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Marine weddings

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M

MNU-OCS

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I have a few questions regarding Marine weddings. So if there is anyone out there with some experiences i would appreciate some feedback. Ill just get right to the point.

Does a military wedding have to be on a base, or can i have it at my church?

Do your groomsmen have to be Marine, or can they be your civilian friends?

Do you have to have a chaplain, or can you have your church pastor officiate the wedding?

Who does the arch of sabers? Is it some Marine det or do you choose?
 
1. It can be almost anywhere. I had mine at a ranch, a close friend of mine had his on a beach in Hawaii.

2. It can be anyone.

3. Anyone who is licsenced to marry. Mine was the JP.

4. It's your responsibility to gather up the sword detail. Good luck.

Good on ya for wanting a Military wedding. I have no regrets, it made for an outstanding wedding. Our wedding was on "Armed Forces Day" and we had at least one member from each service attending.
 
It is your wedding; you can handle it any way you choose.

You can have it on base or off base.

Your groomsmen can be Marines or civilians.

You can have anyone be the celebrant.

You can pick the sword detail of your choice.


While there are some customs, there are no "rules." Like I said earlier, it is YOUR wedding.


About mine: My wife and I both graduated from The Citadel. We had our wedding (a military wedding) at the chapel on campus; my groomsmen were all Marines, and we had two priests celebrate our Mass. Our sword arch was half Marine (for me) and half cadet (for her). It was a beautiful wedding, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
 
I am not in the military, but I went to a wedding this past summer in which the groom is a Marine. So, to answer your questions from that experience:

1) It does not have to be on base. This one was in a church in Nebraska.

2) The groomsmen do not have to be Marines. At this wedding, the best man was a civilian, and the groomsmen were both Marine and Navy Officers.

3) The church pastor officiated this wedding.

4) At this wedding...the Marine and Navy Officers that were groomsmen did the arch of sabers. So, it is my understanding that you can choose.
 
I hate to get into a p**sing contest over this, but the Army is the only one who has a "Saber". It comes with the history of having a cavalry. The dictionary defines saber as “a heavy cavalry sword with a slightly curved blade, sharpened on one side, with a thick back edge and a hand guard.” The Army officers saber is the only one that fits this description. The Navy and Air Force swords have straight blades, and the the Marine Corps sword, though curved, does not have a hand guard. Therefore the Army is the only branch that has an "Arch of Sabers". All other branches have an "Arch of Swords."
 
jrasmussen said:
I hate to get into a p**sing contest over this, but the Army is the only one who has a "Saber". It comes with the history of having a cavalry. The dictionary defines saber as “a heavy cavalry sword with a slightly curved blade, sharpened on one side, with a thick back edge and a hand guard.” The Army officers saber is the only one that fits this description. The Navy and Air Force swords have straight blades, and the the Marine Corps sword, though curved, does not have a hand guard. Therefore the Army is the only branch that has an "Arch of Sabers". All other branches have an "Arch of Swords."
Click to expand...

I encourage you to look a little closer into my Marine Corps NCO sword.
 
You know, in Bootcamp, we were taught that the Marine Corps NCO sword was "acquired" from the Army just after the civil war, when they decided they didn't want it anymore.

But I have not been able to verify that in any other historical texts.

jrasmussen: To help you along the way from what KBayDog said:

nco-3.jpg
 
Well i just went by the terminology used in the "Marine Officers Guide". Either way it really isnt that important, sabers or swords are only used in ceremonies now.
 
I don't know where you got your info on how the Marine Corps uses it's swords, but they are an integral part of being a Marine. This is because drill is of the utmost importance to Marines. The lowest NCO, corporals, are expected to know sword manual. Our swords aren't just for officers, unlike any other branch of service. That is why we have two, the NCO sword and the Mamaluke sword. We don't just break them out for ceremonies, they are first seen at boot camp during drill, then you usually learn sword manual when you are a Corporal. I am a Lance Corporal, not your average Lance, and I know the basics of sword manual. I learned from my NCO's. I guess you could say that COD(close order drill) is for ceremonies but if you look at the true definition you will find that it is designed to move troops and instill discipline among other things, yeah and it also looks cool in ceremonies.

Anyone who goes through Marine boot camp can tell you the countless hours spent learning, practicing, and perfecting drill. You think that we learn all of the drill movements so that we look cool when we have our graduation ceremony? Sword manual is part of drill(once you pick up Corporal), therefore swords are not just for ceremonies, in the Marine Corps anyway.
 
Right outta the drill manual........

5016. FORMING AN ARCH OF SWORDS FOR WEDDINGS
1. The arch of swords for weddings is authorized for commissioned, warrant andstaff noncommissioned officers only. The arch of swords ceremony is an old English and American custom, which gives a symbolic pledge of loyalty to the newly married couple from their Marine family. Only the newly married couple is allowed to pass under the arch.

2. The ushers normally form the sword detail, however other officers, warrant or staff noncommissioned officers may be designated as needed. Customarily, six or eight members take part in the ceremony. The usher’s form at the bottom of the chapel steps, in two equal ranks, at normal interval, facing each other, with sufficient room between ranks (3 to 4 paces) for the bride and groom to pass. The senior usher is positioned in the left rank furthest from the chapel exit. (See figure 5-21.)

3. After the guests have left the chapel to observe the ceremony, the bride and groom exit the chapel and stand just outside the main entrance. The senior usher will then form the arch of swords by giving the command of “Draw, SWORD.”

(Skip specific instructions on how to conduct sword manual.......)

4. The bride and groom, and only the bride and groom, then pass under the arch. As the newlyweds approach the last two ushers, (e.g., the two farthest from the chapel entrance) they slowly lower their swords to halt the couple. The senior usher then says “Welcome to the Marine Corps Family” or “Welcome aboard Mr./Mrs. _________ (rank of military member can be substituted for Mr./Mrs.), and then announce the new couple to those assembled.” The last two ushers then slowly raise their sword back to the arch position and allow the couple to pass.

(Skip more specific instructions on how to conduct sword manual.......)

7. Though it is traditional that swords are never unsheathed in a chapel, the chaplain may grant permission to form the arch of swords indoors in the event of inclement weather. The ceremony would be performed at the rear of the chapel near or in the vestibule. The ceremony begins after the chaplain has concluded the wedding ceremony with the bride and groom passing under the arch of swords before the guests depart and is performed in the same manner as described above.
 
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Jarhead72 said:
I don't know where you got your info on how the Marine Corps uses it's swords, but they are an integral part of being a Marine. This is because drill is of the utmost importance to Marines. The lowest NCO, corporals, are expected to know sword manual. Our swords aren't just for officers, unlike any other branch of service. That is why we have two, the NCO sword and the Mamaluke sword. We don't just break them out for ceremonies, they are first seen at boot camp during drill, then you usually learn sword manual when you are a Corporal. I am a Lance Corporal, not your average Lance, and I know the basics of sword manual. I learned from my NCO's. I guess you could say that COD(close order drill) is for ceremonies but if you look at the true definition you will find that it is designed to move troops and instill discipline among other things, yeah and it also looks cool in ceremonies.

Anyone who goes through Marine boot camp can tell you the countless hours spent learning, practicing, and perfecting drill. You think that we learn all of the drill movements so that we look cool when we have our graduation ceremony? Sword manual is part of drill(once you pick up Corporal), therefore swords are not just for ceremonies, in the Marine Corps anyway.
Click to expand...


I agree, what i was trying to get at is that they arent used on the battlefield. When i said cermemonies, i should have been more specific. I am in no way denigrating the importance of D&C, i was just saying that the terminology for the swords really wasnt that important in this discussion because we all know what we mean.
 
jrasmussen said:
I hate to get into a p**sing contest over this, but the Army is the only one who has a "Saber". It comes with the history of having a cavalry. The dictionary defines saber as “a heavy cavalry sword with a slightly curved blade, sharpened on one side, with a thick back edge and a hand guard.” The Army officers saber is the only one that fits this description. The Navy and Air Force swords have straight blades, and the the Marine Corps sword, though curved, does not have a hand guard. Therefore the Army is the only branch that has an "Arch of Sabers". All other branches have an "Arch of Swords."
Click to expand...


My apologies for using the term 'saber' and not 'sword'. I am not in the military and was not aware.
 
Oh, no big deal. I was just commenting because u.s.av8r had specified in a post that "(Arch of sabers is Navy and Air Force)" and I wanted to correct some insignificant bum gouge.
 
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