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Brandon and Brea connected with each other through social media while attending The University of North Carolina, but met initially for a business opportunity.
Brea was a party promoter selling tickets to Greatest Homecoming on Earth, and Brandon wanted to purchase some for his friends. “Brandon text me afterward to ask if he can purchase more tickets,” Brea remembers. “He asked if I wanted to meet with him again or if give his friends my number. Since I thought that he was cute, I suggested we meet again.” During their second meetup, Brandon asked her out to a Japanese restaurant. The rest was history.
After getting engaged on Christmas Day 2017, the couple teamed up with Demetris Faison of Creative Touch Events. They decided on the cool and newly-renovated venue called Cadillac Service Garage in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Washingtons fell in love with the exposed brick, modern industrial design, and the large bridal suite. “I feel like having a wedding planner helped bring my perfect wedding vision to reality,” says Brea.
Scroll through the gallery to see photos from Brea and Brandon’s industrial chic wedding day.
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01
Meet The Washingtons
Bride: Brea Anjanee Johnson, 28, nurse practitioner
Groom: Brandon Garrett Money Washington, 28, freight line supervisor
Theme: Modern Industrial Glam
Venue: Cadillac Service Garage, Greensboro, NC
Photographer: Chronicles Photography (Dawn Downey) of Wake Forest, NC
Videographer: 3RDiPhotography (Najah Cobb) of Chapel Hill, NC
Alterations: Tina’s Alterations
Bride Hair: Marilyn Monroe at Minnie Corinne Hair Salon in Greensboro, NC
Bridal Tiara: Ellee Couture Bridal Headpieces
Broom: BodyWerk Jewels
Bridesmaids’ hair: Octavia Mann (Prissy Pony) in Greensboro, NC
Bride’s, Bridesmaids, and Mothers of Bride/Groom MUAs: Amber Lynne Makeup Artistry in Durham, NC and Ty (Dare2BDiva) in Greensboro, NC
Catering: The Vine Catering in Greensboro, NC (Angela Knox)
Dummy Cakes & Cupcakes: Wicked Sweet Cakes in Cary, NC (Elizabeth Williams)
DJ: DJ Free of Raleigh, NC (Dontez Ward)
Linen and Dinnerware Rentals: CE Rentals of Raleigh, NC (contact: Katie Hedman)
Dance Floor Decal Application: eMagine (Jamel Eggleston) in Greensboro, NC
Printing/Cutting of Dance Floor Decal: SignJunkies
Flower girl baskets: UniquelyYou
Bridal Bouquet Charms: WeddingBouquetCharms
Custom Embroidered Satin Bridal Robes: LoveyDoveyDesignsByUs
Table Numbers and Menu Cards: ShopPaperVine
Pearl-Rhinestone Platform Converses: The Cre’ja Collection
02
Brea + Brandon Forever
On Christmas Day 2017, Brea and Brandon were hosting family at their home. At the advice of her mom and sister, Brea dressed up for the occasion. “I figured they probably just wanted to take family pictures together,” she remembers. “I had no idea that they were dropping hints.” After coming back in from a quick store run, Brea re-entered the house to see Brandon down on one knee with the entire family recording his proposal. “Even though we discussed marriage and went browsing for rings in the months before, I was still so surprised.”
03
At Ease & In Love
“After having my makeup done and putting on my dress, veil, and accessories, I felt so beautiful,” says Brea. “Overall, I had nothing to worry about during my special day because everything flowed so smoothly!”
04
Wedding Day Glam
Brea went for a neutral eye and a bold red lip for her wedding day beat.
05
My Queen
“What I love most about my wife is her sense of humor,” says Brandon.
06
The Dress The Stole Her Heart
“Winnie Couture was the first bridal store that I decided to check out,” says Brea. “The funny thing is that when I first saw my dress on the hanger I didn’t like it. However, when I tried on the dress, I was so in love that I actually teared up.”
07
In Loving Memory
“When I asked my planner Demetris about purple flower options in the fall, he mentioned eggplant calla lilies,” said Brea. “My bouquet was gorgeous and I really appreciated that Demetris helped me to honor my deceased grandmother Bessie, my maternal aunt Yvonne, and my paternal aunt Esonia by attaching photo bouquet charms to my bouquet.”
08
The Look Of Love
“Even though it has been viewed as being superstitious for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony, we decided to take first look pictures,” says Brea. “Having first look pictures gave us the opportunity to share a special moment with each other alone and away from everyone else right before the ceremony.”
09
Fall Vibes
The bridesmaids carried bouquets made of eggplant calla lilies to match the groomsmens’ tuxes.
10
Walking To Forever
Brea walked down the aisle to Ledisi’s All The Way” with her father Ronald. “This song was actually brought to my attention by my mother-in-law about a year before our ceremony when we started choosing songs for the ceremony and reception. I kept listening to the lyrics and I knew it was the perfect song.”
11
Ready For Forever
Although he’d seen his bride during their first look, Brandon was stunned seeing her come down the aisle.
12
Vow Or Never
The Washingtons exchanged vows in front of 140 guests.
13
Jumping The Broom
“Yes, we decided to follow the African-American tradition of jumping the broom. I wanted our broom to look very elegant and I was ecstatic when I found BodyWerk Jewels online boutique of custom brooms.”
14
All Black Everything
“I knew that I wanted my girls to wear all-black but I wanted to make sure everyone loved their dresses so I let them choose any floor-length dress style that they wanted.”
15
Brea + Brandon
That’s one good looking wedding party.
16
Industrial Vibes
Swoon!
17
Modern Glam
“Cadillac Service Garage still has the original black and white tiled Cadillac dealership show room floors, so we decided that our theme would be classic black and white. Previous weddings at the venue were more of a rustic theme, so we really wanted to glam it up a bit.”
18
Made For Us
“Our wedding reception was actually held in the same room at our venue,” the couple says. “The center and focal point of the reception was still the dance floor with our custom ‘B&B’ monogram created by Branded By Bernel.”
19
Forever Reppin’
Brea’s sorors surrounded her with so much love.
20
Simple Elegance
“We wanted decorations to be bold, yet elegant. We kept it simple with white floral runners, white shelves with floating candles, oversized chandelier lamps at the corners of the dance floor. We had a mixture of black, white, and pewter dinnerware, hints of eggplant purple, black leather linens along the venue’s long farm tables.”
21
Brea’s Advice To Brides
“A wedding is not a cookout. Everyone may not be invited and that is okay. Some people may be upset about that, but if they are truly happy for your union, they will understand.”
