Ah, weddings. The whirlwind of floral arrangements, the mingling scents of perfumes and colognes, the rustle of silk dresses, and the promise of forever sealed with the words “I do.” As an author, these moments offer the quintessential backdrop for heartfelt confessions, character growth, and divine intervention. But as a mother with a daughter about to walk down the aisle, the emotional weight of these moments is suddenly far more personal.
Life has a way of imitating art, and planning a wedding with my daughter has been enlightening. The endless choices we face—from selecting the perfect venue to choosing an officiant—echo the decisions that authors make when crafting a matrimonial scene. Would a grand cathedral with a traditional minister best suit the characters, or perhaps a simple beach ceremony led by a close friend?
Talking about officiants, they’re not just there for ceremonial duties; they can reflect so much more. Whether it’s a long-standing minister, a spiritual guide, or even a friend who became ordained just for this occasion, the choice adds layers of meaning to the story and gives us insights into the characters’ inner worlds.
As for the settings in contemporary romance novels, the sky’s the limit! We see everything from quick courthouse ceremonies to lavish events that could be straight out of a royal fairy tale. Each setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s an opportunity for characters to grow and for the story to unfold in unique ways.
One question remains: do readers enjoy a wedding finale in a romance novel? The responses are as varied as bridal gowns at a wedding expo. Some yearn for that final emotional payoff, while others prefer the story to end on a note of possibility, leaving the actual nuptials to the imagination.
So, dear readers, let’s open the floor. Are you on team “I Do” or more of an “I Don’t” when it comes to weddings wrapping up a romance novel? And what’s your take on the different wedding types in contemporary romance? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Laura Ashwood is an award-winning, USA Today Bestselling author of sweet contemporary and historical western romance, and women's fiction. Laura and her husband live in northeast Minnesota. She works a full time day job, and in her spare time, she likes to read, cook and spend time with her husband. She is a devoted grandmother and chihuahua lover.
I Do and I love the different wedding types that add to the characters likes in the story.
Thanks for the comment, Andrea. So many ways a wedding can connect to the characters’ likes :)
I personally like to watch weddings!
Hi Lilly, I love watching them too. So emotional!
depends on the story
Thanks for the comment :)
I think it depends on the storyline, but I do like having at least a little glimpse of the wedding for the characters.
Thanks for the comment, Elizabeth, good to know!
I usually like at least an epilogue with a wedding in it. I really enjoyed Valerie Comer’s recent A Surprise Wedding for the Cowboy in which the wedding comes half way through the story, and we get all the adjustments and transitions of the new couple!
Hi Margaret, that was such a good read. Thanks for the comment.
I’m more of an I don’t. I don’t mind weddings, but they don’t have to be there for me to enjoy the story. I can be just as happy if there isn’t a wedding. If it’s a series, they can get engaged in a later book (another couple’s dating book), married in another book (or just implied), and I’m fine with that, too. Or, if it’s a stand alone, just give me an epilogue telling me they married and are now expecting their first, or even five years later and they have two. Or, just totally leave it to my imagination, just knowing that they are going to get together.
Hi Trudy, thanks for the comment – lots of options!
I see a difference in many romance stories lately. It seems like more writers are choosing to opt out of the wedding at the end wrap up. I enjoy the wedding part because it just seems right and it’s fun to see how the weddings turn out. The locations, the dress, the deets. 🥰
Hi, there is something special about a wedding, isn’t there? :) Thanks for the comment
I like if there is an wedding at the end of the book .lots of love inspired books have an wedding or them in a few years in the epilogue.
Hi Kendra, I’ve often seen weddings in epilogues too. Thanks for the comment.
I’m good either way. I just enjoy seeing the characters getting their HEA. Maybe in the epilogue a few down the road, their already married with at least one child.
I like seeing weddings wrapping up a romance novel, but I don’t find them necessary in every romance book. For me, if it ends with the couple being committed to each other, then I’m good with it (it could be marriage, but it could also be the engagement, or a grand gesture, among other things). Honestly, whatever works for the story, and that goes as well for the different types of weddings.
Hello, there are a lot of ways to show commitment. Thank you for the comment.
It depends on the story. I do enjoy an epilogue that shows what happened to the couple in a year.
Hi Lori, I’ve often seen this in epilogues too (may have even written a couple wedding epilogues myself LOL). Thanks for the comment!
I am on team “I Do” but the wedding itself doesn’t have to be in the story :)
Hi, thanks for the vote ;)
So I prefer for babies to be announced in the epilogue more than a wedding, but I like having a wedding /marriage (doesn’t have to be something big) before the epilogue. I don’t really care for engagements at the end or in the epilogue because I feel like it’s anti climactic to only get an engagement out of the journey with the characters. The only time that I don’t get disappointed with that ending is when it’s part of a series and you will eventually get a wedding/baby as the series goes.
I definitely like a wedding, but I don’t mind what sort of wedding it is, it’s always interesting to read about different takes on the perfect wedding. One of my favourite tropes is marriage of convenience, so often the wedding is towards the beginning of the book, but if I’ve followed a couple’s story I like to see that they get married.
Congratulations to your daughter, enjoy the wedding planning!
Weddings can make a great wrap up to a story and I do enjoy the different ways that weddings can come together.
I am in the I do corner. I love all the wedding trappings in a story. It is fun to imagine myself there participating.
I am team I do. I enjoy reading about different wedding types. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I enjoy seeing weddings in books but it also depends on the story. I just like epilogues in general though
I do! And not only in contemporary romance, in historical too, there are various traditions, especially in multicultural families, and various wedding types!
In a historical series I wrote, my main characters had 3 weddings (with the same persons): 1) a Catholic wedding, but one of the brides (there were 3 couples married at the same time) got married against her parents will, so they had to hide for a while until coming back to make peace with the outraged parents, who wanted a richer son in law. So they went to a Cherokee village the 3 grooms and one of the brides had been adopted into in the previous volume. But there, having been adopted into the tribe, they would be recognised as married only if they married according to the local customs. Therefore 2) Cherokee wedding (and two more couples marrying then) and 3) the wedding party for the village when back (with Venetian and French Acadian traditions, since some grooms and brides were of these origins).
Most of the time I personally don’t think that a book needs a wedding to wrap up the story. I’m fine with leaving the characters in a good place and imagining what happens next.
Having a wedding at the end of the book is fun but I don’t have to have one. Either way it’s nice when the epilog gives a glimpse of where the characters are in the future.
I am so late. I like a wedding when it fits with the story. I do want more than they gazed into each others eyes as they said I do.
I don’t need a lot of detail but I like to know the colours (bridemaids dress colour) I like to know what flowers but its not as important.
At a wedding I attend we tend to take not of the brides dress, the bridesmaids dresses and colour and often flowers.
I know have to make sure I remember the mother of the groom and brides colour of dress because after a wedding I was asked this question and I had no idea. so I tend to take note now. But mostly its the main colours.
I Do and I like simple outdoor weddings.
I think it depends on the story as to whether it should end with a wedding or not. Every wedding is unique and should be based on the couples getting married.
I prefer a wedding at the finale with a simple beach ceremony led by a close friend.
I Do… since I did it. XD
I like a wedding, but don’t think it HAS to be in that book. It’s always fun to revisit old character though, so a series that includes the wedding of an earlier couple is always fun.
I’m on team “I do” 😁 I love a good wedding in the epilogue. I also love a good wedding that doesn’t happen. The book I’m currently reading started off with a wedding, but the groom never showed up. I think it’s going to work out better for her because the guy seems like a jerk so far 😬