HRTM class searches for lucky couple
USC's Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management 362 class is giving away a free wedding this fall.
To be eligible, couples must be engaged, one or both of the individuals must be either a current USC student or alumnus or have a parent, grandparent or parent's sibling who graduated from South Carolina.
"We learn how to plan and budget a wedding and everything that goes into it," said nondegree student Iman Hemphill, who is the team leader for the media relations group for the class. "We do everything from picking the venue to setting up the venue and setting up the reception. And the bride and the groom have absolutely no say."
The wedding is completely run on donations by local vendors. The class can't spend any of its own money to get it done. Local businesses donate or sponsor everything including the venue, dress, flowers, invitations and honeymoon.
"701 Whaley (St.) has helped us in the past for a venue spot," said Hemphill, who graduated from USC but continues taking classes. "The dress that we have already is a couture gown that's worth over $3,000. It's already been donated, and it's gorgeous. We've given away a cruise honeymoon in the past."
This will be the 10th time the class has given away a wedding, and according to Hemphill, "they've all gone off without a hitch." The class tries to find interesting couples that have a good story and reward them with a wedding.
"We get all of our applications together, and as a class we vote on who we think is the most deserving couple," Hemphill said. "In the past we've had stories about people who couldn't really afford the wedding. Or maybe they had been through something like a death in the family, or a sister going through cancer, which was one of the stories of one of our past brides."
Interested couples should send their application to USClovestory11@gmail.com. It should include a picture of the engaged couple, tell how the two met, how long they've been together and explain why they should be chosen. The application deadline is Thursday, Sept. 15.