We’re romance fans, we know the formula. First comes love, then comes marriage. Somewhere in between we get the kiss and the wedding.
I was only two when Diana married Prince Charles and Luke wed Laura on General Hospital, but trust me when I say that my memories do, in fact, go back that far. I remember watching on our tiny rabbit-eared television with my mom as she sat on the living room floor cross-legged and patiently allowed me to brush her hair. And don’t get me started on the swoony feelings I had over Bo and Hope’s wedding on Days of Our Lives a few years later. The viewership of daytime television had never been higher and women everywhere talked weddings nonstop—at least, that’s how it seemed to my young ears.
There was something magical about these over-the-top wedding ceremonies, and I was utterly enchanted. The glamorous gowns with their incredibly long, dramatic trains and veils. The huge puffed sleeves and miles of white satin and lace. The shiny bridesmaids with their bright gowns and teased hair. My mother’s best friend had a son just a few months younger than me, and by the time we hit kindergarten, we’d held at least a hundred weddings complete with satin gown (one of Mom’s old slips), flowers (weeds from the yard), a pastor reciting the vows (me, swapping the bouquet for a Bible and using a deep voice), and a kiss (gasp!). He was a good sport letting me railroad him into the role.
I quickly outgrew my obsession after he moved away and my interests turned to climbing trees with the neighborhood boys and disappearing into adventure books, and I haven’t really cared much about weddings since then. The obsession reawakened for the year I spent planning my own wedding, but by twenty-one I had gained enough wisdom to understand what my preschool-age self hadn’t—the wedding was only the beginning.
The road to the wedding is a sweet journey. It’s why we love reading romance, isn’t it? The meet cute. The flirtatious banter. The will-they-won’t-they and all that internal conflict. The threat that stands in the way. The effort required of both bride and groom as they discover the untruths they’ve believed, move past them, and embrace their dreams for the future together.
Getting to the wedding isn’t always easy. While planning my own over twenty years ago, there were times we questioned if the stress was worth it. But understanding that it was the marriage we truly wanted and that the wedding was only a step along the way—a celebratory symbol of the commitment we planned to make—that helped us through those times.
In my upcoming novella, Braver With You, Ashlyn and Conrad are facing a similar struggle. They’ve been friends since childhood, and like my old friend and I, play-acted in more than one wedding as children. Now that they’re older, the wedding has gotten out of hand thanks to their mothers (Ashlyn’s in particular). The stress and Ashlyn’s inability to stand up for her own dreams threatens everything. Thankfully, Ashlyn keeps her eyes on the true prize—a lifetime of godly marriage with her best friend.
I had a lot of fun writing this short yet emotion-packed story. Conrad sees, knows, and loves every part of who Ashlyn is. He can’t wait to meet her at that altar, and if going along with her over-bearing mother’s wedding plans is what it takes, he’ll do it. Getting to the wedding might be a rough road, but it’s one he’s willing to travel.
Getting to the wedding is a romantic journey, but when a marriage between two people who’ve fought and overcome to choose to live a life united is the destination, that’s where the real romance is.
Save the Date: A Limited-Time Christian Romance Collection releases September 14th. This faith-filled anthology features works from several current and past Inspy Romance authors as well as other familiar names. Our focus in creating this set was to celebrate a wedding for every month of the year. When you order this set (again, it’s for a limited time so hurry!) for only 99¢, you’ll get to read twelve stories of couples preparing for marriage and all of the highs and lows involved in getting to the wedding, including my October tale Braver With You mentioned above.
For the giveaway, I’d like to offer up an eBook of the Something Borrowed collection, which opens with my novella Always Been Yours. It’s a fun collection of interconnected Christmas wedding-themed stories. Do you enjoy weddings in your romance books? How important are they to that happy-sigh feeling you get at the end? Let me know in the comments to gain entry into the giveaway. Winner will by chosen by the end of the week.
Weddings at the end of books are great.
I love when a romance book ends in a wedding & even a pregnancy after.
It’s nice if there’s a wedding in the epilogue, but but the HEA is more important.
100% agree!
I love to read about weddings. I enjoy reading about “real” relationship and wedding planning/ceremony. Many young people are left with the feeling and thoughts that everything falls into place and goes smoothly. I have never heard of it happening. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Isn’t that the truth?! Weddings are hard work! Lol!
I enjoy wedding stories occasionally.
Me too. The relationships are more fun to read about now lol!
I enjoy wedding scenes but the y aren’t necessary to make the book interesting to me.
Same!
I don’t mind if there is no wedding at the end. It’s about how I fall in love with the characters. 🙂 But “seeing” their wedding is always a bonus. ❤️
PS: The wedding you described sounds like how my wedding prep went. There were so many people to please. My husband’s best man spoke wisdom over us and helped us to stop stressing. It was something along the lines of: No matter how the day goes, if you’re married at the end of the day, it was a success. 😁
Awww! That’s awesome. I’ve never forgotten our best man’s words that day either. (And we lost him in 2020, so they’re even more precious now.)
Oh, Jaycee (((hugs))) 😢
Hi, Jaycee!
I don’t have to have a wedding to make the story complete. I don’t mind abbreviated descriptions of the ceremony either. I think the only thing that I don’t enjoy is the flood of details for all the dresses and tuxedos, the flower petals and the music, the food at the reception and so on. Not that those things aren’t important. My DW and I designed our wedding together and made many of the decorations and unique designs ourselves. It was very satisfying to see it all come together. But in a romance, for me, the relationship reigns supreme. Rocky or smooth, gentle or exciting, new grown or full blown, that dance between hero and heroine is what draws me in and keeps me reading. The promise and agreement to marriage is enough for me.
I checked on Amazon to make sure and was reminded that I pre-ordered Save The Date back in January. Ready Freddy, bring it on!
Yay! Birds of a feather, Lincoln. I don’t love the drawn out details either. I want the feelings and the relationship to take center stage.
While I absolutely LOVE reading weddings at the end of romance books, it’s not necessary as long as I know for sure that’s where the couple is heading. Or if the author includes an epilogue with the wedding day. As long as I get that happily-ever-after feeling at the end, you know? Its the reason I read romance 😉
Amen to all of this! Yes! 😆
Love them in books
What do you love best?
I do love a wedding in a book, especially when it’s a marriage of convenience or the wedding of a side character where the main characters can bask in a little romance and moonlight!
Ooh! Marriage of convenience books are so fun!
I love weddings in books, I like it when they plan it and especially what the dress looks like, it doesn’t have to have every little detail about it, but I like to read it’s description, and yes of course, I love to hear the afterwards about their struggles and if they are truly happy. I love HEA’s .
So what I am hearing is you WANT IT ALL! Lol! Not one thing wrong with that!
I’m *so* excited for the Save the Date boxset, and I can’t believe it’ll be here so soon! Also, on that wedding note, I’d say it certainly adds a dose of sweetness to the story, though most of the time I’ve seen it as an added bonus 🙂
Makes sense to me. And YAY! I am SO GLAD you are excited about this boxset!
There doesn’t have to be a wedding for me to enjoy the book. As long as I know that’s where the couple is headed by the end and I’m satisfied they’ll live happily ever after.
For a while, I wrote for a line that required a wedding in every book. Since then, sometimes I write the wedding, but most of the time, I don’t. Or I’ll put it in the next book in the series.
That would be so exhausting! I do enjoy looking at the wedding through the guests’ eyes in the next book. Whatever the series or book calls for, I’m there for it! haha!
I enjoy when books feature the wedding or even the epilog shows the wedding and glimpse of the couples future.
Definitely. Thanks for commenting!
I love reading about weddings in romance books, they are always so sweet. I kind of need the happy -sigh feeling at the end.
I love the happy-sigh feel at the end of a truly satisfying book!
I enjoy reading about weddings in books, but it doesn’t have to be in there for me! Just knowing that they will, or a brief bit about it in an epilogue are great for me!
Me too. I think it depends a lot on the story and the characters.
I enjoy reading about weddings in books. I can’t wait to read your book in the anthology.
Aw, thank you, Lori! Be sure to head over to the Back to School Bash and enter the big giveaway!
I do like weddings in books although like Jessica I some details and not rushed like some epilogues are. I like some of the books where the wedding is before the end of the book and you get some of the details and the struggles.
I remember Prince Charles and Princess Diana married Friends had a colour tv and invited me to come and watch it with them.
I’m guilty of rushing a wedding scene. Lol! Thanks for giving your perspective. 😊
It tends to depend on where the wedding is but I have read some where it was basically she walked down the isle and saw her groom and then they are married with a little detail of the locking eyes etc. but there is no real detail like what her dress was even if just a simple detail or what the bridesmaids wore. (or colour) the little things if you go to a wedding you get asked (I know have to make a real note of what colour the mother of the bride or groom wore) I have been asked and I say um it looked good but I don’t always take in detail. It doesn’t have to be a lot just more than they got married.
I love reading about weddings in my contemporary or historical books. Many times they are in epilogues and quickly gone through. But I crave all the details!
Very true. I’ve found myself skipping over a lot of the details. Something to keep in mind as I write in the future, thanks!