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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

“"TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL"” by Darvico Ulmeli

Submitted to Contest #264

There lived a woman named Elara in the city's bustling heart, where skyscrapers cast long shadows over narrow alleys, and the clamor of life never seemed to cease. She was a trained doctor, but her true calling was to those society had forgotten. Elara had once held a prestigious position at a renowned hospital, a life of comfort and recognition. Yet, the sight of the homeless shivering in the cold, the hungry scavenging for food, and the lost wandering without hope had tugged at her soul until she could no longer ignore it. Her selflessness...

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“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Say I Do” by Kay Northbridge

Submitted to Contest #264

I’m not a Catholic, but something about flickering votives and stained glass always makes me want to confess. Even if I only do it internally. Scarlet, cobalt, and emerald shards, cast down from the windows pull admissions from the darkest parts of me, as they scatter over the stone floor and ancient pews. Organ music swells between rows of our beloved guests, oiling the path of my thoughts.First confession: It’s not my first time. Isaac thinks it is. Not because I lied, not this time. More because he assumed, and I chose not to correct him....

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“Whisky, Weddings, and Ruins” by Sara Winter

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #264

Not even the beauty of the Scottish landscape could lighten Brendan’s melancholy. He leaned on the parapet atop an ancient castle with his arms crossed under his chin and his back hunched. His heavy brow knotted in a gloomy expression as he squinted at the scenery.He found no solace in the symmetry of the rolling hills, no harmony in the sound of the rustling branches of the trees, or any beauty in the soft evening light. The fragrant breeze caressing his cheeks was lost on him.It should have been a perfect day. The wedding ceremony should h...

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“Wedded Bliss Or Blues?” by Hannah Lynn

Submitted to Contest #264

"Jack and Coke.” He leaned towards the bartender, shouting above the poor rendition of Elvis swooning to the crowd. “Make that two,” I raised my fingers in a mock peace sign which seemed easier than trying to be heard over the crowd of well wishers. “Don’t you just love weddings?” The Jack and Coke stranger smiled at me while he relaxed against the bar. “No, not particularly. I avoid them at all costs, but this one was mandatory, unfortunately.” “Not a big believer in love?” “That’s not it at all. It’s all the schmoozy o...

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“Don’t Hold This Speech At My funeral ” by Raelyn White

Submitted to Contest #264

Don’t Hold This Speech At My funeral Dear those I left behind…The world caved in and I let it. None of you were enough. None of you showed me the way out of the darkness. I swallowed every sunset and muted the chirping of the birds. Under my feet, the green grass withered. Under my touch, the flower petals browned.I was not born like this. You made me this way. The world taunted and tormented my heart until it gave in. Born compassionate, I was. Turned bitter, I am. Bitter enough to mark down the names of those who hurt me. Bitter enoug...

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“I Do” by John K Adams

Submitted to Contest #264

Pamela approached her mother, Sandra, sipping her morning coffee.“I’m thinking of moving out, Mom.”Her mother set the steaming cup onto the saucer.“None too soon. You’re what, twenty-five?”Her mother’s reaction didn’t surprise Pamela. She’d heard such murmurings her whole life. Sandra never forgave the pangs Pamela’s birth gave her. Everything she said to Pamela came wrapped in the burden of her unpaid debt. “Who you moving in with?”“Uhm… actually, Carl asked me to live with him.”“Ohhh no. Seen how that plays out. He gets a live-in maid ‘til...

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“Sweater” by Eva Esne

Submitted to Contest #264

Fall came early and that meant Ellie was about to spend a few weeks preparing her garden for colder nights. Without Henry by her side, gardening felt more like a chore than a good time. But it had to be done and the next day she was up early. Every morning was the same: make a cup of tea, walk the dog, make breakfast. In that exact order with some minimal changes depending on the weather. Never in her almost eighty years of life did Ellie imagine her days being so dull. I guess it’s natural if you spend your entire life with a best friend by...

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“Going Overboard” by Scott Christenson

Submitted to Contest #264

By the end of Saturday morning, I had interviewed everyone connected to Greg Allman who rode the Princess Voyager. Cruise ships should be joyful places and it was Greg's 10th wedding anniversary, but by now, I am no stranger to the dark side of these vessels. At 9:45 AM, Greg’s nephew, Dylan Allman, sits across from me at the interview table. Aged nineteen, thin, and jittery, he has an earnest stare that demands the listener believe him. His leg bounces incessantly under the table. “I can tell you’re a smart kid.” I lean forward slightly to ...

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“Wedding Meetcute” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #264

Victor looked out over the quietly waiting crowd, stole a glance at the bride, then looked back down at his feet. He didn't much care for weddings, he never had. They were chock full of unwritten rules, littered with faux pas landmines, and weighed down over the centuries with enough customs and unnecessary pomp to rival a coronation."So what's your name?" the woman next to him whispered. The officiating priest had started talking, but Victor could hardly pay any attention to the old man's droning. He glanced at the woman speaking to him and...

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“You're My Rock” by Joshua G. J. Insole

Submitted to Contest #264

The bride and groom danced their first dance together, the room dark, the spotlight on them.Imogen Carlson tried and failed to grit her teeth. God, nothing was simple these days, not even the simple acts of jealousy and resentment. How cruel this dance was to parade their beautiful normalcy for everyone to see. She glared.Her mother leaned over – but not too close, gosh no – and whispered into her ear. ‘Do try to smile, dear. You’re positively green with envy. It is your cousin’s wedding after all, couldn’t you try to look happy for her? And...

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“Jumbo shrimp and Premium vodka” by Karen Hope

Submitted to Contest #264

It was the first day of college when Brian and I made a silent agreement to always be there for each other. That was the day we met, and 10 years later we are still keeping that promise.I was terrified as I said goodbye to my parents and began my life at Boston University. I held back tears as I unpacked my stacks of clothing and books and wrapped my head around the reality that I was no longer living at home. I would now be immersed in a new world, one with a 24-hour a day social life. When would I close the door and find some privacy and r...

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“The Age Gap” by Carol Stewart

Submitted to Contest #264

***Contains a single reference to racial prejudice***There was a great deal of talk when April and Simon got together, and more when aged just seventeen, she moved in with her forty-six-year-old lover and announced their plans to marry. ‘Whatever next?’ her friends would shake their heads and speculate but frequently descend into giggles when Belinda, who was easily the most vocal amongst them, would, in the midst of what had started out as (and ought to have remained) a concerned discussion regarding these new and outrageous developments, a...

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“3:10 to Union” by Timothy Crehan

Submitted to Contest #264

On the night before his wedding, Gerald was moved to speak to the bridal party and guests with uncharacteristic candor:Beatrice, darling, it’s still hard to imagine we lived 90 plus years in the same city without ever crossing paths, and then, as if by some miracle, we met at Frank’s Liquor Emporium two Christmases ago. “I was here first!” I remember hearing you roar as you grabbed the last box of wine from my hand. Chablis, wasn’t it? I would have given chase, but your elbow to my groin left me immobile for several hours, in fact. I be...

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“Belle's baby” by Kim Olson

Submitted to Contest #264

Rhett Butler had received a message from Belle Watling. It came to him through a young errand boy, a thin freed boy of mixed race who was paid to sweep up and empty ashtrays at Belle’s house of ill repute. The boy stood outside the study at Rhett and Scarlett’s house and threw pebbles at the etched glass window panes. When at last Rhett opened the heavy windows, threw up the sash, and looked outside, the boy darted over and dropped in Rhett’s hand a note written on Belle’s distinctive stationery, the embossed B and W at the top of the t...

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“The Wedding Surprise” by Christine Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #264

Alisha stood looking back at the mirror, her hands on her hips while the bride's mother tried not to stick pins in her. The long pale blue bridesmaid dress was not designed for her, but last night’s phone call changed that. She boarded the flight to witness the marriage of her lifelong school friend and then came the phone call in the taxi. One of the bridesmaids had fallen ill and couldn’t make the wedding. Luckily for the bride, I was slightly thinner than the maid the dress was designed for. She stood still watchi...

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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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