How did this class begin?
I launched the class in 2005 as a case study program, but I was not happy with that method. Instead, I proposed to help students through experiential learning to professionals in the community. After all, my students are the future of this industry, and I want to produce professionals with ethics, insight and a lot of experience.

Are there qualifications to apply?
We ask engaged couples affiliated with the university to submit letters that share their love story in 500 words. The first year, we received ten letters, and the second time, we got 15. Last year, 44 couples applied. The students read every letter and vote on who will win.

Do you have a most memorable wedding moment?
One bride asked us to make the dream of her brother-in-law, who was suffering from terminal brain cancer, come true. His only wish was to walk his three-year-old daughter down the aisle because he would not live to see her wedding day.

What is the strangest wedding theme you have planned?
I planned a Halloween wedding where the bride wore a tattered dress, makeup that made her look dead and was carried down the aisle in a coffin.

Where are Columbia’s best-kept secret spots to get hitched?
The T. Ashton Phillips Center, the new farmers market, is absolutely a secret in the making. The most unique place is 701 Whaley. It has an interesting history, but it’s a clean slate venue that allows for great freedom in your design. Columbia will be excited by the Sheraton hotel’s renovated ballroom.

Have you planned destination weddings?
I planned a Napa Valley vineyard wedding for an older couple whose budget was $500,000. Their dog was the ring bearer. We had a tuxedo made for him.

How do you feel about Kim Kardashian’s lavish wedding?
She was a beautiful bride, but when you divide the money she spent by the number of days she was married, it wasn’t worth the result: unnecessary publicity and two broken hearts.

What is the best love story you’ve heard?
Last semester, we chose a darling couple in their sixties. They dated 49 years ago until she dumped him through a note. He deployed for war; she enrolled in Carolina’s nursing school. They married other people, but both became single later in life, eventually reconnecting over Facebook. He proposed to her after USC won the Carolina vs. Clemson football game. Love happens at every age.