Dum Dum da Dum

by Tawny

I get to attend a wedding this weekend - my husband's cousin is getting married. YAY!! I love weddings. they are both a beginning and an ending. The beginning of a life together, and for most romance novels, the end of the story (note, I didn't say the end of the romance *g*)

When I think weddings, I immediately think romance. Shocking, I know. Romance author on a romance blog thinking weddings are romantic. The promise of forever, the beauty of the ceremony and all of the lushness and pageantry.

Like romance novels, there are so many possibilities for a wedding. The hero and heroine are front and center, but it's the bride (our heroine) who sets the tone for the story. Romantic or sophisticated. Beach babe or nostalgic. Sexy or sweet. She really does epitomize the genre of the wedding.

The secondary characters begin with the attendants, as many or as few as the bride needs. The guests, the father of the bride, the potential conflict and drama. From the tears to the applause to the distractions, the secondaries are there to support the heroine and her hero, right?

And the setting. Oh man, the setting. So many times when writing, we're told that setting is character. The reception, the flowers, the food, the cake, even the music. They all create the world for our characters to live out their romance.

There are specific acts or turning points in both a book and in a wedding. The walk down the aisle and the beginning of the story. The ceremony - or the first meeting of the heroine and her hero. The first kiss. The first dance (oooh yeah baby!). The toast and the feast build the relationship. Thankfully most weddings don't have a dark moment, but you could say that wave good bye as they leave the reception in a cacophony of tin cans or old shoes is a good climax. And the resolution? How about opening all those wedding gifts *g* The oohs and ahhhs and realization that yes, this lovely heroine and her hero are ready to start their life together.

Tell me what you think - do you like your romance novels to end with 'the promise of marriage' (a proposal, a wedding, or something similar) or is the lovely dovey commitment enough to make you close the pages with a smile? When it comes to weddings, what's your favorite part?

And... the biggest question I mulled while writing this blog... if the heroine sets the tone and genre in a wedding... what --really-- is the role of the hero? I've got an inkling of an idea, but would love to hear yours!!!