An Officer of Marines, Jason's current rank is that of Captain (O-3E); the "E" indicates Jason's prior service as an enlisted Marine.  Jason was enlisted for over ten years in the Marine Corps, and had attained the rank of Staff Sergreant (E-6) before attending Officer Candidate's School and receiving an officer's commission.  Just as with the enlisted uniform, every part of the officer's uniform has a special significance and often represents the Corp's history and traditions.

Atop Jason's white barracks cover (military-speak for "hat") is embroidered the Quatrefoil.  It is the cross-shaped braid atop the barracks covers of Marine Officers.  The braid was taken directly from Napoleon III's army and has been worn since 1859.  It is believed to have been first used by Marine sharpshooters to help tell friend from foe: the sharpshooters would climb into the rigging of American ships and, when the Marines boarded an enemy ship, the sharpshooters would rain death and destruction upon the enemy while sparing the Marines who wore the cross of rope upon their covers. 

Jason's uniform will be the "Blue White" dress uniform.  The basic form of a blue jacket with red trim presented in the Marine Dress Blue uniform has been, with few changes, worn in essentially its current form since the 19th century.  The Marine Corps dress uniform is the most elaborate of the United States armed forces, worn for formal or ceremonial occasions.  It is the only U.S. Military uniform that incorporates all three colors of the U.S. Flag.  The Blue Dress "A" ("Alpha") uniform for officers has a long-sleeved midnight blue coat with a standing collar and midnight blue belt with a gold M-buckle, white barracks cover (a peaked cap with Quatrefoil), plain white shirt, sky blue trousers with a red "blood stripe" down the outboard side of each leg (in commemoration of the bloodshed at the Battle of Chapultepec), white gloves, and black corfram shoes and socks. Large medals are worn on the left chest; ribbon-only awards on the right. Marksmanship badges are not worn. 

Prior to 1998, the "Blue-White" dress uniform was authorized to be worn for the ceremonial units at Marine Barracks, 8th & I in Washington, D.C. (most famously the Silent Drill Platoon and Color guard). Since then, it has become the authorized summer dress uniform for all officers, SNCOs, (unless they are in formation with NCOs and junior enlisted personnel who are not authorized to wear the uniform), and by NCOs and junior enlisted personnel for ceremonies and social events only, if authorized and provided by the command structure.  Like the Blue Dress uniform, the Blue-White Dress consists of an "A" and "B" uniform, and is worn in the same manner as that of the Blue Dress uniform, except for the trousers, skirt, or slacks being white instead of blue, and with no blood stripe.

The belt Jason wears is known as the Sam Browne Belt.  The accoutrement takes its name from Sam Browne, an officer with the British Army in India, who by most accounts invented it independently sometime during the 1850s. Browne had lost his left arm in 1858 fighting during the Indian Mutiny, and found the contrivance useful in helping him wear his sword thereafter.  Jason's is black patent leather, and accompanies the Blue Dress uniform.  It is used to carry the sheathed Mameluke Sword, carried only by Officers of Marines.  Dating back to the Uniform Regulations of 1826, Marine Corps officers have worn the Mameluke sword in commemoration of 1stLt Presley O'Bannon's assault on "the shores of" Derna, Tripoli in 1805.  It is based upon a form of Turkish saber associated with the Tripoli engagement.

The Eagle, Globe and Anchor is the official insignia of the Marine Corps, and is the most widely-recognized service insignia in our military.  The Eagle represents the United States; the Globe signifies the service of the Marine Corps worldwide, "in every clime and place"; and the Anchor represents the Marine Corps' naval traditions (the Marine Corps remains a substructure of the Department of the Navy, though most Marines are loath to admit this).

During his nearly twenty-one years of service to our country, Jason has been awarded the following commendations, represented in the ribbons and medals present on his uniform.  They are (in no particular order):

 

 

With all of these medals, you can definitely hear him as he walks by...!

The Bride's "Uniform"

 

With significantly less breathtaking traditions and customs than those of the Marine Corps, the Bride remains sentimental and a traditionalist at heart.  That said, the customary and not-so-customary details of the Bride's "uniform" are included below.

Christine's engagement ring was designed by Jason (whose taste in diamonds is almost as good as his taste in women, haha!), who personally selected its asscher cut center stone from among several flown in from New York City's Diamond District, and set onto a modified Scott Kay platinum and diamond pavé band by the designers at Jeweler's Trade Shop in historic downtown Pensacola.

Christine's wedding ring, designed by the Bride and Groom together, was handmade by the same jeweler who created her engagement ring, and features alternating brilliant and asscher cut diamonds pavé-set into a platinum band; Jason's wedding band is tungsten with diamond cutting, and came from this jeweler, as well. The Bride managed to completely surprise the Groom by having his ring engraved with, "I LOVE YOU MORE" before he picked it up from the jeweler, and still can't believe she pulled it off.

Her "something old" is her handmade handkerchief, given to her Mother by a family friend at her baby shower, that is re-formed from the baby bonnet she wore as an infant at her Christening on February 18th, 1979.

Her "something new" is her wedding ring.

The Bride's headpiece is her "something borrowed;" it was worn by her Mother, Dorothy, at her wedding to Christine's Father, Richard, on June 15th, 1963.  It is a hand-made, four-sided crown of Aurora Borealis and white pearls.

The Bride's and Groom's initials and wedding date, embroidered in navy thread on the inside seam of her wedding dress, is her "something blue."

There will be a 1970 penny (in lieu of "sixpence")  in her left shoe, commemorating the year of the Groom's birth.

Her ceremony wedding dress is an Oleg Cassini design that has been tailored and slightly modified by Miss Chrystal in Mobile, Alabama, who is quite possibly the world's most talented seamstress.

Her reception wedding dress, originally by Essense of Australia, was purchased at The Bridal Loft in Pensacola.  Altered from stem to stern by Nena, its basic architecture was re-designed to meet the Bride's specifications, rendering it the only one of its kind.

The ring on the Bride's right ring finger, beside her engagement ring (pre-ceremony), belonged to her maternal Great-Grandmother, Dora; it was Dora's engagement ring, and was made in 1911, featuring a pink diamond center stone and white side diamonds.  It was handed down to Christine by her Mother during her graduation ceremony at the Naval War College in 2007.  The ring on the bride's right little "pinky" finger is a monogrammed ring with the letter "C" engraved in it; it was given to Christine by her maternal Grandfather, Albert, for her second birthday.

The earrings, by Saks Fifth Avenue, are a gift from the Groom, as are the Bride's ceremony wedding shoes, by Badgley Mischka, as are the shoes (by Dior) and purse she will wear for the rehearsal dinner, which were a BIG surprise gift from the Groom on the occasion of her "second 29th birthday" (Christine has taught Jason everything he knows about fashion designers which, for a straight male, is quite a bit; he catches on quickly!).

Christine's bracelet, by Brooks Brothers; reception shoes, by Giuseppe Zanotti Design (which she was only able to successfully track down in one boutique in London, after an exhaustive and literally worldwide search); dancing shoes, by Vera Wang; and purse, by Anthony David, are from her own extensive [obsessive] collection of more clothing and accessories than one girl could ever wear in a lifetime...!

The brooch on the Bride's bouquet is a small pin that belonged to the Bride's maternal Grandmother, Mary, as did the rosary beads carried in the Bride's hands during the ceremony; they were blessed by Pope John Paul II.

The Ceremony and Reception