Of Writers, Romance, and Weddings

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By Beth K. Vogt

I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately.

Being craft-challenged, I’m not pinning seasonal craft ideas onto various holiday boards. And I’m also not pinning recipes or decorating ideas. After I conquer this current deadline, I need to clean my house, not think about redecorating it.

No, my browsing Pinterest is all about weddings. Invitations. Cakes. Locations. Fashions. Gowns. You name it, I’m pinning it.
A November Bride
My online daydreaming has taught me one thing: Pinterest is the place to be if you’re planning a wedding, whether it’s real or imaginary.

As a contemporary romance writer, I focus on falling in love – meaning everything leading up to the Happily Ever After. In my first three novels, the whole “I do” scenario didn’t get a lot of attention (think: word count).

For me, romance is all about the relationship between two people. Are they a perfect match? (Probably not.) Are they going to fall in love and live happily ever after? (Not without some major obstacles and some significant character change.) And all of that – the meet-cute, the obstacles, the tension, the discovering more about themselves and about each other and about God – that is what made up the bulk of the romances I’ve written so far.

But I’ve realized that people (think: readers) love weddings. Does this surprise me? No. Weddings allow us to celebrate with two people as they start their lives together. We’re invited to be part of something joy-filled and significant – to not only make a memory but to be part of a memory.

I’m rediscovering my own love of weddings as my writing life has immersed me in all things bridal. My most recent novella, A November Bride (Harper Collins), had one instruction: the hero and heroine had to get married in November. That meant a wedding of some sort was mandatory. My upcoming series with Howard Books (May and August 2015/2016) has a destination-wedding theme. Once again, weddings are pivotal to each book.

We’re told to write what we know. We’re also told to know our readers. I have my own fascination with weddings, having been a flower girl, a maid of honor, a bride, the mother of the groom, and the mother of the bride. I have no doubt my readers love weddings too – I only have to consider the popularity of TV shows like Say Yes to the Dress, Something Borrowed, Something New and Four Weddings. And God himself calls the church his bride and is preparing a wedding feast for her. When you think about it, this love of weddings may be woven into us in a soul-deep way.

What about you? How do you feel about weddings? What personal interest and/or reader interest does your writing tap into to?

ColoradoCasualBeth2012Beth K. Vogt believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Her novella, A November Bride, released this month from Harper Collins. In May and August 2015, she launches a destination wedding series with Howard Books, her publishing house. Find out more about Beth at her website.

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