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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

“Left Hand Free” by Trina Runner

Submitted to Contest #264

“When Jason chose me as his best man, I chuckled before I agreed to do this,” he said after the traditional clinking of the glasses. “I have known Jason since we were five, hiding under the porch steps at his grandparents’ house. We would create all kinds of worlds under there: we were dinosaurs waiting to pounce on an unwelcome visitor. Our hands were Venus Flytraps searching for bugs. In every scenario, however, we were lured out from under the steps by the smell of his grandma’s cooking. Sometimes it was garlic that filled the air, a...

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“A Word to the Wise” by Damon Lee

Submitted to Contest #264

Sensitive content: touches upon the topics of drug use and suicide. As he stood before the podium, before the crowd of youth and old now watching his every move, Donnie couldn’t help but feel an intense discomfort. Truth be told, a small part of it was admittedly due to being at the precipice of public speaking, but, really, it was the cap and gown that he was wearing. The accumulation of quiet was approaching the awkward verge, and he could sense his audience wondering why he had yet to utter a single word. Feeling beads of sweat beginning ...

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“In Memoriam” by Ashley Pennock

Submitted to Contest #264

In MemoriamJohnny Vetruchio He lived as he died: alone. Johnny Vetruchio died on August 2nd, six days before his thirty-fifth birthday. It was a quiet passing; sudden cardiac arrest at the stroke of 2:37am. He was discovered midmorning on the living room couch, an episode of The Simpsons still playing in the background. He is honored by a humble group of twenty-five in the basement of St. Richard’s church, Sunday night at 7pm. Prelude . . . . . . organ rendition of ‘Iris,’ Goo Goo Dolls.Prayer . . . . . . Pastor Benjamin Richard ...

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“In Case You Didn't Know: A Love That Transcends Time” by Uricka Brown

Submitted to Contest #264

There are moments in life when words alone struggle to capture the depth of our feelings. This letter is one such attempt—to distill a love that has grown beyond the ordinary, transcending the boundaries of time and space. From our very first glance in that quiet café to the unspoken promises of forever, this is a testament to a love that is as enduring as it is profound. As you read these words, know that they are more than just words on a screen—they are the echoes of a heart that has found its home in you and a soul that will continue to ...

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“A Wedding and A Break Up ” by Tyler Kettle

Submitted to Contest #264

A Wedding and A BreakupBy Tyler Kettle Why did I agree to this? I wondered as I sat in a half-crowded and heavily decorated church. Countless amounts of flowers were hung throughout the room, creating a pollen sufferer's worst nightmare. Bright, white sash was draped along the walls. To top it all off, rose petals littered the aisle. To me, it felt so lavish and overdone. I took a look at my watch, and saw that the ceremony was still ten minutes away. I stifled a groan, and leaned back into my seat. I wanted to be home, pla...

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“The BBQ’d Cow Wedding” by Elena Balaguer

Submitted to Contest #264

The entourage of cars and security units trailed behind the wedding car carrying the newlyweds, the granddaughter of the town's mayor and her husband, Lily and Rodrigo. Bennie, the wedding planner with the pixie hairdo, sat in the front passenger seat. Off they sped to the nearby beach resort where the guests and the wedding banquet awaited.Lily was the eldest granddaughter of the town’s mayor, whom the townsfolk referred to as "Grandma", that's how long she'd been around. Grandma ran the remote coastal town with the same familiarity and car...

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“The Diffidence of Man ” by Ceci Jarvis

Submitted to Contest #264

Contains brief mentions of sexual violence, trauma, and strong language. Please keep yourself safe. I can’t be trusted alone with my thoughts. They are constantly racing and tripping over each other, much like the way water trips and flows over the stones in a riverbed. “No one wants to buy a car that’s been used, abused, and around the block. They want something shiny and new,” The words my mother had always said to me were ringing in my ears. I remember being confused, not fully understanding the not-so-thinly veiled metaphor my mother...

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“Brown Dog and the Red Panda” by Chris Baird

Submitted to Contest #264

Always one to keep his options open, Henry changed his major seven times. When he finally graduated from college, his father, Eugene, congratulated him for “cramming a four-year degree into eight years of study.” “Dad,” Henry replied, “with all the choices we have today, it’s hard to lock yourself into something you’ll have to do for the next fifty years.” “Forty-six in your case, Henry. Four years are already ...

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“I Do.” by Ellis Tone

Submitted to Contest #264

“You ready?” Said a muffled voice.Ellie checked her reflection one more time, turning from side to side and letting out a big sigh. There wasn’t anything wrong with her outfit, but she had heard a rumor floating around that most everything in the wedding was chosen with her in mind; the flowers in the bouquet were firecracker penstemons, her favorite, which are not typically used in bridal bouquets. And, supposedly, this specific shade of violet was chosen for the bridesmaid's dresses so Ellie’s green eyes would sparkle. They most certainly ...

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“Say It Again” by Sophia Maertens

Submitted to Contest #264

“Did it hurt?”“Did what hurt?”“When you fell from Heaven?”“Haha, very f-”“Because you look like a demon.” That was our first conversation. Lex’s pickup line. I should have realized back then that this “joke” of his was nothing of the sort.March 25th, three years later, I sat at the marble vanity trying to decide what pair of earrings to wear for the big day. I had finally decided on a spring wedding instead of a summer wedding, though it had taken me months to decide. Now the choice of earrings faced me like a life or death situation.“Ally, ...

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“The Receipts” by Maribel Linares

Submitted to Contest #264

When Omar and Giselle exited the church, they beamed at their guests, who pelted them with the biodegradable confetti the wedding planner had chosen as an affordable and humane alternative to flower petals or rice grains. “It’s colorful, fun, and much easier to clean up after in the end,” Dyanne had said, as she had gone over their budget.It had been so important to save, to invest their money in something worthy of them, that both of them had rented their wedding clothes. Their twenty - five guests fit in the patio of a new trattoria t...

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“Two Times a Stranger” by Rochelle Burke

Submitted to Contest #264

“Oh my gosh! He’s here early. Mom don’t park yet.”As I slowly and as casually as possible drive past the man my daughter had been talking to me about in superlatives,“Mommy he has the sweetest smile or he is super smart”,I noticed everything about him was familiar. The way his tall frame took upon a slight slouch . The way his dark eyes and hair made a contrast against his tropical brown skin. He looked up from the sidewalk cafe and seemingly stared through the tinted windows right into my eyes. For a moment I was frozen. “Mom!” I quick...

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“Sunflower ” by Tano Lesso

Submitted to Contest #264

Sunflower 🌻 Save the date, August 30th, 2024. Not the most romantic day, but as good as any. That was my first thought, when I first saw the invitation card. True to Elizabeth’s character, the entire card screamed, elegance, subtlety and of course flowers, more specifically sunflowers; hence why I am dressed in this dreadful yellow. Do not get me wrong, I am not mad at it; The brightness does sooth my complexion, but there is something infinitely irritating about being dressed in this colour, in this blistering heat- “Sonia”, A man calls he...

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“Unholy Mary ” by Zvezdelina Ignatova

Submitted to Contest #264

"See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."Hebrews 3:12I've always thought me and my brother would marry into our religion, yet here we were - my brother, a righteous man, joined in unholy matrimony with this spiteful heathen .When he brought home the news of the engagement the whole family was in outrage - how could he possibly marry someone like of her? An apostate on top of all?Mary, though with the holiest of names, was herself the furthest from what it should r...

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“The Blanket of Autumn ” by Jessica Goss

Submitted to Contest #264

Autumn had surely laced its rolling hills with the finest of oranges and maroons and had doused its blue canvas above with patches of lilac. There was even an aroma of spiced cardamom and a subtle note of cinnamon and overripe apricots well mixed within the seasoned air. What a splendid time for a wedding, Lily thought. As if amidst the bitterness of winter and the harsh nature of summer, there is room for the gentle hand of warmth; a blanket that which cocooned this wedding in a delightful comfort. There is something for all individua...

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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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