Emma Hunzeker is building a degree plan through three separate academic colleges to achieve her dream, and make sure others get theirs.

For most people, weddings carry a particular cadence throughout life. You impatiently sit through a few as a kid. The pace accelerates as a young adult. There is an onslaught during your 20s and 30s that requires budget lines for travel and gifts, and then, they taper off until you’re walking your own child down the aisle. 

But for Texas Tech University student Emma Hunzeker, she is in the business of weddings. 

Emma grew up on romantic comedies, discovered the power of Pinterest early on, and had her own hypothetical wedding planned out by high school – an October wedding with a color scheme of deep greens, baby’s breath and wheat stalks used for filler.

Weddings just make her happy. But what makes her exceptionally exuberant is bringing others happiness on their big day. 

“Wedding planners are the unsung hero of the event,” she says with no hint of ego. 

No event would run as smoothly without them, and as Emma points out, when you don’t notice them, they’ve done their job. 

When Emma got to Texas Tech, she took on the creative challenge of building an á la carte degree program, getting her exactly where she wanted to go. She researched the offerings across academic colleges and built a step-by-step plan.  

Emma is earning a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the College of Media & Communication, a minor in general business from the Rawls College of Business, and is working toward a certificate in conference and wedding planning from the College of Health & Human Sciences. 

Emma arrived at college with an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted an education that would support her goals. She noted that, for many years, higher education offered fixed programs and expected students to fit that mold. 

“The route I took was kind of a ‘create your own story,’” Emma says. 

Love of Storytelling 

“There was never a question in my mind where I was going to college,” she says. 

Emma’s parents met and fell in love at Texas Tech in the late 1990s, and there were more family members who came before them – grandparents, great-grandparents and a slew of aunts, uncles and cousins. 

“I’m a fourth-generation Red Raider,” Emma says proudly. “It runs in my blood.” 

Growing up, Emma’s family would attend every game they could, even after making their home in McKinney, just north of Dallas. Emma always knew she wanted to become a Red Raider, but she wasn’t always sure what she would study. 

There wasn’t a moment early in her life where a lightbulb came on, revealing she was meant to be a wedding planner. Rather, she describes the passion as one that came together bit by bit.  

She believes participating in theater during high school is what planted the seed. 

“I love storytelling,” she says. “Being the stage manager and working behind the scenes was something I thrived doing.” 

Emma was fascinated by the architecture of a production: the logistics, the contingency plans, the invisible effort that made all the magic possible. 

“I guess weddings are, in their own way, a production as well,” she says. “Maybe less a production but a story of two people’s love for each other.”

Coming to college, Emma knew where her strengths and skills lay. She planned graduation parties, birthday parties, bachelorette parties until one day it occurred to her, she could make a living doing this. 

That was the beginning of Ever After with Emma, a business she officially launched in 2025. 

An Expert Planner

“I like the communication studies program because it’s intentionally broad,” Emma notes. 

For students like her, who come to college with an entrepreneurial spirit, not wanting to commit to just one thing right away, programs like this are ideal. Rather than funneling students into one area of focus such as public relations or journalism, it offers the opportunity for students to build their own degree with a few key courses and then an extensive range of electives to choose from – and it’s available completely online. 

But Emma didn’t stop there. 

“I wanted to study business as well,” she explains. “It’s given me a foundation in finance and law that will be incredibly helpful as a business owner.” 

She also took advantage of Texas Tech’s Student Legal Services when drafting up her business contract, a service she was thrilled to discover was completely free. 

To top it all off, Emma found a certificate offered by Texas Tech which requires 12-15 hours and includes a class simply called “Wedding Planning.” 

She’s truly found a way to have her cake –and eat it too. 

Lori Jones, unit manager for student success at the College of Media & Communication, has built a relationship with Emma over the past few years and seen her take initiative across campus.

“Not many students have the confidence to start their own business while working toward a degree,” Jones says. “Emma also stays actively involved as a dean’s student ambassador and a student assistant in our advising office.

“Emma consistently puts herself in environments where she can grow, connect and contribute, all while maintaining a willingness to serve in any capacity.”

Keeping the Main Thing, the Main Thing 

Emma thinks back to the first wedding she remembers attending. In many ways, weddings stay the same. Two people promise to love one another forever; the cake is cut and best wishes given. 

“What has changed about weddings though, is this,” Emma says, picking up her cell phone. “I think there was a shift after COVID. Everybody was stuck at home for a year, and when things opened back up, there was this overwhelming desire to plan these really big weddings.” 

This impulse collided with the surge of Tik Tok, which grew by more than 315 million users just in the first three months of the pandemic. 

Emma is quick to note that social media itself is not necessarily a problem. Instagram and Tik Tok have made it easier than ever for brides and grooms to discover and select vendors, visualize styles and connect with planners and guests. 

But there is a flip side, and it can be overwhelming. 

“Some weddings are truly becoming productions, and the focus is shifting away from the couple,” Emma says. 

This inclination may not be new, but with the resources brides and grooms have today, it’s easier than ever to wade into a digital battle of comparison and discontentment. 

“I’ve had clients come in and say, ‘My friend did this, and I want to top it,’” Emma says. “It’s become this competition of who can throw the better party or who can plan the most extravagant bachelorette party.” 

Emma says it used to be customary for a bachelorette party to be as simple as a wedding shower or a night out for dinner. Now, whole wedding parties are invited on out-of-state trips to resorts. 

Emma is involved in a bachelorette party coming up with a new theme for each day of the trip. She’s excited about it, but points to it as an example of something you wouldn’t have seen 25 years ago. 

“Trends move so fast,” she says. “If something blows up on Tik Tok, you’re going to see it at the next three weddings you go to. But I think there is a risk to that because I feel that weddings should be timeless. You want to look back on your photos 30 years from now and not wonder what you were thinking.” 

When a bride approaches Emma with a vision shaped by comparison more than their own preferences, she tries to gently steer them in another direction. Not away from throwing a party – Emma will be the first to jump onto the dance floor – but back to what the wedding is about in the first place. 

“This is about marrying someone you love,” Emma says. “If that’s happening, it’s a success.” 

Whatever Comes Next 

When a wedding ends, Emma goes home, kicks off her shoes and takes a long shower. She puts on calm music and treats herself for a hard day’s work by sleeping in the next morning. 

She graduates from Texas Tech in December, and will already have a business in full swing before she crosses the stage. Whatever she does next, she says Texas Tech has given her the foundation to rise to the occasion. 

“I feel like I’m multifaceted,” she says. “The university has poured into me in so many ways. The soft skills, the coursework, the people I’ve met – they’ve transformed me in ways I could have never imagined. What I’ve learned here is going to help me take my next steps.9

“That’s just what Texas Tech does.”