4 Of The Best Fictional Weddings In Romance Fiction

There’s no other way to disappear into the fantasy of your wedding day than by reading some of the best ones in literature. Throughout time, romance has culminated in gorgeous celebrations and declarations of love that melt your heart to read. Traditional courtship and tear-jerking proposals lead to marriages that were all important decades ago for social status as well as love.
However, it’s not always simple and magical. Fictional characters have to go through a lot before they achieve their happy endings, making their final celebration all the more rewarding and exciting. It truly shows that a love that can withstand anything is worth fighting for and is sure to give you goosebumps.

To get excited for your big day, here are 4 of the best weddings in romance fiction…

1. Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
Claudio and Hero have the most heart-wrenching wedding of all of Shakespeare’s works. Claudio humiliates Hero in front of everyone when he is tricked into believing that she isn’t a virgin. It’s one of the most painful moments in fiction when Beatrice slams Claudio by saying she would eat his heart in a marketplace and everything seems to fall out of place. It’s only when he believes Hero is dead that Claudio comes to his senses. Don’t worry, a happy ending and a gorgeous double wedding rounds off the comedy. What’s a wedding without some drama?

2. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Jane and Mr Rochester are a little different. They have very little conflict in their relationship until the wedding day. It’s bound to be a memorable experience when you find out that your husband-to-be actually can’t marry you because he still has his current wife locked in the attic of your house. All drama aside, this bump in the road leads to a love even stronger and creates a poignant ending to one of history’s favourite romance novels.

 
3. Pamela – Samuel Richardson
Mr B and Pamela have a strange start in the world of romance. It takes a few hundred pages of abduction, being held hostage and being seduced for the pair to fall in love. Despite their tense power struggle and large age difference, they make a sweet couple. Mr B’s questionable morality is pushed to the limit when he reads Pamela’s letters, gropes her and insults her but his transformation into a kind man ultimately leads to her accepting his proposal and a happy ever after. Their wedding benefits both of them – Mr B learns to be kind and Pamela rises in station.

 
4. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Despite Mrs Elton’s comments about Emma’s lack of lace on her wedding day, Austen weddings tend to be traditional and lovely. When Mrs Bennet achieves her goal of marrying off two of her daughters, the wedding is a momentous occasion. The sisters marry best friends on the same day, hinting that everything has fallen perfectly into place.

By Jessikah Hope Stenson, Excalibur Press

SUMMER 2017 EDITION OUT NOW