When it comes to weddings, every detail matters, from the time, date, and venue to the type of flowers arranged on the cake. The floral design and audio video programs got to experience this firsthand at a mock wedding on April 13.
Floral design teacher Amber Jones enlisted local businesses to stage a wedding and guide her students through the decor process. Jones then invited Taylor Gade’s photography and AVP students to participate.
“[Jones] had the idea of letting us create a mock wedding, so she had to make a bunch of calls and ask people if they could come help in order for us to have this experience,” junior Emile Reid said. “Peach Creek Ranch was very nice in letting us use their venue, some people from Urban Rubbish came and helped with the floral part, photographers helped with the AVP students, models were there to wear brides’ dresses, and many more people came to make this experience possible.”
The floral students were tasked with following the design themes of two florists. Reid’s work was based around an “enchanted forest” theme.
“I built a base arrangement that sat at the base of one of the arches that we used as part of our wedding,” Reid said. “I also had to decorate the cake that we had, along with my group, to match the theme that we were basing the wedding on.”
Meanwhile, AVP and photography students captured the two model brides on their camera screens, working alongside a professional videographer and photographers.
“My group was allowed to shadow a real photographer,” junior Breanna Barnett said. “We shot behind the scenes of setting it up, bride preparation, and actually getting to take portrait shots of the bride(s).” 
The unique event allowed junior Cassia Navarro to refine her skills and work directly with an expert.
“I watched what the professionals did and asked what they did to show the model’s complexion better in the lighting and stuff like that,” Navarro said. “I learned a lot from this experience, specifically different poses I can put models in and how to use the cameras we have from school better.”
On the decorative side of things, Reid tried certain floral arrangements for the first time, helping her push past her boundaries.
“Instead of always working inside a specific area, I was able to go out of my zone and make something that I had never made before,” Reid said. “I also learned how to make a bridal bouquet with a wiring cage which I thought was cool because I had only known how to make one without a cage.”
Barnett and her camera were just one of many moving parts at the staged wedding, an added challenge.
“There were so many people from makeup and hair, floral, photography, videography, and even the wedding planners,” Barnett said. “Having to work with everyone and not be in the way was hard. But I think we all did really well for our first time all working together.”
Still, she was left with a change in perspective about the skill she had gotten to practice.
“I learned many things, especially that if you do want to be a photographer, it’s not about just taking a photo but about capturing the moment,” Barnett said.
Junior Karly Risner, who was part of Reid’s group, was also left with an altered perspective on the contrasting nature of wedding prep.
“It was super fun yet cool to be in such a serious environment,” Risner said. “I learned that weddings are serious when you are working hard but once the work is done it’s truly a fun experience.”
by Medha Sarin, managing editor
Photos of floral arrangements provided by Emile Reid
Photo of model posing as bride, taken by Breanna Barnett
