You can visit much of the campus anytime, but the barracks are off limits... unless you're with the right company, it seems. Here's the groom and his groomsmen at the entrance to the barracks area - this part of the campus you can see even if you're not a cadet or member of the administration.
So far so good, but then the guys decided they'd like to go inside for a photo where they used to live. What you can see below are the guys on the second floor balcony. What you don't see are the disapproving stares and muttered conversations of cadets who are not at all happy that visitors are inside the barracks. (According to one of the parents, they had only been inside twice during their son's four years at the school on official visiting days.)
I guess it helps to have seven alumni along, including Marine, Navy, and Army officers, if you're going to break a regulation or two.The Chapel is beautiful; it's a wonderful blend of tradition and history. (By the way, the museum located in the basement includes Stonewall Jackson's horse, Little Sorrel; he looks a little the worse for wear - admittedly, we would too over a hundred years later, stuffed or not.)
The walk back down the aisle is interrupted by the saber arch, a military wedding tradition. (And kudos to the cadets in the honor party; they stood at attention for well over an hour before the service even started.)
The couple aren't allowed to pass until a kiss is exchanged; it's a very cute moment.
We decided to extend the saber arch tradition in honor of the groom's gift to his new bride; here they are in front of the new BMW he surprised her with while we were taking post-ceremony photos.
The cadets are incredibly professional, for want of a better word: They're dignified, reserved, respectful... very impressive. Their demeanor makes them seem older than their years. But right after we took this photo, one of the cadets asked me if we needed them for anything else.
We said we didn't, and thanked them for their help. He then whispered, "What's the deal with the car, anyway?" We told him it was a gift, and he softly said, "Sweeeet..." It was a very cute moment and a reminder that, inside the uniform and the discipline, the cadets are still just kids.VMI is a neat setting for a wedding, but don't get your hopes up: You have to be an alumni. It is a memorable site, but it was also fun to watch the alumni attending the wedding reminiscing. Clearly the bonds built while at the school last a lifetime. Note in the photo below the groom's sash; that signifies his status as a VMI alumni.)
Congratulations to Jennifer and Parker!
