Nashville Orange and Magenta Wedding by Kristyn Hogan Photography: Lynae + Brenton

Brenton and Lynae met in high school; however, the spark did not ignite between the two of them until fate allowed them to meet again in college.  Even though the couple had discussed getting engaged for months, Brenton still wanted to surprise Lynae, and he did so by hiding in his sister’s closet (you have to read this one)!  He literally surprised Lynae almost making her pass out.

Now the Harrison’s will have you swooning with their nuptials. You will be blown away by their magnificent wedding extravaganza, which included a wedding party of 28 bridesmaids and groomsmen, with 700 guests attending the ceremony, and 478 attending the reception!  Boy, the Harrison’s know how to throw a party! When asked to describe their wedding day they said it was vibrant, sentimental, and sparkly.  The vibrancy of their love was symbolized in their lively color choices of orange and pink with splashes of yellow. Kristyn Hogan Photography beautifully captured the essence of their larger than life wedding.  We guarantee their story and wedding pictures will put a smile on your face! And after you finish reading their story, watch their wedding video. It will bring a tear to your eye. Their fabulous wedding is also featured on our partner site Ebony.com + more pretty images in the wedding gallery here.

• Bride: Lynae Turner- Communications Specialist
• Groom: Brenton Harrison- Associate at Henderson Financial Group
• Date of Wedding: 09/02/2012
• Location: Nashville, Tennessee

How They Met

Brenton and Lynae met their junior year of high school. Brenton was in Nashville and Lynae came into town with her high school drama club to perform at the local church.  Brenton recalls, “Following the performance I approached her and tried to introduce myself, and she proceeded to blow me off completely.  Now I was really frustrated, and I swore off that Lynae Turner and any other one I might meet in the future.”

Cut to freshman year in college.  Brenton and Lynae were reunited again, much to their protest and distain. Lynae was roommates with Brenton’s neighbor from Nashville, so they kept crossing paths. Eventually Brenton started to warm up to the idea of having Lynae around, and as the weeks went by she became one of the crew.  Brenton remembers, “One day while we were watching the VMAs Lynae sat next to me, and for some reason every time I looked over she’d scooted her chair closer to me. I’m not one to turn down an unexpected gift, so I put my arm around her and just kind of sat there. Next thing I know she’s asking if I want to go to Taco Bell. I hate Taco Bell, but again, an unexpected gift. So I drove her there and we started talking the next day. By my birthday we were officially dating; that was 7 years ago.”

The Proposal

According to the Groom:  Lynae and I had talked about our engagement for months before I popped the question, but I was still determined to surprise her. The morning I wanted to do it I picked up her ring and called my sister and Lynae’s mom to set the plan (my parents were out of town). Our church was having a revival that night, so all three of us told Lynae we would see her there in the evening.?

The best way to get Lynae distracted is to bring up clothes. While we were at the revival, my sister Jennifer told Lynae to stop by her apartment afterwards because she had some clothes that didn’t fit her anymore. Lynae was so excited she didn’t even notice her mom and I left early, already on the way to my sister’s place. We got there and parked our cars around the corner so she wouldn’t see we were there, went in the apartment and cued up Jennifer’s computer to play our favorite song as a couple (Eric Benet-The Last Time). By the time Lynae got there her mom and I were each in one of the bedroom closets.
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When she walked up the stairs my sister hit play on her song and told Lynae the clothes were in the closet—Lynae still wasn’t thinking about anything but the clothes. When she opened the door I was on one knee with the ring, and her mom popped out the other closet just in time to fan off Lynae, who fell out on the floor! After another minute of screaming and crying I brought up the fact that she STILL hadn’t said yes, and she finally agreed to be eternally stuck with me. And six months later, Lynae asked Jennifer when she was going to get those clothes she was promised.

Description of the Event                           

According to the couple: We are fortunate to have friends from all across the country so we knew we wanted to get married on a Holiday weekend to give everyone an opportunity to attend. Although you are traditionally supposed to wed in the bride’s hometown, we felt it best to marry in Nashville where we both currently reside.

Lynae also shares, “Brenton and I held the ceremony in the church where we first met in high school 9 years prior. For the reception, the biggest challenge centered on finding a venue that could accommodate our guest count. We decided on the Hilton because it had the largest ballroom available while being a convenient distance from our ceremony location.”

Design inspiration for the Wedding

The couple shares: We wanted our wedding design to be as fun, whimsical, and imaginative as we are. We selected design pieces with texture, rich hues, and plenty of sparkle. We wanted our wedding to be a true culmination of our favorite things so we incorporated everything from colorful balloons and Izze soda beverages, to cupcakes, and glittery Broncos centerpieces. Our wedding design was an authentic reflection of us.

According to the bride: Brenton loves Izze sodas so it was essential to include them in décor in some way. I love the Denver Broncos so we had glitter Broncos as center pieces for the head table. Our engagement pictures featured 36” balloons so we wanted to incorporate our love for balloons whimsy into our reception for some continuity. We had our guests leave thumb prints inside a poster-board with a hot-air balloon outline as our guest book. Guests could leave their ink thumb prints write us love notes and words of encouragement beside it. We also had 36” helium balloons that accented our candy bar and added some pizazz. We also had balloons sprinkle the dance floor for people to volley around while they were grooving the night away.

The couple’s favorite design element of their big day was the dazzling chandelier over the dance floor illuminated the ballroom with a bright and inviting feel. The bride loved… “The white dance floor with the chandelier and colorful balloons, [it] was a perfect reflection of my personal aesthetic.” The groom loved…“Our candy bar will always stand-out to me. It was purely amazing.” 

Incorporation of Culture

We had a total of 28 bridesmaids and groomsmen who stood by us during our big day. It was striking to see an entire entourage of people stand by us on the biggest moment of our lives to date and affirm ‘these two people together are a wonderful idea.’ It meant a lot to have all their prayers, laughs, and tears surround us. We also performed a sand ceremony that gave us an opportunity to greet our grandparents, parents, and siblings. It was truly a special moment.

Most Memorable Part of the Day

Our wedding ceremony was our chance to really share our love story with those closest to us. A lot of our guests may have known us individually or briefly as a couple but our vows, homily, and musical selections gave us the opportunity to be more in depth about what makes our love so special. It was extraordinary to explain in our vows what brought us to this pivotal moment after 7 years and how we promise to keep our marriage together for a lifetime. I think it gave people insight into how much we care about each other and want to see each other happy and fulfilled in our marriage.

Everyone cried. The bride. The groom. The parents. The siblings. The grandparents. Members of the bridal party. We’re pretty sure we saw our officiant dab his eye a time or two. The ceremony brought out a lot of jubilance and emotion from everyone- even the unexpected.

The biggest highlight of the reception was the bride and her entourage of bridesmaids performing a choreographed dance to Beyonce’s “Love On Top.” Lynae shares “It was imperative for me that our reception feel like us and there’s nothing more true to form for me than dancing to Beyonce with my girlfriends. It was special to me that all my bridesmaids came together to support a personal interest of mine- even though a lot of my bridesmaids were apprehensive about dancing in public. That performance was epic and the expression on my husband’s face was priceless.”

You Make Loving You So Easy 

Brenton loves… “Lynae’s vibrant personality.”

Lynae reflects…“Even though Brenton and I have been together for 7 years, it truly feels like a lifetime- but in a meaningful way. I don’t remember many milestones without him by my side.”

View more pretty in the wedding gallery here.

Vendors

• Photography : Kristyn Hogan
• Videographer: FocalPoint Cinematic Weddings
• Planner: Leigh Barker of A Delightful Day
• Designer & Paper Goods: Amber Housley
• Ceremony Venue: Riverside Chapel Seventh-Day Adventist Church
• Reception Venue: Hilton Nashville-Downtown
• Florist: Brocade Designs
• Cakes: The Bake Shoppe
• Bride’s Dress: Vera Wang from b. Hughes Bridal
• Bridesmaid’s Dresses:  Alfred Sung
• Hair Stylist: Lori of Vizions Hair Salon
• Makeup Artist: Shea Moore
• Bride’s Shoes: Charlotte Olympia
• Bride’s Jewelry: Tiffany’s
• Bride’s Veil: Bhldn
• Groom’s Fashion: J Michaels Clothiers
• Groomsmen Fashion: Jos. A Bank
• Rentals: Classic Party Rentals
• Linens: Latavola
• Decor: Visual Elements
• Transportation: Grand Avenue
• Lighting: Nashville Audio Visual

Watch Lynae and Brenton’s Wedding Video, it is a “tear jerker.”  When you’re done, take a look at Lynae’s dance she did for Brenton along with her Bridesmaids to Beyonce’s “Love on Top” its too cute!

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