George Mason University Wedding Project Worksheet

1. Homepage / Title Page

Your homepage or title page should creatively showcase the essence of the wedding. At the bottom of this page, be certain to include the following statement: This project details a hypothetical wedding for a university-level wedding planning course.

2. Consultant Page

Include your name(s) and the overall business name for your wedding planning company. Include any experience you have and/or write a statement that sells your company to potential clients, keeping your target audience in mind. Be certain to include the locations you serve and your contact information, which can be hypothetical. Incorporation of photo(s) is encouraged to personalize the consultant page. Any message to potential clients regarding your response time to inquiries should be 24 hours or less. Otherwise, they will move on to the next consultant!

3. The Couple

Create a hypothetical couple. Separate the information by client (e.g., bride and groom, groom and groom, bride and bride). Create a profile of each and give a synopsis of who they are. Include their names, hometown, current residence (they may or may not live in the same location), cultural background, religious background, age, education, occupation, hobbies, family specifics (e.g., names, ages and other relevant details of parents, siblings, etc.) and any additional information that is pertinent to the couple. Narrative detail is encouraged to bring the couple to life, showcasing each person’s background, interests and personality. Incorporation of a photo of each (and/or together as a couple) is required. You can use stock online photos to find individuals who meet the characteristics of your clients. Below their individual profiles, include the section on how and where they met, followed by their engagement story.

While the couple is hypothetical, you should include sufficient detail so that they come across as real. Make sure the facts are consistent and clear. For example, with educational background, indicate where each went to school, and major / degree(s) earned. If they are in the workforce, be specific about the name of the company and job title. The specificity should follow with all areas. Note: Be certain that the details regarding your clients originate from your own imagination! Do not under any circumstances use photos and/or details that are specific to actual or media-based celebrities.

4. Focus on Diversity / Unique Situations

Every couple is diverse in their own ways and weddings allow couples to celebrate their uniqueness! These unique situations influence the wedding planning process in positive ways and may also present planning challenges. List and thoroughly explain a minimum of two diverse aspects that are unique to this couple. Some examples might include: cultures or subcultures represented, religions represented, LGBTQ+ couple, age cohort, specialized needs such as a disability, second marriage, blended family, family dynamics, etc.

The unique situations should be distinct – do not lump them into a single paragraph. Ground the diversity by covering areas that are salient. pertinent to your clients and that are clearly embedded in the planning process. Be certain to have at least two unique situations, presented and discussed separately and thoroughly. This is an extremely important aspect of the project that will guide many of the other decisions.

5. Theme and Vision

Provide a summary of the theme for the wedding and the inspiration (vision) behind the theme. Clearly and thoroughly explain how the theme is relevant to this couple. Give a minimum of three detailed examples of how the theme is incorporated in the wedding. Be sure that the theme makes sense in light of the details that you shared about the couple’s background. Make sure that you clearly separate the three examples of how the theme is incorporated in the wedding, and discuss each.

6. Number of Guests

The couple can have between 20 and 200 guests. Select the number of guests and clearly and thoroughly give at least two reasons why this number was appropriate for this couple, their theme and vision, unique elements, budget, etc. Clearly separate the two reasons why the number of guests made sense in light of the couple, their theme and vision, unique elements, budget, etc.

When considering your discussion of the clients’ guests, remember that these are the people who are spending their time and money to attend the wedding, so be certain to do this section justice. Some things to consider:

How many total? How many from each side?

Are guests local, national and/or international?

What airport will out of town guests use?

Do they all speak the same language? If not, how will this be addressed during the wedding events?

How long are most people staying?

Are there room block(s)? Where?

Are your clients planning any special activities for out of town guests, perhaps the day before or day after the wedding?

Any specialized needs for the guests in terms of diet, mobility, etc.?

Are children invited to the wedding? Will there be onsite child care?

7. Budget

Your clients’ wedding budget can fall between $5,000 and $100,000 and should not include the engagement ring or the honeymoon. As you are creating the background information for your hypothetical clients, their story should make sense in light of the budget amount.

State the budget amount and thoroughly detail a minimum of two distinct ways (clearly separated) that the budget amount was selected and how the budget influenced decisions the clients made. Reflect on who paid for the wedding, why and any impacts that this had on the planning process.

Provide a summary budget in a graph or table format the indicates a realistic distribution of expenditures in light of your clients’ selected specific elements. Table 7.3 (p. 137) offers sample summary budgets for different price points. Remember that each couple will have areas that are particularly important to them and the budget percentages will vary accordingly. Table 7.3 offers national averages and should not be directly copied. The budget summary you create should be weighted to reflect the comparative importance of the categories to your clients.

8. Planning Timeline

Your clients’ wedding timeline can fall between 2 months and 24 months. As you are creating the background information for your hypothetical clients, their story should make sense in light of the timeline. When listing the wedding date, be sure to include the exact full date (including day of the week) and start time of the wedding as well as start time of the reception.

The timeline starts from the point of engagement, so you can determine the desired wedding date (based on your clients’ backgrounds, theme, etc.) and work backwards to the associated engagement date. For example, if the client timeline is 12 months and my clients are getting married in January 2023 to coincide with a winter theme, then the associated engagement date would be in January of 2022.

The wedding date should be based in reality, meaning that it must take place at some point after the end of this semester. You should be thinking ahead as you plan, as trends change and we want to be forward-thinking consultants.

State the amount of time that the couple had to plan the wedding and clearly detail a minimum of two ways this amount of time was needed and how the timeline affected their planning process. Clearly separate the two ways that the timeline influenced the planning process.

Additionally, reflect back on the seven phases of timelines (see Table 8.1 on pp. 150-151 with detailed explanation for each phase on pp. 151-172 in your book) and thoroughly explain which phases (at least two) presented the greatest challenges to the couple and/or planner and why. Clearly separate the challenges.

9. Specific Elements

Below is a list of elements that are common to most weddings. For each element, you should include details and photos that will clarify the selections made by your clients and how they match the theme and budget. Be certain to indicate the associated vendor’s contact information (note: all vendors should be actual businesses) and any additional citations regarding where the information was obtained. Citations may be beyond the associated vendors (e.g., where sample photos were obtained). If any given element listed below is not going to be included in the wedding, provide a paragraph clearly detailing why it was not included.

• Ceremony venue
• Reception venue
• Invitations and other stationery elements. Note: You are required to include the wording that will be used in the invitation. This can be placed next to a sample of what the invitation will look like. See pp. 280-283 for guidelines and samples of wording.
• Wedding attire (minimum: the couple and their attendants)
• Floral décor for ceremony (minimum: bride’s bouquet, wedding party bouquets and boutonnieres)
• Floral décor for reception (minimum: centerpieces)
• Music for ceremony
• Readings for the ceremony (minimum of two, include the wording for each)
• Music and other entertainment for reception
• Photography and/or videography
• Rentals, decorative elements and lighting (can be separated as applicable)
• Food and beverage
• Wedding cake / other desserts, as applicable
• Transportation and lodging
• Favors
• Gifts for wedding party members
• Wedding rings
• Wedding day preparation (minimum: hair and makeup for bride)
• Other (to be named and included as appropriate)

10. Layout, Form, Design and Grammar

The utmost professionalism is expected in terms of the layout, form, design and grammar. Treat this assignment as though it is your company and your clients. Use your creativity to showcase the theme. Make the layout easy to follow and clearly label each section. Proofread carefully to catch typographical and grammatical errors. Be careful in your usage of pronouns and verb tense. Remember, this is not your wedding that you are presenting, but that of your clients!