Our son got married last month. The ceremony was gorgeous, the bride was breathtaking, the groom was cute as could be, it was a beautiful day, and the wedding went off without a hitch. NOT! One major oops threatened the festivities. One of the bridesmaids got her dates mixed up. She thought it was the next weekend, so she went to a Thanksgiving gathering with her family – in Louisiana. The wedding was in Arkansas. No one realized the issue until said bridesmaid failed to show. Hannah was in panic mode, as brides tend to do on the big day. We talked about having the groomsmen enter with the preacher and groom so it wouldn’t be as noticeable that there was one less bridesmaid than there were groomsmen. But Hannah’s stepmom stepped up–literally–and filled the slot. In the end, Hannah wished
she’d asked her stepmom to be a bridesmaid, but she was afraid it would seem weird. We all assured her, she was the bride, she could have whatever she wanted on this one day. Several guests commented that it was really sweet for her to have her stepmom as a bridesmaid. Everything else went according to plan, maybe even better, and I gained the sweetest daughter-in-law I could have ever prayed for.
Of course, anything that happens in my real life often lends itself to my fiction. Some wedding in my characters’ future will surely have a no-show bridesmaid. And maybe a stepmom will step in. I’ll spend more pages with the families of the intended couple frantically preparing since I had no idea a wedding was such a massive undertaking with at least a thousand details needing attention.
About three hours before the big event, I learned I was supposed to dance with Logan. I can’t dance, but I did the sway thing anyway. And picked the song, Wind Beneath My Wings by the original artist, Gary Morris for our sway. I don’t cry pretty, so I prepped myself all day, reminding myself since their house isn’t ready, they still live with us. He wasn’t going anywhere except for a brief honeymoon, so I WOULD not cry. And I didn’t. We laughed about how slow the song was, as he made fun of the sappy lyrics and my dancing abilities. I’ve never put a father-daughter or mother-son dance in any of my books. But I certainly will now. I’ll add reality to my fictional weddings, by having the families and friends spend hours on the cleanup afterward. I also learned things. Throwing birdseed is old news. Today’s couples have the bridal party hold sparklers as the couple leaves.
And I got to thinking about all the weddings I’ve written. With eighteen titles and one novella under my belt, most of my books include nuptials. In fact, back when
Heartsong Presents was still around, they required a wedding in each book. I’ve ended books with the hero and heroine’s wedding and I’ve had them attend other characters’ nuptials during the course of their story leading to their own happily-ever-after.
The most fun wedding I’ve ever written was in Winning over the Cowboy. The heroine is still smarting from being left at the altar, off the page. But her cousin is getting married and she has to attend the wedding in her hometown, where everyone knows she got stood up at the altar and they all feel sorry for her. She decides to put on a big show to show, she’s over it. And the hero steps in and pretends they’re a couple. It was a fun scene to write and since pretend romance to real love is one of my favorite tropes, I think it’s my favorite wedding scene that I’ve written so far.
So, tell me about your favorite fictional wedding and why you love it. If you can remember the title and author of the book, please share, so the rest of us can add to our TBR piles. All comments will go in the drawing for a print copy of Winning Over the Cowboy. U.S and international included. Deadline: Dec 17th. Bear with me on comments. We’re going to our favorite Christmas concert, Trans Siberian Orchestra, and doing some Christmas shopping, so I probably won’t be around to chat until evening.
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
I am not sure of a favourite wedding in books.
I have only been in one wedding and that was in Canada. I had never met the bride or any of the others we were internet friends as were 2 other bridesmaids. a couple weeks before the wedding Hurricane Ike hit and the bridesmaid from Texas couldn’t come as here area was affected. The other bridesmaid was coming from Calgary and her daughter was elevated to junior bridesmaid. She was 14 but tall. We found her a dress about 2 days before the wedding. The matron of honor was a local and she was the one saying the dress pattern wasn’t an issue but was still working on the dress and saying how bad it was the night before the wedding. (It was a lovely dress for a thin 20ish year old that wasn’t well developed.) For a late 40’s early 50’s woman that wasn’t that thin and had curves the dress was a nightmare. I had friends help me make it after the dry run had me falling out of the dress! (the bridesmaid from Calgary had a dressmaker make hers and she had added some pleats to the top that worked well. Mine ended as a top and skirt as the top was my issue. And the Locals looked fine but she finally admitted it wasn’t an easy pattern. (and no I haven’t ever worn it again)
Aw, congratulations! How sweet for your daughter-in-law to include her step-mother. I’m impressed that you made it through without crying!
Congratulations to your son and daughter-in-law!
We had a simple though big wedding – big families on both sides, and my parents were very keen to be able to invite all their friends and family as my sister had eloped the year before and got married just her and her fiancé so it was their only chance.
I loved my wedding, don’t get me wrong, but as you’ve said there are so many details to arrange and always last minute disasters to sort out. So in books, I’m always drawn to the really small weddings – I really enjoy the marriage of convenience trope, and it’s great when what seems like a brief and functional wedding leads to something really meaningful. I think weddings with just the couple and two random witnesses can be really romantic! (Quite like my sister’s I suppose). My mind has gone completely blank thinking of examples of these, but I’ll pop back if any come to me!
Congratulations to your son and new daughter-in-law!!
I’ve read books with weddings in them, but honestly, I don’t remember the weddings. I will say I do NOT like reading all of the minute details about the bride’s dress, and how many sequins might be on it. If the details get to be too much, I skip that part! One of my sisters had a huge wedding, and by that I mean our entire choir at church was part of it! Personally, IF I ever get married, which seems entirely unlikely at this point, I want a really small wedding. I’ve helped in some way or fashion with all three of my older sisters weddings, and there’s just too much involved. Plus, since Mom and Daddy are both deceased, there’s no one I want to walk me down the aisle. I’ll just do like Mom and Daddy, and my hubby-to-be and I will go to my minister’s house and be married there, and only the “required” witnesses there, too!
Congratulations to the beautiful couple. I’ve read to many books to remember a favorite wedding scene. The most memorable real one was when my stepson was married and he knelt down by her daughter and gave her a ring also and promised to be a loving and wonderful father to her also.
I always think of the Moc while there was not a big wedding Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke and The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch
My only daughter just got married. For years I had dreamed of a big wedding, but they are both 30, the last in their friend groups to get married, and had experienced all the drama watching all those weddings come together. They also didn’t want the expense. So they got the license and three days later, signed it with a friend serving as the officiant and their two moms as witnesses. Then everyone from both families who could make it went out for a delicious steak dinner. It was what they wanted, and it was perfect! And the best part is, I got to wear jeans!! Someday I might write a book titled “I Wore Jeans to My Daughter’s Wedding.” :)
I tend to like weddings in books that are small and intimate, although I can’t recall any of them.
Congratulations on the wedding of this beautiful couple and gaining a sweet DIL!
I like fake marriage or fake relationship that turns into the real deal but i don’t have a favorite wedding in books.
congrats on your sons wedding. I think every wedding has one “opps” When we got married our friend the pastor, forgot to have us light the unity candle during the ceremony. No one thought about it, except his wife. She brought the candle to the reception and it was the best way to have the lightening the candle at the beginning of this special time with family and friends. It was like the beginning of our life together. And now it is 39 years later and there is not much left to that huge candle so long ago. For we light it on every anniversary and redo our vows to each other for the next year. When our son got married, we had the father/daughter (bride) and mother/son (groom our son) dance. It was a waltz. I didn not know my son could dance. But Kristen our daughter in law had taught him before the wedding. As we were dancing he kept giving me little hints on how to dance. I was so tickled. He was so cute and did beautiful. At my wedding our first dance was the Venetian Waltz. This is a fast waltz with lots of twirls. And we have waltzed ever since.
I can’t think of one that I’ve read recently! Congratulations on the recent marriage in your family and Happy holidays!
Congratulations on your son’s wedding! That’s so exciting! Honestly, I can’t remember any weddings from books I’ve read. The most recent wedding I attended was of a friend of mine. She wanted a smaller wedding, but when some relatives couldn’t make it I was invited the day before the wedding. It was unexpected but so incredibly sweet and beautiful!
My friend’s mom made my bridesmaid dresses, Ausjenny. I remember the days when it was easy to find a seamstress. Not so much anymore. What saved us, was none of the bridesmaid dresses matched. Hannah gave them the color scheme and they chose dresses they wanted. Each was a different color and style. But they all blended with the flowers and decor. So her stepmom’s dress was short while all the others were long, but she matched the scheme, so it all looked pretty.
I was very impressed with myself, Milla. On the way there, I was a mess just thinking about those lyrics. But I was determined not to have a red nose and face for the big day.
Hey Ruthie,
Our son wanted to just get married at our house with only me and my husband. From the moment he proposed, he tried to talk her into that. But she was determined. She wanted a wedding on her mom’s birthday–since her mom passed five years ago. They battled it out since May about the ceremony. Finally, once her dad paid a deposit on the venue, Logan gave up and prepared for a wedding. I kept telling him once it was over and they had all the memories and pictures, he’d be glad they did it. Even that day, he just wanted it over. He hates big events and hates being the center of attention. But when they came back from their honeymoon, he said it was really cool and he was glad they did it.
I don’t like tons of detail on clothes either, Trudy. I like to give sparing details and let the reader fill in the rest in their imagination. We had a not too terribly big wedding. We each had two friends stand with us and there were about a hundred people there. Our big woops was the flowers caught on fire in the candelabra on the cake table. But someone saw it and put it out quickly. We didn’t even know it happened until we returned from our honeymoon.
That’s so sweet, Lelia. My cousin’s fiance gave her daughter a ring too. And he lived up to it, he was a good stepdad.
I’ll have to check those out, Jcp. I’m not really a historical fan, so I’ve never read those. None of us Christian authors would be in print if not for Janette Oke.
That sounds like a cute book, Erin. The preacher, the groom, and the groomsmen wore jeans at our son’s wedding. They wore blazers and vests, with cowboy hats. It was rustic country themed with lots of pompas grass and wood. They got married standing on a cow rug from our house.
I love those too, Kendra. I’m bad to not have a ring involved, just a proposal. To me, it’s not about the ring, it’s about the marriage.
I love your anniversary tradition, Lori. I’ve always wanted to take dancing lessons, but I’ve never been able to convince my hubby. I have absolutely no rhythm though, so I’m not sure anyone could help me.
Hey Linda,
Perhaps I should have asked about real weddings :)
My teary-eyed moment was when Hannah danced with her dad. It was really sweet. And the song, I Loved Her First, was perfect.
Congratulations!! My dad was a minister. He walked me down the aisle and up some steps to the stage. As he was doing this, he stepped on my dress which meant I couldn’t move up. It was funny. He also performed the wedding.
no fav
It makes it so special when a family member is the preacher, Kathleen. My father-in-law was a Baptist minister for like 60 years and married us. My husband married our son, so it was very fitting.
I guess it’s the build up to the wedding for most readers, bn.
Congratulations!!
NO FAVORITE COMES TO MIND, BUT I DO LOVE WEDDINGS IN BOOKS.
Thanks. It’s a challenge to write unique weddings after so many books, so I’m always looking for new slants.
I cannot remember any weddings in books. I can tell you about the issue at our wedding. The minister was late for our wedding because he could not find his robe. He was in the back of the church looking for his robe when the organist started playing the wedding march. I was in tears. Our organist realized that the minister and the groomsmen had not come out. She kept her eyes on what was happening and played another song. In the end, he found his robe. We have been married for 34 years. Congratulations on your new daughter in law. Thanks for sharing. God bless you.
Oh my, Debra. That’s stressful and brides are already stressed enough. My husband was almost late to officiate at a wedding because the bridge was being repaired. And he didn’t know it. He was less than a mile from the venue and had to turn around and take a detour that added 20 minutes to his drive. He was stressed. But when he got there, it turned out the bride’s grandparents were right in front of him. So he wasn’t the only one running late. He was on time, but just barely.
I was acting as mother of the bride for my stepdaughter, because her mother did not show, not approving of the choice. The groom had also the stepmother present, as the mother did not care for the wedding.
I was glad that I had this opportunity, since I have no children. And I did my duty as a mother of the bride from start till the end – with gown shopping and all…
Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing!
So many great stories with the weddings, the recent one comes to mind – Once Upon a Winter Wonderland: A Deep Haven Christmas Anthology (Susan May Warren, Rachel D. Russell, Michelle Sass Aleckson, Andrea Christenson)
I did a lot of that too Marina. My daughter in law lost her mom 5 years ago. She has a great step mom who did all the wedding planning and decor. But i was very involved from dress shopping to venue seeing to first home shopping. I loved all of it. I’m glad step daughter had you on her big day.
I’ll add that to my list, Natalya. Thanks for the fictional wedding suggestion.