Normally class consists of lectures, books, and discussions, but instead one class had music, cake, dresses, and a whole ceremony.

One of the projects in Adult Living, a class offered to juniors and seniors, is a mock wedding. Each student picks a role to fulfill, such as bride, groom, or bridesmaid, and has to do everything that person would do in real life. The goal was to understand the complexities of marriage.

“Weddings are a lot of work and a lot of money. Just having the fake one was a lot, it seems like having a real one would be even more stressful,” Emily Winkler, senior, said. “I was the maid of honor; I had to do a lot. I had to do a speech, I had to help the bridesmaids, and make a presentation.”

Being only a semester class, the Adult living class includes this project as a way to conclude everything taught in the class.  Lauren Engelhardt, Family and Consumer Science teacher and Adult Living teacher, hopes her students learned just how important and valuable a wedding is.

“First and foremost, [I hoped they learned] how much time and effort goes into planning an actual wedding,” Engelhardt said.  “Secondly, we talk about all the values and importance of marriage and family, so I hope that on top of all the planning that goes behind it, I hope they see the deeper value of why people get married.”

After a week of planning, the students had the ceremony in the small auditorium.

“I feel like our experience was really exciting. It was stressful, but a lot of fun. When we went on stage, it actually felt legitimate,” Megan Malcolm, senior who played the bride, said.

On the day of the ceremony, everyone in the class had to wear formal attire for the entire day.

“It was kinda chaotic, but all together [the mock wedding] was a great time,” Cody King, senior who played the groom, said. “There was a lot of chaos and confusion, but it was a good experience.”

Engelhardt was satisfied with how this year’s mock wedding went, even though she had to fill in for the coordinator role because her student was missing; however, she holds high hopes for this class in the future.

“My dream is to get more classes in Adult Living, so there will be more mock weddings happening and getting more people involved,” Engelhardt said.  “Then, we hope to make it into the PAC to have a kind of ‘full house’ thing where the school gets involved.  Hopefully, there are more classes, and then there will be the opportunity to get more people and the school involved.”