What do you mean by "partial wedding"?

******************

I was wondering the same thing. OP, please come back and clarify.

CTYankeeBride · November 2013

I go to A LOT of military weddings, and it's nice to include some of the traditions but there is a limit. If navy and scarlet are your wedding colors already then go with the scarlet overlays and the navy BM dresses. The saber arch is a fantastic tradition and a fun element.

As a civilian, I enjoy the tradition with the grog but I do feel that it's best done when there are a number of military guests in attendance otherwise too many people don't seem to get it/ have fun with it. Cutting the cake with a saber is nice as well, and doesn't alienate people.

The flags behind the table are overkill. If you feel you must have them displayed, I would do so elsewhere. The American flag should never be used as a decoration, and you might have guests that are offended by seeing it behind your sweetheart table like a backdrop. I'm not saying that's your intent, I'm saying that it could be viewed that way. If you want to display the flags, I would display them elsewhere in a respectful manner- a corner of the lobby or reception room, or the like would be fine.

I agree with PDKH- whenever I am at a wedding that screams "Look at us!! He's/ She's in the MILITARY!!!!!!" it tends to be very young couples and it tends to just not represent the couple well. It does also tend to alienate civilian guests quickly. One or two elements, fine. More than that, guests start to feel like they're on the outside of a military ball looking in.

alithebride · November 2013

yeah partial wedding? what on earth?

and no. of course your wedding doesn't have to have a theme other than you're getting married. thats theme enough no?

Marine Corps Wedding, well partial wedding

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