Crisp fall air blew as a bride approached a golden arch draped with assorted blue linens and a fall floral bouquet on the rooftop of the Kent State Hotel. The ceremony was witnessed by 20-plus Kent State students who planned the entire event. While the Oct. 28 ceremony may have looked real, it was a staged style shoot created by the Wedding and Special Events Protocol course.
It was the quintessential fall wedding experience that came from hands-on classwork, and seeing something I assisted in planning come to life felt surreal. I registered for the course from a suggestion from my fellow Kent Stater TV friend, Hayden Cruz. While Cruz did not get to experience the style shoot for his class, it was the unique premise of the class that interested me.
Brooklyn Fockler Leshon, owner of Brooklyn Rain Brides LLC, and Mandy Ulicney, an associate lecturer for hospitality and event management, thought of the collaboration between Brooklyn’s wedding planning business and the class to give students the chance to plan a real wedding, Ulicney said.
“Style shoots are curated, creative concepts that kind of bring together venues, vendors, all these people to bring a mock concept to life,” Fockler Leshon said.
She is an alumna of the hospitality program and said this type of shoot is a way to network and grow portfolios and showcase new offerings.
We began planning the shoot and its corresponding theme back in August, in addition to doing the coursework, starting with Fockler Leshon having us choose between the two concepts of “apple of my eye” or “fall-ing in love” to have the wedding theme revolve around. From a class vote, the latter won.
“[The choice of themes] was something that would inspire [students] … a starting point, but that you could really expand from there and get really creative with it and do most of that design and planning process yourself,” Fockler Leshon said. ”So, I thought those were good, basic jumping off points.”
Once the theme was chosen, we sorted ourselves into six groups designated as beauty and attire, food and beverage, florals and decor, stationery and signage, venue liaison and timeline, entertainment and photography.
The hands-on experience received assistance from 12 vendors, including the hotel. The vendors included:
- Catering: Kent State Hotel & Due Sorelle Food Imports
- Wedding Photography: Hannah Cessna
- Kent State University Photography: Hannah Jean Park
- DJ: Synapse Entertainment
- Hair: Jessica Gemma
- Makeup: Hayley Beauty
- Gown: Formality Bridal
- Cake: Connie Notter
- Cookies: Chefology’s Kent State chapter
- Rentals: Borrow Curated and Event Source
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According to Ulicney, this set of vendors consisted mostly of Kent alumni. The alumni were Ashley Foster of Due Sorelle, beautician Hayley Tucker, hairstylist Jessica Gemma and bride Alexa Frena.
The choice of having Frena and her fiance, Logan Wilson, being the model couple came by pure coincidence with the involvement in the course.
“The way we even found her to be the model was because she answered my call for couples that would be willing to let [students] plan their wedding for them,” Ulicney said. “When she submitted her picture, I’m like, ‘Oh, these guys are cute. You know that would be a cute couple.’”
Fockler Leshon, being an alumna herself, reflected on returning to campus and having once been in the students’ shoes. When she first came to campus, she did not initially start as a hospitality major, but, like me, as a journalism major.
“So it was amazing to come back and have that full circle moment where I was like, ‘wow … I just studied this for four years and got my degree here, and now I get to come back and give back to the program as an alumni, as now technically an industry expert,’” she said.
Aside from the memorable moments – fake or real – captured on camera, such as bonding with my classmates over how picture-esque the food turned out, to being joyous during a very cold outdoor ceremony, both Fockler Leshon and Ulicney felt a spark among students and envisioned the next set of wedding and event planners.
“I could just feel it, … but there was just a real spark and a very good energy and vibe going on. So, I do think that it ignited some of that passion,” Ulicney said. I felt that same spark around me as I saw how dedicated my fellow classmates were to bringing this vision to life.
Both hope to continue incorporating style shoots in the class curriculum and to have one next fall semester.
As for me, while I do not see myself too much in the wedding industry or planning my own wedding, I hope to be able to assist in wedding industry stories, like bridal shows. For any communications and non-hospitality students interested in this experience, I would recommend it, as from the course I became an ordained minister, and I will be officiating a wedding in the summer.
Nikki Gasiewski is the broadcast manager. Contact her at [email protected].
