Pressley & Apollo

WeddingsAll
Written By Grey Kenna

Pressley & Apollo

A colorful spring wedding in Sewanee

Sewanee, Tennessee
May 2023

Shot on digital, 35mm, and 120 film.

 
 
 
 

On a spring morning in Sewanee, Tennessee, Pressley and Apollo woke up and started their day as they usually do — with Apollo making Greek coffee for the both of them using his grandmother’s briki. Except this was their wedding day, and they wanted to spend the first part of it together, drinking Greek coffee on the porch just like they do every morning. Sewanee was where the two of them met, became friends, fell in love, and got engaged. It was also where they unearthed their shared love of religious studies and Paulo Nutini; it was where Apollo taught Pressley how to play rugby and where they met so many of the people who would be standing by their side later that day.

I met Pressley and Apollo when we were all still in undergrad at Sewanee. My friendship with them grew quickly because all three of us were religious studies majors, so fascinated by the many complex questions that frame the field that we would find ourselves discussing them together at frat parties, drinks in hand. We even found ourselves engaging in another one of those dense philosophical discussions on the morning of their wedding, because they invited me over not just to photograph them having coffee together, but to actually join them for coffee. That is precisely the heart of who Pressley and Apollo are — inviting you to join them for morning coffee on their wedding day, asking you about how your life is going, listening intently and being fully present.

There is a saying about Sewanee that nearly everyone who has called it home knows by heart, that it “is so beautiful that people who have once been there always, one way or another, come back.” This William Alexander Percy quote can be found on plaques around campus, in the captions of emotional graduation posts on Instagram (calling myself out here), in editorial letters, in professors’ offices, and everywhere in between. I think the collective embrace of this quote reflects how true it is, that Sewanee’s friendliness and warmth is almost magnetic. And aside from its vistas and hiking trails and stunning overlooks, I think Sewanee is so beautiful because it so loved on by so many good people — people like Pressley and Apollo. The two of them getting married in Sewanee, in a sunny little spot by the creek in Abbo’s Alley, to be exact, was as beautiful as it was meaningful. A testament to their lives together so far and an ode to the place that brought them together, vowing to each other what has been known and felt since long before.

Among my favorite details were, in no particular order: the glassware and table settings at the reception, “Mr. Fox in the Fields” from the Fantastic Mr. Fox Original Soundtrack being the recessional song, the wedding party being barefoot during the ceremony, Apollo’s traditional plate-smashing Greek dance at the reception (seriously one of my favorite things I’ve ever photographed). Their wedding was carefully planned to incorporate what was most important to them — not just their love for each other, but also for their people. It was colorful and grounded and joyful, a true celebration of two people who just make sense together, and who make the world a little brighter because they are together. It was such an honor to be there for it all and to document it.

After the ceremony, the three of us spent some time in Abbo’s Alley while their guests made their way to the reception for cocktail hour. It was the perfect time to slow down and focus on being present — one of my favorite things to help couples do as a wedding photographer. Another stroll through some favorite spots on campus led us right into the reception — a blur of group photos, champagne bottles, dancing to 70s and 80s hits, and so much love. Felt to me like if “Twist And Shout” by the Beatles was a wedding day.

 

Grey Kenna
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