Pearls, Pinot, and Parmesan: Naval Academy Wedding

I'm currently in Spain, but just over a week ago I kicked off my month of post-bar exam travel with a weekend in Annapolis for a wedding. The bride and groom had met at the Naval Academy, he is a Marine Officer and she is a Navy Officer, so they got married at the Naval Academy chapel. It was a gorgeous space and the ceremony was beautiful. Members of the military were asked to wear their dress uniforms, so Erik looked dashing in his formal Marine attire. Additionally, Erik led the sword arch at the end of the ceremony. For some military weddings, when the newly married couple walks out of the ceremony they have to pass through an archway created by military officers facing each other in two lines and holding up their swords. When the couple gets to each set of two officers, the officers lower their swords to block the couple's path, and the couple has to kiss in order to be let through. At the end of the sword arch, once the couple has fully passed through, one of the last two officers swats the bride on her butt with the sword and shouts "Welcome to the Marines (or Navy)!" It's a fun tradition that's a bit silly but done with military precision, so it's very cool to watch. Erik and I plan on getting married while he's still in the Marines, so we will have a sword arch at our wedding as well.

Since Erik was wearing his navy and white dress uniform to the wedding, I wanted to wear a dress that would look good next to his uniform. A navy dress seemed like the obvious choice, and Gal Meets Glam had some gorgeous navy dresses in the July collection, so I opted to go with one of those. The bow along the neckline and the swishy skirt drew me in to this dress. I adore a good box, and the shape and style of this one felt very sophisticated and appropriate for a wedding. The dress was incredibly flattering and comfortable, and the thick straps and longer length made it appropriate to wear inside the chapel. With the bow along the neckline, I didn't need to wear a necklace, and I decided to opt for classic pearl studs for earrings, to pull off a simple but elegant look. I felt gorgeous and very wedding appropriate in this outfit, and I love how the dress looked against Erik's navy jacket and white hat.