For Shelby Guthrie and Jackson Graham, a love of Tennessee Vols athletics sparked a love that went beyond the game. While attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Shelby and Jackson attended every Vols athletic event they could: football, basketball, tennis, baseball, and softball. If there was a game, Shelby and Jackson were there. The more time they spent together cheering on the Vols, the closer their bond became. Jackson finished his undergraduate degree in 2020 and his graduate degree in 2021. Shelby finished her undergraduate degree in 2021. These Vols for Life were ready to take the next step in their relationship with a sponsored wedding provided by students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT)!
“I would love for Jackson and me to be chosen because it would relieve a huge financial burden, help with planning, and having a UT wedding would be the most “us-thing” ever because we have so many friends and generations of family who have attended the university,” said Shelby in their application. On November 9, 2023, Shelby and Jackson had the wedding of their dreams at the Pavilion at Hunter Valley Farms. Students from UT Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program gained real-world experience in wedding and event planning. HTM students, along with Shelby and Jackson, worked together to secure a variety of services needed for wedding events from generous sponsors, help run the wedding event, and finally evaluate the entire process and outcomes. “We are beyond excited to offer our first ever Blissful Wedding class which will be a truly experiential, hands-on course. Our students already completed our online wedding design course last year and well-equipped to curate this memorable wedding. We will be there to help guide our students – but this course will be 100% student-directed. We are excited to see what the students will dream up for the deserving couple!” said Stefanie Benjamin, instructor of the HTM 440 Wedding Production and Execution class.
“When an academic department takes on a project like this, the first and foremost important goal is to provide transformational experiences for our students,” said Junehee Kwon, head of UT’s Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism (RHTM). “This is a perfect example of such an endeavor, and I am very excited to support our students, instructors, and the selected couple.”
Shelby and Jackson were chosen from 71 completed applications submitted to the Blissful Wish Wedding giveaway and they could invite up to 75 guests to share their special day. Current UT employees or their families were not eligible to enter.
A panel of reviewers was selected from members of the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management Advisory Board. After reviewing each application, the Board members met to decide on the winning couple and a runner-up if the selected couple would not be able to participate in the program. To ensure the program followed all University of Tennessee policies and procedures, RHTM faculty, along with staff from the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) worked closely with UT’s legal, business, and academic teams.
“We used several criteria when we selected the couple. One of the essential criteria was their willingness to work with our students,” said Kwon. “Their understanding of the purpose is crucial because they need to know why we are doing this event. The purpose will always be the student first, then the community.” Thanks to the hard work of HTM students and their mentors, Shelby and Jackson shared a day they would never forget. For all involved, the project was ambitious, but the effort put into making a special day for a deserving couple was worth the challenges.
“Since I arrived at UT, I have been aiming to increase experiential learning opportunities for our students while they serve the community,” said Kwon. “This sponsored wedding project was ambitious, and we had to go through many steps to get it approved. However, it was well worth it to see the outcomes of this transformational experience for our students!”
When it came to a student-run wedding, Shelby and Jackson were thrilled that they could play a role in this experiential learning opportunity for HTM students.
“We totally understood that this was a learning and growing experience for all parties involved, and we were happy to work with this dedicated team of students,” said Shelby.
Watch the student video of the project below.