Military weddings carry a formality and emotion that civilian celebrations rarely match: dress uniforms in the pews, traditions with centuries of history, and moments of precision that reward a camera crew that knows exactly when they are coming. We have filmed military weddings across Chicagoland, and the saber arch remains one of the most cinematic sequences we ever capture.

Filming Military Wedding Traditions

The saber arch is the signature: officers in dress uniform raise their sabers into a canopy of steel, and the newlyweds pass beneath as their first walk as a married couple. Tradition holds a surprise at the end, the final saber drops to bar the way until the couple kisses, and the bride sometimes receives a gentle ceremonial swat and a “Welcome to the family.” We film the arch with two cameras: one wide for the geometry of the blades, one tight for the couple’s faces when that last saber falls. Beyond the arch, military weddings weave in uniformed processions, the cake cut with a saber, seating honors for those who served, and moments of remembrance for those who could not be there. Each carries protocol, and protocol rewards preparation.

Military Weddings We Have Filmed

Watch Grace & Vincent’s winter wedding: a nurse and a servicemember, married at St. Clement on a seven-degree February day, welcomed to their University Club reception by a bagpiper and a striking saber arch during the cake cutting. And see Aimee & Chase at the Deer Path Inn, where the groom’s United States Air Force Academy brothers formed a saber arch on the church steps in Lake Forest.

Military Wedding Videography FAQ

Do you have experience filming military weddings?

Yes, including Air Force Academy and active-duty celebrations. We know the traditions, their order, and the positions to capture them without ever being in the way of the detail.

How do you film a saber arch?

With two cameras and a conversation beforehand. We ask the arch commander where the arch will form and whether the final-saber tradition is planned, so both the wide geometry and the couple’s reaction are in the film.

Do you film uniformed ceremonies differently?

We treat protocol with respect: no repositioning of servicemembers, no interrupting honors, and careful framing of flags and insignia. The discipline of the day is part of its beauty, and the film should honor it.

Planning a military wedding in Chicago? It would be our honor to film it. Check your date →