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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#264: Save the Date

From romantic comedies like 27 Dresses to suspenseful thrillers like Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, it’s no secret that weddings are a compelling backdrop for storytelling. I’ve personally got weddings on the brain after attending a few this summer — and while they all went smoothly, I’m still intrigued by the narrative possibilities of dramatic, comedic, and just plain outlandish weddings!

This week’s prompts draw from those possibilities, though they’re worded in a way that doesn’t necessarily require you to write a “wedding story.” Whether your characters stroll down the aisle or avoid it altogether, now’s your chance to take them on a captivating journey… in sickness, in health, as long as they both shall live, or under any other circumstances you might invent for them.

This week's prompts

Center your story around two people who meet at a wedding.

Character – 72 stories

Write a story in the form of a speech (or multiple speeches).

Character – 24 stories

Start your story with people arriving at a special ceremony.

Character – 31 stories

Write a story from the POV of a plus-one.

Character – 48 stories

End your story with someone saying “I do.”

Character – 113 stories

Stories

“"Thief Cute"” by Blake Walsh

Submitted to Contest #264

Nathan readjusted the stiff collar of his lavender shirt and tugged at the sleeves of his suit as he looked casually around at his fellow guests mingling during the pre-ceremony cocktail hour. Well, “fellow guests” in the sense that they were all physically at the wedding together, not in the sense that he had been invited like the rest of them. In reality, Nathan was a thief, and he had learned a while ago that one of the easiest ways for him to make some quick cash was by sneaking into big fancy weddings and relieving some of the guests of...

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“A Prisoner’s Guide to Making Wishes” by Debbie L

Submitted to Contest #264

A wedding wasn’t the place for love; it was a caging ceremony.That’s what Sade’s parents had told her once she was old enough to notice they’d never married. She might have remembered it as a nice sentiment, almost romantic, if her parents had been the happy sort. Instead, in the brief time she’d known them, Sade learned that no vows needed to exchange for love to form a cage. It was an enduring lesson, outlasting her parents, lingering through her years in the orphanage - persisting still, when they kicked her out.Sade didn’t think of ...

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“Over a Shared Cigarette” by Marisa Cascio

Submitted to Contest #264

If there was ever a time to start smoking, why not have it be at a wedding? While it may not be the wisest choice, when a pack of unopened cigarettes wrapped in an alluring gold package appears at your feet on the dance floor, it’d be neglectful to not put them to good use. The odds of anyone missing them were low, not when bodies were tightly packed together in a trance of dancing to the most mindless wedding music everyone could enjoy. At least, that’s what Freddy thought as he held the cigarette delicately between his fingers. H...

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“Strangers in Common” by Todd Williams

Submitted to Contest #264

Strangers in Common Some things you do not see coming. It is always the “thing” that you never think could happen to you and then it does. Life smacks the words right out of your mouth. I’m at my sister’s wedding sitting on a toilet in some fancy catering hall. That “thing” just happened to me, and quite frankly, I’m not doing too well. I’m afraid to move, but more on that a little later if I have the time. To explain the predicament I find myself in, will be one part conf...

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“My Sister Katherine” by Lauren Wilson

Submitted to Contest #264

TW: Feticide The soft hum of the wedding’s reception festivities faded as the bride closed the bathroom door behind her. She closed her eyes in silent relief. It was the most joyous of days, but something-or rather someone-was missing. That is how life always felt, like someone was missing because they were; her unborn sister. Opening her eyes, she dared a glance in the mirror in front of her. The mirror reflected the exterior only; the interior a boiling soup of ambiguity. The mirror reflected her, radiant in her gown, but beneath the beau...

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“Toasted” by Felicia Wolf

Submitted to Contest #264

Toasted “Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who don’t me, I’m Peter, Rob’s best man. I was there from the beginning, when Rob and Cindy first met. Rob tells people that he and Cindy met while hiking. This is technically true, but it’s not the whole story. Rob’s a modest guy and doesn’t like to brag, so now I’m going to completely embarrass him by telling you what really happened. “Rob and I were up at the lake, on the mountain trail, when we heard a scream. We ran tow...

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“We never said "I do"” by Laura Camacho Frias

Submitted to Contest #264

I never thought I would be one day here, in this position, in front of all these people, but the truth is that life has surprised me a lot in the last few years, so I guess this is one of those occasions where life was bigger than my own dreams—and that's quite a thing.I grew up with a single mother, wishing for a big family, as if that could be something I could hope for, rubbing a magic lamp or buying a lottery ticket. When I became an adult, though, my focus changed, and I forgot for a while what I wanted, how, when, and most of all, with...

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“The Wedding” by Karen Telling

Submitted to Contest #264

Sarah woke with a start and checked the date on her phone. Nerves and excitement coursed through her body, vying for attention. Her first thought was for Mike. How was he feeling? Voices drifted up the stairs, the words indistinct but the noise familiar. Her mother’s fast, high-pitched instructions and her father’s low monosyllabic responses. The doorbell rang and light footsteps tapped along the hall. The front door swung open with a squeak, almost directly below her. More voices, low, but with an urgency about them. Sarah lay in her childh...

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“Once upon a time.” by Rose Lind

Submitted to Contest #264

Warning, One swear word.On Saturday afternoons, Jim typically dedicated his time to studying. However, on this particular Saturday, his role took a different turn as he was tasked with the simple yet important duty of directing wedding guests to their designated seating areas, as Bob, the usual usher, had fallen sick. Armed with the straightforward question, "Are you with the bride or groom?" Jim would then guide guests to either the right or left row of the long, wooden pews based on their responses.Maree chose not to respond to Jim's inqui...

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“Handfuls” by Kate Banning

Submitted to Contest #264

Hard ragged nails snagged on my silk. Someone grabbed at my elbow. It was his son. He asked, expected me to speak at the service. I could barely manage a smile and a sad embrace. There’s nothing left to say. All the words in the world have been used up. Wrung out. Tossed away. Every old lie exhausted. Every lyric, love song, psalm and sermon spent. The last time I saw him he was already dead if only in spirit. Twice divorced but still quite impeccably dressed. Seeing him lying there now, perhaps I had even purchased that tie. Yes it was...

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“Saving Brie” by Mel P.

Submitted to Contest #264

It took four minutes for her to hear about Aunt Molly’s hearing aid failure, cousin Leo’s stroke, and three scandals involving a throuple, a divorce, and a widow. Olive smiled, the forced kind that fooled strangers and screamed insincerity at people who knew you, and she bobbed her head in faux interest. Hand in hand with her boyfriend of four months, her knuckles took on a shade just darker than ivory. Cas didn’t flinch, and she gave him credit for it. Once, he squeezed her narrow fingers, but...

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“Veil of Deception” by Hannah Deegan

Submitted to Contest #264

“Are we all comfortable with the plan? Hogan, do you have any questions?”“Yes ma’am. No questions.” I reply quickly. Mostly because this meeting has dragged on longer than it should’ve and it’s not like I had a choice in the matter anyway. I’m the newest agent on the team so naturally I do a lot of the bitch work. Which in this case means going to a wedding. A freaking wedding. I think my director thinks I’m going to mess up so she can fire me, but that’s not going to happen. Everyone else on our team follows their orders blindly and does wh...

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“The Wedding Crasher's Guide to Kissing Your Sister's Ex ” by Madison Marvin

Submitted to Contest #264

The Wedding Crasher's Guide to Kissing Your Sister's Ex I was never the main character of my story. I was always the background character, sitting in the back of the classroom, Stella's little sister who followed her like a shadow. When we’d be out with our mom, people would always say Stella looked just like her. Then they’d turn to me, if they noticed I was there at all, and ask if I was a school friend. Mom made us take ballet lessons when we were kids. I was Snowflake Number 7 in the Nutcracker (Stella was Clara), an unnamed or...

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“Pray for That Girl ” by Laura Handy

Submitted to Contest #264

"Are you sure this dress is OK?" Lydia asked Phil as she scanned the attire of other guests entering the Catholic church. "It's fine," said Phil. "Don't worry. You won't spontaneously combust from a bit of skin showing." Knowing her discomfort, he added, "You look lovely." Lydia wore a sleeveless dress with a deep V-plunge neckline. The midsummer heat deterred her from bringing a shawl, which she now deeply regretted, eyeing the other guests entering the church. "I can't remember the last time I stepped foot in church," Lydia said as Phil h...

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“My Big Out” by Nicholas Warack

Submitted to Contest #264

Today, I will end a marriage before it starts. I've envisioned this moment since I decided upon the invitation from my girlfriend. Truth be told, it is something one only hears in dramatic tales or seen in a Hallmark film; however, with my dramatic disposition, regretful conscience, and in accordance with my horoscope, I have already submitted to destiny. The witness bearers filed into the foldable wooden chairs, unaware of the preordained bombshell I intended to release.My girlfriend Angie is the younger sibling to Logan, a bridesmaid and a...

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$250

Prize money

288

Contest entries

105

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Aug 23, 2024 EST

Won by Lonnie Russo 🏆

Title: Men on the Moon

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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