1. Real Weddings

Marne & Grant: A Military Wedding in Arlington, VA

With views of the Washington Monument in the background, Marne and Grant celebrated with loved ones at a country club reception. The Bride Marne Sutt

With views of the Washington Monument in the background, Marne and Grant celebrated with loved ones at a country club reception. The Bride Marne Sutten, 32 The Groom Grant Fawcett, 31 The Date September 3 U.S. Army officers Marne Sutten and Grant Fawcett first met while on a military exercise in northern Germany. It might not have been the most romantic setting, but it was enough to create a spark. The couple began dating seriously months later on a weekend trip to France. A year later, Marne was sent to Iraq, and the next month, Grant was also deployed there. “We both left with a promise to stay together through whatever was to happen,” Marne remembers. After a year in Iraq, during which the couple saw each other just a few times, Marne decided to stay on another year in Germany. She took a job with a unit near Grant’s base, and the couple was reunited when Grant returned. Three years after they had first started dating, Marne returned from a spa day to find Grant and a home-cooked dinner. Afterward, he surprised her with a proposal—and a trip to Iceland to celebrate their engagement!

The Reception Decor
Marne and Grant’s groom’s cake rivaled the bride’s -- a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache filling created in the shape of an army tank!
The Accessories
Marne had five bridesmaids, three of whom are currently in the military or were previously, and one even flew in from Afghanistan for the wedding! The girls wore strapless organdy tea-length dresses in sky blue. The thoughtful bride gave them matching blue and white flip-flops so they could have comfy feet during the reception.
Each guest received chocolate truffles with an engraved F in white chocolate, placed in white boxes and wrapped with blue ribbon. Place cards were attached to the ribbons.
Marne wore a strapless, diamond white, A-line gown of raw silk with a pleated bodice scattered with crystals by Paloma Blanca.
The Ceremony Decor
Marne and Grant used the groom’s army saber to cut the three-tiered wedding cake. Two tiers were white cake with chocolate fudge filling, and one tier was chocolate cake with raspberry filling. The confection was frosted in white with a band of blue ribbon around the center of each tier, and white hydrangeas bloomed between the tiers. The cake sat on a white table runner displaying the couple’s monogram in blue, and the same monogram decorated the cake’s center tier.