Jenny + Phil’s Christmas Sewanee Inn Wedding
Our 2018 season has ended. This year, about two dozen couples and their families have allowed us the privilege of witnessing this beautiful day in their family history, and making sure it is preserved well for generations to come. And I couldn’t think of a better way to end this year than with Jenny + Phillip + all of their very favorite people, at their stunning Christmas Sewanee Inn wedding.
So here you have it, my last mini-novel of the year about a couple that I think is the very tops:
Jenny + Phil are exceptional in many ways. They attended an excellent (and absolutely stunning) university, and they worked hard to get there. They excelled in the years they studied together, and then both went off to medical school (and – surprise – they did pretty well there, too). Their résumés contain distinctions like “Valedictorian,” “All-American,” “Woman of the Year,” and “Homecoming Queen.” They’re an impressive couple. And throughout their wedding weekend, Jenny + Phil’s guests noted these accomplishments on more than one occasion.
But Jenny + Phil were also reminded a few times of this truth: that of all of their endeavors and accomplishments, this – their marriage – would be the most important of all. And I think Jenny’s dad said it best when he reminded Jenny + Phil of what noted author and journalist David Brooks said in his commencement speech at the University of the South the year of their graduation:
Brooks told the graduates not to worry about whether or not they’d be happy, would find a job, or discover their passion. Instead, he told them to worry about this:
“Will I marry well? This is the most important decision you’re going to make in your life. If you have a great marriage and a crappy career, you will be happy. If you have a great career and a crappy marriage, you will be unhappy. I tell university presidents that since the marriage decision is so central, they should have academic departments on how to marry. They should teach the neuroscience of marriage, the sociology of marriage, the psychology of marriage. Everybody should get a degree in how to marry. Nobody listens to me.”
Somehow, in the midst of accomplishing so much and excelling in so many ways, it looks like Jenny + Phil also nailed the most important decision of their lives: to marry each other. They are kind and thoughtful people, and they really do make a perfect team. They carry themselves with the confidence and trust of a much older couple. They giggle and smile and have supported each other through so many big life decisions and challenges. And of course, to top it all off, their wedding was stunning. Full of love and laughter, family and friends, and lots of Sewanee magic.
What an honor it was to witness.
Huge shoutout to Bella Baxter Special Events, the amazing team at The Sewanee Inn, Taylor’s Mercantile, IvyWild Sewanee for crafting such a gorgeous Christmas Sewanee Inn wedding!
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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!