Photographer and music video director Alexa Kinigopoulos and Brian David Stone were set up by their mutual friend, Parker. “He said you got to meet my friend, Brian, he’s sweet, and he rides his tractor shirtless,” Alexa recalls. “I jumped at the possibility, so we planned a photoshoot at his farm.” Two days post-shoot, he asked her on a date to City House.
After four years together (with a six-month break in-between), Brian proposed to Alexa at home, while watching the sunset. “It was a Wednesday night; a girlfriend had warned me to not be wearing sweatpants,” Alexa remembers. “Brian came home from work excited and blushing.” After she said yes, he blindfolded her for another surprise—a party with family and friends at her best friend’s home.
The day after getting engaged, Alexa called Jayne from Saddle Woods Farms in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She and Brian had seen the property on Instagram and knew it was perfect for their venue. Their #WrittenInStone wedding aesthetic had been planned for a while. “We wanted to mix Brian’s modern minimal and relaxed ease with my Baroque Italian countryside dreams,” Alexa shares. “The aesthetic, as Brian jokes, would be referred to as ‘1940s Italian Countryside Chic.’” To help bring their vision to life, the couple hired Sara Fried of Fête Nashville, and You’re Invited Nashville set the tone with a beautiful invitation suite.
For her autumn nuptials, Alexa wanted to emulate her “sleek, sporty, modern, and sexy” style yet also be like a “1940s Greek-Italian princess for the day,” so she wore two looks. Her ceremony gown was a lace Rivini gown, which she found at Maggie Louise Bridal in Memphis. “I really wanted to feel like an Italian siren à la Monica Belluci from a period film, so a cathedral veil was key,” she adds. The finishing touches were a pair of Christie Nicolaides earrings, a Cult Gaia pearl purse, and a calla lily bouquet by by Enchanted Florist.
The second of her ensembles consisted of a crepe Mônot dress with Paris Texas white knee-high boots and Cult Gaia earrings. And bridesmaids complemented Alexa in floral pastel Dôen and Reformation dresses.
For her bridal glam, Alexa turned to her mom, makeup artist Janice Kinigopoulos, and to hairstylist and family friend Pamela Baumgartner—both have been in the beauty business for more than 30 years—to perfect her minimal, timeless look.
On October 10, 2021, Alexa walked down the aisle with her father to meet Brian at the altar, surrounded by Pampas grass arranged by Victoria Clausen Floral Events. Their friend, Demetrious, conducted the meaningful ceremony under twinkling chandeliers and sprawling trees. “The funny thing is I thought I would be a crying mess, but Brian looked so handsome, all I could think about was kissing him; I even asked if I could,” the bride recalls. The pair exchanged their own vows, which had everyone in tears, and shared a first kiss as mister and missus.
“Walking into the reception was breathtaking; Sara hadn’t let us see it, so that initial private viewing I was crying because it was just so special,” Alexa says. Everyone sat down to enjoy a lovely and delicious multi-course meal by Chef’s Market.
One of the couple’s favorite parts of the night was a performance of “Sea of Love” by Cat Power by the bride’s three best friends, Jillian Jacqueline, Caitlin James, and Ashley Ray, who are all incredible musicians in Nashville. After cutting the cake by Dessert Designs by Leland, another memorable moment was the traditional Greek money dance with DJ Aaron Traylor from Premier, which brought back childhood memories for Alexa. “After the reception, we drove off in my favorite car a 1970s white Cadillac El Dorado and made out.”
