“I’m thinking orchid purple, not violet.”
It’s funny how easily snippets of conversation are overheard when it relates to something important to me. With my daughter in summer camp for the week my entire focus has been on my writing. Everywhere I go I hear Italian songs (my current project, Molto Mayhem), discussions of football or weddings (UNTANGLING THE KNOT), or Boston news (UNTANGLING THE KNOT and BETTING JESSICA). I had been distracted for a while by the conversation which prompted the overhear. A woman was meeting with a wedding vendor (florist I guessed) discussing her wedding plans. She was a bit older, but no less excited about her plans than a 20 something year old would have been. I loved writing about a wedding when I worked on UNTANGLING THE KNOT. As stressful as the planning can be, I still remember it as having been a wonderful experience planning my own wedding so many years ago. The chance to revisit all the details…. The ceremony itself with the readings, décor, priest, dress, flowers and then the reception with the venue, food, music… made it such fun to write the story of Mandy, Ryan and Gabriella. One reason I love weddings, I think, is that it is such a perfect opportunity for a woman to express their personality and style. Writing about it, then, gives an author a chance to really show, rather than tell, more about their characters. And so, the overhear quote cracked me up. Because in one scene of my book Gabriella, the church wedding planner, talks with the groom’s kids, Chloe and Peter, about the color the bride-to-be has chosen. “Of course,” Gabriella went on, “if you had come on time, I wouldn’t have had the chance to steal Chloe’s great clothing designs for another bride I’m helping.” He watched her grin at Chloe and saw Chloe glance away, embarrassed. “Really?” Ryan asked. “I thought you all were supposed to be working on my wedding.” He gave them a mock glare but Gabriella just laughed. “Oh, somehow I don’t think this design would have been quite, ah, purple enough for Mandy.” Shocked, Ryan saw Chloe actually smile at this. Peter snorted and then concentrated on the slice of pizza he was inhaling. “And, what’s wrong with purple?” Ryan teased. “I specifically asked Mandy to come up with some purple ideas. After all, purple signifies royalty.” Gabriella and Chloe both stared at him, horror-struck. “You two could be twins right now,” Ryan said, laughing at their identical expressions. “Don’t worry. I was just teasing. There won’t be any purple at my wedding if I can help it.” “Hey, that’s what Gabriella said, Dad,” Peter mumbled around a huge bite of pizza. Ryan watched Gabriella blush. He had no idea embarrassment could make someone so attractive. “Not your wedding,” she clarified. “I meant, you know, for my own wedding.” Ryan couldn’t figure out why he suddenly felt a little disconcerted. “Oh,” he said. “I didn’t know you were also engaged.” Peter stopped chewing and peered at Gabriella with a frown. “No, no. I’m not,” she clarified. “I just meant, you know, someday when I get married.” She trailed off, streaks of red darting up her cheeks. Ryan felt his body relax. What color did I have at my wedding, you ask? I chose a pale yellow with fall colored flowers. And of course it was perfect. But that’s the thing; even purple can be the perfect color if that is the color the bride loves. What color would you, or did you, have at your own wedding? Does it mean anything important to you? I’d love to hear, so leave a comment with your thoughts or even tweet pictures. Here’s to the empowerment of planning our weddings.
0 Comments
“If groom doesn't show up it could be for a multitude of reasons --accident, kidnapped, murder.”
So, I started a poll yesterday on Goodreads and am having a fun time watching the results. The question was; “What’s the worst thing that could happen to derail a wedding?” (you can add your vote here.) I listed a few funny option, but the truth of the matter is that I think, as long as the couple is really in love, very little would interrupt that. Of course an accident, kidnapping or murder might do the trick. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Gehring. Click over to her beautiful sight for amazing art and writing.) As summer approaches my sympathies go out to all the young brides desperately trying to pull together the final details. Somehow we all survive (dare I say, even enjoy) the wedding day. Flowers may not show up, priests might be called away to Rome at the last minute, the Maid of Honor might get lost on her way to the church, and Fathers might walk their daughters down the aisle holding the stuffed animal that belonged to the ring bearer (just saying… it could happen) and still the marriage will take place and the couple will look back later and laugh at these little mishaps. The problem is… there are all kinds of resources out there telling you how to create the perfect day; as if this, not the actual marriage, is the goal. There are far fewer websites and blogs geared to brides and grooms that talk about how to prepare for a perfect married life. What about finances? What about kids, and houses and job transfers and mother-in-laws. It is far easier, I wager, to derail a marriage than it is to derail a wedding. In UNTANGLING THE KNOT Gabriella, the main character is devastated to be arranging an annulment for a couple she had previously helped get married: Somehow processing the annulment paperwork always left her feeling both helpless and hopeless. She sighed. At least in this case they hadn’t had any children yet. The fact that she had arranged their wedding only a year earlier, however, made this particular divorce worse than normal. Their ceremony had been really sweet, filled with excited friends, a really loving and non-control-freak mother, and a grandfather who had given the bride away. Gabriella frowned, thinking of how something so lovely could go so wrong. She was terribly disappointed for them and wished there were a way to make them see how precious it was to find that kind of love. She’d talked with them enough to know that they probably could have survived any one thing, but between the stress of losing his job and having to pay for the expensive house they’d bought, their honeymoon period had ended more quickly than most. And then, when Lisa’s grandfather had died suddenly, there had been a huge fight about being able to afford the flight to the funeral. The vicious argument was the last straw and they had given up. Every now and then I pull out our wedding video and watch it from start to finish. I see that stuffed animal in my Dad’s hand and shake my head, amazed that even now it bugs me. At the same time, though, I am reminded that I would not have let anything derail the enjoyment of my perfect wedding. How much more applicable, then, is that sentiment to my own married life? |
Subscribe to my blog:
About Me...Deanne WilstedLink here to Betting Jessica on Amazon.com Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|