Wedding Season in the College of Human Sciences

With wedding season fast approaching, the students of the Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRMT) program are hard at work attempting to satisfy every bride and groom. The women and men of this program in the College of Human Sciences are educated in the global hospitality and tourism industries. According to the College of Human Sciences Web site, the program concentrates on service excellence, social and ethical responsibility and diversity in a practically oriented and intellectually challenging learning environment. The program teams with the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center to provide real life experience to students.

HRMT is not just for students who want to be wedding planners. Graduates of HRMT program are in demand in a variety of health-related, hospitality, and foods industry careers. HRMT also places 100 percent of their graduates in jobs.

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Ever since the 2001 blockbuster The Wedding Planner starring Jennifer Lopez there has been an influx of women and men wanting to be a wedding planner. Mary Louise Gore, an HRMT senior, is studying to be an event planner, specifically a wedding planner. She has had a passion for event planning since she was 8 years old but it was not until she was in high school that she knew she wanted to be a wedding planner. She now works part time at Opelika First Baptist Church as their wedding coordinator. She is the contact for the church for couples that are planning to get married there. She helps every bride and groom plan their perfect ceremony. “I will help the couple do anything from choosing colors to helping design the invitations, I don’t really have set tasks, just whatever they need,” Gore says.

She explains how her classes have taught her the necessary skills to be successful in the industry. “Everything that was taught to us was applicable,” Gore says. Her favorite class in HRMT was Events and Catering where she helped plan a gala for the entire HRMT department. She also found her flower arranging class enjoyable and applicable for her desired career in wedding planning. Being engaged to be married herself, these classes and her experience from working at the church have been a huge help in planning her own wedding.