Sewanee Inn Wedding Photographer
Jenny + Phil. They’re kind, they’re funny, and they’ve got super classic taste. You can just tell how much their friends love them, and you can see how long their families had waited for their wedding day. They laugh easily and clearly love well, and their wedding really showed it.
Jenny + Phil met at the University of the South in their freshman chemistry class… which is pretty much the most pun-tastic meeting story I can think of. Throughout their time at Sewanee, Jenny + Phil were pretty successful on campus – their résumés contain distinctions like “Valedictorian,” “All-American,” “Woman of the Year,” and “Homecoming Queen.” So when (a few years after graduation) Jenny received a mysterious invitation to a “Young Alumni Board Meeting” on the mountain, she was all too eager to return to campus to participate. But as it turns out, there was no Young Alumni Board Meeting. Phil had gone to great lengths to create this meeting… all so he could propose at the cross on Sewanee mountain, surrounded by family and friends in their very favorite place. (Also – reasons Jenny is the cutest – after the proposal and the pictures and all the fun aftermath, Jenny was most worried about being late for this Young Alumni Meeting. And then was disappointed when she found out it was all a ruse.)
Sewanee has been voted one of the most beautiful college campuses in the U.S., and it’s hard to drive past these stunning, historic buildings and disagree. Every time we drive up to the mountain (which is pretty often), we feel like we’ve somehow popped into a little slice of Europe in the middle of rural Tennessee. It’s crazy. So when we got an inquiry for a wedding at this place we love so very much (and from an awesome couple to boot), we were pumped. And what’s more, Jenny + Phil chose to have a Christmas wedding so the chapel would be decorated for Sewanee’s famed Lessons and Carols – a traditional Christmas service featuring Sewanee’s university choir that has been held at All Saints’ for the last 50 years. If you read the blog, you know how much I love classic, timeless weddings and ya’ll let me tell you…. this chapel is the chapel of my dang DREAMS.
Jenny and her bridesmaids prepared for the big day while listening to Christmas music at The Sewanee Inn (surrounded by Christmas lights they had hung to make the room feel festive)! Other reasons Jenny is the cutest: her gifts to her bridesmaids included a shawl, a handmade cookbook of Southern recipes she and her mother had compiled from friends and family, and some skincare product samples she got from her office (she’s a dermatologist). I haven’t even known Jenny that long, and I feel like that was a very “Jenny” gift. Meanwhile, Phil and his groomsmen toured the Jack Daniel’s Distillery as a last hurrah before saying I do, got dressed, and headed over to the chapel for pictures (which – by the way – were a blast. 9 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, 3 house party girls, and 2 flower girls. It was quite the group).
Before we knew it, the ceremony arrived, and it was just perfect. I was a church choir kid, so listening to that organ and the Sewanee choir… I felt like we were at a royal wedding, and I definitely cried. And actually my favorite part of the ceremony was when Jenny’s dad accidentally pulled out Jenny’s cathedral length veil as he was giving her away… And the officiant actually stopped the service to step in and reattach it with her sister’s help. They signed the marriage license, then partied the night away at The Sewanee Inn, finishing their evening by processing up the stairs to the Inn’s balcony through an “honor guard” (a Sewanee tradition) while singing the Sewanee fight song.
It was the perfect Sewanee wedding in every way. Jenny + Phil, thank you so much for inviting us into this season of your life. We are so grateful for you both, and for your families and friends. Huge thanks to this amazing vendor team for nailing this wedding day (even amidst cold and rain!):
Ceremony venue: All Saints’ Chapel on the campus of Sewanee, The University of the South
Reception venue: The Sewanee Inn
Florist: Ken Taylor of Taylor’s Mercantile
Cake: IvyWild of Sewanee
Planner/coordinator: Katherine Benson of Bella Baxter Events
Band: The Answer Band
Dress: Stella York
Bridesmaids dresses: Bella Bridesmaids
Aaaand just a few film images from this day:
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Lindsay Campbell is a wedding photographer specializing in natural, romantic wedding photography with a bright and airy film look. She photographs weddings in Chattanooga, Franklin, Nashville, Sewanee, and the surrounding areas, and travels across the country to photograph weddings! If you’re looking for a Chattanooga wedding photographer, Sewanee wedding photographer, Nashville wedding photographer, or Franklin wedding photographer, get in touch!