When we think of the word ‘odyssey,’ we imagine perseverance and patience of mythical proportions. We think of the journey that gave us our modern definition of the Heroic Quest… But we sometimes forget that at the heart of this tale lies a love story. Odysseus’s love for Penelope—and her incredible fidelity to him—formed the core motivation that all else revolved around. Without love, after all, there is nothing worth coming home to.
Stories like the Odyssey are often presented as mere symbolic fables from a simpler time, but if you take a closer look at the world around you, you’ll find that the enduring heart of love beats just as strong today as it did thousands of years ago. Take Christiana and Alexis, for example, the subjects of this Grecian Park Hotel wedding photography. Their journey began over 15 years ago, when a young man changed his high school class just to be closer to the girl who had captured his imagination.
What started as Alexis being captivated by Christiana’s dancing eyes and flowing brown hair soon blossomed into a real romance—one with a depth that belied their years. Alas, the same environment that brought them together—the classroom—was about to separate them. Christiana had to go to school in Serres, Greece, while Alexis remained in Ioannina. But, where most college students would have drifted apart, distracted by new friends and hours of pouring over books, these two lovers were determined to hold on. As Alexis said in his own words, “We covered thousands of kilometers just to see each other, even for a couple of hours. Endless time on buses through the narrow and snowy roads… Afterwards planes were added as the journey changed from Münster (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary) and thereafter to Volos (Greece) where Christiana attended her postgraduate studies.”
Together Christiana and Alexis learned that miles mean nothing when your heart is alive with love and hope. Perhaps that is why, after the couple were finally reunited forever, they decided to celebrate with yet another journey—Only this one would be taken together. In an act of poetic symbolism that would fit any great myth, the two young lovers found themselves overlooking the Grand Canyon, safe beneath the wings of the “Sacred Eagle,” when they finally got engaged.
To start the next chapter of their story, they returned home, with plans to wed surrounded by family and friends beside the sea they both love. As you scroll through the Grecian Park Hotel wedding photography below and gaze upon the shots of the lovely Ayioi Anargyroi church where Alexis and Christiana became “one flesh in the eyes of God,” remember this: There is no divide in this world so vast that love cannot spiritually soar over it.
