This Former Disney Channel Star Officiated This Wedding at Tennessee State Museum

Alexis and Quinton’s wedding at Tennessee State Museum was nothing short of extraordinary. Amidst its stately halls and elegant surroundings, the venue set the stage for a celebration that seamlessly blended tradition with contemporary allure. The couple’s choice of all-white attire created a striking visual harmony, capturing the essence of the modern chic theme they desired in addition the the abundance of popping white blooms. Guests were invited to partake in the theme by dressing in all-black attire that perfectly complemented the overall aesthetic. Adding a touch of celebrity charm to the affair, former Disney Channel star Brandon Baker, renowned for his role in the hit movie “Johnny Tsunami,” officiated the ceremony; his warm and charismatic presence elevating the celebration. If you love the blended look of simplicity and elegance, then take notes of this winter wedding captured by Photography by Tyler Jones.

Alexis + Quinton

Tennessee State Museum

Guests ~ 160

Budget ~ $30,000 – $40,000

Alexis: We had known of each other since high school. I was best friends with his cousin so when she went to family gatherings she would invite me. The first time we met, Quinton doesn’t remember but it was the night that ‘Pretty Little Liars’ premiered because we all watched it together. That night was probably the most we talked over the next 13 years until we randomly reconnected via Instagram in 2020 right before the pandemic. Our first “date” was at Arrington Vineyards, and I say date like that because I didn’t know it was a date because he asked if I would like to ‘link up’ (whatever that means), and about half a bottle of wine later I realized it was a date. Since about a month after our first date, we got to continue to get to know each other in private (thanks, COVID!) for about 6 months until we shared with our family and friends that we were seeing someone. Our private time is probably each of our favorite memories of us getting together.

Alexis: Quinton asked me to marry him on June 26, 2022 on a rooftop of an AirBnB in the Gulch. He had been planning this for months without my knowledge, but with my growing curiosity since we had discussed the type of ring I liked. It was his 31st birthday weekend, so we were already off work to celebrate that but when I woke up that morning he was gone but had left a note on the pillow for me to be dressed and ready at 6pm. In that moment, I had a strong feeling he was going to propose since it was his birthday weekend and I should’ve been the one telling him to be ready. I spent that day picking out an outfit and trying to be present in the day because I didn’t want to forget a single moment. At 6pm he picked me up (in a new outfit!) from my apartment in East Nashville and drove me to a home in the Gulch and told me to wait in the car because he had to go get something. A few minutes later he text me to come inside, and when I did there were candles and rose petals leading me upstairs to the roof where he was waiting and a photographer was hiding to capture the moment. Little did I know, is that he spent the whole day asking my parents for their blessing and decorating this whole house. He gave the most romantic and thoughtful speech before getting down on one knee and presenting the ring of my dreams, along with asking me to be his wife.

Alexis: Our vision was a black and white affair. We both really love fashion and trends, but I know that I am very picky when I look back at photos. I know that I change my mind on trendy things often, so I did not want my wedding to be “trendy”. While we did incorporate things that are popular with weddings now, our theme was not based on any particular trend, but on what we know we will love 10 or even 30 years from now.

Alexis: Modern chic is how I would explain it. We love neutrals, but particularly black and white. We knew we wanted our guests to wear black and to not allow much color within our items. Our planner, Patrice Armstrong, is who actually helped us focus that vision into white for the ceremony and reception and have black be the color of cocktail hour since that was in the upstairs space at the museum.

Alexis: Every detail was thought about to help create our theme. Our guests were the biggest though, everyone came dressed in black which helped us create that timeless neutral vision. In the photos you can see that our florals were all white with very minimal greenery, that was on purpose. Both of our florists understood that the ceremony and reception should be all white, even down to removing leaves of the flowers and not adding filler greenery. Our napkins downstairs were white, the chairs were clear acrylic, and the filler decor items were either clear or white and the flatware was silver to not add in any pop of color. Then when you walked upstairs for cocktail hour it was the opposite. Black filled that space from the bar down the picture frames on the bistro tables, then sprinkle in our guests wearing black. It was perfection. It made even better photos when Quinton and I entered the space being the only people in all white.

Alexis: We went into the wedding with the agreement that we each can pick one item to splurge on and the rest we would be as cost effective as possible. For me, I splurged on my makeup artist. I had been following Hailee Clark since she first came to Nashville but never had a reason to utilize her until the wedding. She was one of the first vendors we booked and I am so glad I did. This was my moms first time getting her makeup done professionally, and I cherish getting to watch her continually look at herself in the mirror and tell me that she feels beautiful. Quinton is a movie buff, and he chose to splurge on the officiant. He booked Disney Channel actor, Brandon Baker, as our officiant. Brandon flew in from Denver to marry us, and so many people have told us it was the best wedding speech they have heard. Brandon had a speech that gave us humor and allowed us to take a moment to view the crowd and the people who came to support us on our special day. Not only was it nostalgic for us to have Johnny Tsunami marry us, but we also gained a friend in this process. We both also agreed to have custom outfits made for the day, so my dress was custom along with Quintons tux and second look jacket. I wouldn’t say that was a splurge though because we got really good deals on them by using sample sale items and changing it into what we wanted. We also majorly saved on most of our vendors by shopping around, and I mean REALLY shopping around. I believe I spoke with 40 florists before deciding on two, and we saw 20 venues before deciding. Our venue was a save, because since it is a state owned space, it is cheaper than traditional wedding venues. We also saved by DIY-ing all of our stationary, and signage. I wouldn’t call myself a creative, but I got really into creating template in Canva that we could use.

Alexis: This advice would be before you begin planning. Take time after your engagement to enjoy that season. We were privately engaged for a few weeks before sharing and after announcing we even took a few months of just being engaged before we even thought about planning the wedding. I have seen so many friends not enjoy the engagement because it is rushed once you start planning the big day. Each of the relationship milestones are seasons that deserve to be enjoyed. I loved that we took it slow. Advice for during planning would be to have your ideas and stick to them, do not allow a vendor to push their agenda or vision onto yours. We did a lot of leg work of finding vendors and creating our vision before we even booked a planner. We found that we would tell vendors our vision and they would price out something that was more their vision that wasn’t necessarily discussed with us. We also wanted to be cost effective, which sometimes means using less known businesses, but I found that in most categories, that was the best way to go because those businesses and owners got to know us on a personal level. Advice for during the wedding: STAY TOGETHER! It is so easily to get separated and pulled by guests in different directions, but stay together. We have heard this advice but didn’t think it was as important until the day of. We stayed together and got to enjoy the day TOGETHER. We were able to greet guests, while also basking in our happiness together.

Alexis: Our first look was the best part of the day. We didn’t speak very much throughout the day so that moment gave us a sense of calm we could carry into the ceremony. We also loved getting to join our guests during cocktail hour. We wanted to see our whole vision come to life, and cocktail hour is something that can easily be missed since the couple are usually taking photos during that time. Our friend Nathan Renfroe is an amazing artist, who was the live painter at our ceremony. It is sentimental to think that we have a priceless piece of artwork from our most special day that was created by one of our best friends.

Huge thank you to Alexis and Quinton for inspiring us with your wedding at Tennessee State Museum!