Alexis and Marquis’ love story began in a college classroom, growing from classmates to best friends and eventually partners for life. Their14TENN wedding embraced a modern, minimalistic vision with autumn-inspired hues of burnt orange, forest green, and gold. One of the most special parts of their celebration was their beautifully choreographed first dance, made possible by lessons from Curtsy Ballroom. Their dedication to learning together paid off, creating a magical moment that set the tone for their reception. From heartfelt vows to personalized DIY touches, their day was a perfect reflection of their love, teamwork, and shared joy.
Alexis + Marquis
14TENN
Guests ~ 215
Budget ~ $30,000 – 40,000
How did you guys meet?
Alexis: Marquis and I met at Tennessee State University our sophomore year in history class. Through group projects and sharing meeting notes we became class friends, but didn’t reconnect until our senior year. We shared similar classes for our major sparking our friendship yet again, but we didn’t start dating until after college. After graduation I went back home to California for a few months before I decided to move back to Nashville and go back to school for my masters at Lipscomb University. When I moved back, Marquis decided to ask me on a date and the rest was history. We started as classmates, became friends, growing into best friends, eventually forming a beautiful relationship.
Tell us about your engagement!
Alexis: Our engagement was so special, as I was very surprised! Marquis told me our friend was doing a special discount in his venue to take professional photos. We didn’t have any professional photos together yet, but we’ve discussed it before, so I didn’t think anything of it. I agreed to take photos but our visions were completely different. I wanted more of the laid back trend with basic white tees and jeans, but Marquis wanted us to be more formal. I was becoming annoyed because I felt that I didn’t have enough time to get my nails and hair done nor buy a new dress that I’d want to be pictured in. I complained to my friends that we should keep it more simplistic, but they agreed that I should follow what Marquis wanted to do since this was his date, as they were in on the surprise engagement. I ended up giving in and buying a new dress and making sure my nails and hair were done for our date. Though I didn’t have any inclination as to what was really going to happen, I weirdly felt nervous that day. None of my friends were answering their phones and I thought my Find My app wasn’t working (turns out everyone turned off their location). When Marquis picked me up we drove to the venue and as soon as he opened the door, the music started, we had both of our family and friends (some who even flew in for the occasion) standing in lines on both sides of the room handing me a rose as I walked down to the lit up “Will you marry me sign.” I can’t remember everything he said before he got down on one knee because I was so shocked, but I remember us both crying. It was such a beautiful surprise!
What was the vision for your wedding?
Alexis: We were going for a more modern yet minimalistic vision. We felt like less is more if our venue was beautiful and 14TENN gave us just that. It had the lights, chandeliers, and panoramic windows we wanted, so we went with elevating it by adding more candles and greenery. We had a Pinterest Board saved of minimalistic wedding examples and we tried to execute similarly.
What was your theme and what inspired it?
Alexis: Our wedding was in November so we wanted to embody the colors of Autumn with that modern minimalistic vision.
What details were used to create your theme?
Alexis: Our colors were burnt orange and forest green, with gold as an accent color. We went with florals from the Jane collection at Something Borrowed Blooms and had ground floral arches at the start of the aisle, centerpieces on floral stands at the altar surrounded by candles in glass vases, and petals alongside the customized aisle runner. Our reception tables followed the minimalistic approach we envisioned by having small bud vases, candles in glasses with water, ivory table runners, greenery garlands, and burnt orange napkins on each plate along with a menu I created from Canva. To capture the gold accents, we had a gold floor length mirror for our welcome sign and a gold mirror on a stand with table assignments.
Where did you splurge? Where did you save/DIY?
Alexis: With our budget, we splurged on our catering and venue because we knew we wanted a large wedding to share the day with friends and family. We saved with our DIY details such as the welcome sign and the table assignments! We used our gold floor length mirror from our bedroom for the welcome sign, and my sister in law used her cricket machine to print the “welcome to our wedding, you look incredible now lets celebrate, Alexis + Marquis.” For the table assignments, I kept seeing beautiful vintage mirrors on Etsy that had printed table assignments stamped to it with a wax seal for over $300, but I found the exact mirror from hobby lobby for $50 and used my sister in law’s cricket machine to print “our favorite people”, printed the table assignments I created on Canva, and bought wax seals from Amazon to create the same look we were going for. We also saved by using Canva to create our Save the Dates and our menus for the reception. Originally I wanted real floral arrangements for the wedding, but then I discovered Something Borrowed Blooms, and we saved a ton on flowers that look just as real in person and in pictures.
What words of advice do you have for couples in the midst of their planning?
Alexis: Per Marquis, when you figure out your plan, try to stick to it as much as you can (especially your budget) and be patient with your partner. This might be the first time you ever have to compromise as much as you will when wedding planning. If I had to offer any advice it would be to remember what the day is truly all about. At the end of the day nothing matters more than the union between you and the person you’re about to marry. Also, have days where you don’t talk about wedding planning. It can get stressful, so having days where you both agree to not talk about the details, the invitations, the guest count, etc. will bring you back to the engagement bliss.
Can you share any special moments or highlights from your wedding day?
Alexis: So many special moments, but to name a few, I can’t get over how amazing our bridal party was. I didn’t have to worry about a thing with the bridesmaids I had, nor did Marquis with the groomsmen he chose. They made our day effortless. My favorite part was definitely sharing our vows with everyone we love and who love us. It felt like for that short moment Marquis and I were the only ones in the room. My little brother officiated us, that was extremely special. Another highlight were a few of the memories we now to get to keep because of our Photo Booth and voicemails our guests left us via After the Tone. Those two were a hit with our guests and I’m so glad we went through with booking them!
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your wedding?
Alexis: Though we didn’t go with a full time planner, it really challenged Marquis and I to work together to execute everything we envisioned for our wedding. Collaborating on what we both wanted for our wedding day prepared us in our now marriage on how to communicate and compromise even better than before. Having a month of coordinator was the best option for us and we had an amazing one. If we had any questions she stepped in right away and executed exactly how we wanted our ceremony and reception to look.
Huge thank you to this beautiful couple for sharing their 14TENN wedding with a stunning first dance by Curtsy Ballroom!
