'Magical Weddings' boxed set authors share wedding memories
The authors of the new Magical Weddings: 15 Enchanting Romances boxed set (only 99 cents!) — Leigh Michaels, Aileen Harkwood, Eve Devon, Raine English, Tamara Ferguson, Lynda Haviland, Jody A. Kessler, Jane Lark, Bess McBride, L.L. Muir, Jennifer Gilby Roberts, Jan Romes, Heather Thurmeier, Elsa Winckler and Sarah Wynde — join us to share some of their favorite wedding memories.
About Magical Weddings:
Whether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.
From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love's hopeful magic throughout 1,400 pages.
Leigh Michaels, author of Her Wedding Wager. My first memory of a wedding — I was about 4, and my parents stood me up on the church pew for a better view of the bride. She was wearing a hoopskirt, and she paused to smile at me as she walked down the aisle on her father's arm. I think that's when I fell in love with romance!
Aileen Harkwood, author of The Last Wedding at Drayhome (Breens Mist Witches). My favorite wedding is one I never attended. It's a portrait of my grandparents getting married in 1945, with my mother, a mere 13 years old, serving as maid of honor, and a close family friend, also a teen, as best man. I adore that image because it's the only one I have of the family I loved, all in the same photo. Each time I see it, it makes me cry. They look so young and so happy!
Eve Devon, author of The Dress. Walking up the aisle to meet my hubby-to-be, I could feel my head being pulled to one side. First thought: OMG, I'm having a stroke from anxiety right here on my wedding day! *dies* Then I saw hubby-to-be's face light up when he saw me and all the anxiety just completely melted away and my second thought was: Oh, OK, my dad's cufflink is caught up in my veil. On the wedding video I'm grinning away at my groom, but sans-lip-moving, you can quite clearly hear me saying, "Dad, Dad — move your arm, or you're going to pull my head off!"
Raine English, author of Second Chance Bride. My first wedding memory is from when I was the flower girl in my aunt's wedding. I remember being awestruck by the beauty and excitement of that special day.
Tamara Ferguson, author of Two Hearts Surrendered. I was around 3 years old, and one of my earliest memories is attending my aunt and uncle's wedding. There was a lovely family picture taken — I was looking up at my aunt with awe outside of the church. So, I guess it's only appropriate that my background in horticulture includes designing specialty wedding flowers too, before beginning to write romance!
Lynda Halivand, author of Something Borrowed, Something Blue. A funny thing happened at my wedding, I fainted at the altar — thankfully not during the wedding ceremony, but afterwards during the bridal party photo session. All of the excitement, stress and lack of food caught up with me, and when the final flash went off, the world went dark and I woke up on the floor. The worst part of it all was not getting a chance to send a clip to America's Funniest Videos, because nobody captured it on film — not even the photographer who was standing right there!
Jody A. Kessler, author of Heart of the Secret (Witches of Lane County). To honor my husband's Native American ancestry, we incorporated the blanket ceremony into our wedding vows. We wrapped a Pendleton blanket around our shoulders in front of our family and friends as a symbol of union, love and the beginning of our own family. We sleep beneath the blanket every night as a reminder of our promises to one another. This was my favorite part of our wedding ceremony.
Jane Lark, author of The Jealous Love of a Scoundrel. I had a Christmas wedding, (25 years ago this Dec. 22), but it was not a big white wedding. We booked the date three weeks before and just said to friends and family, "If you fancy coming, do, and we're going to the pub after." My hen party became the office Christmas party when I told someone at work I was getting married the next day. I'd kept it secret at work until that night.
Bess McBride, author of A Wedding Across the Winds of Time. I shook like a leaf at my wedding with stage fright. I never even imagined that I would have stage fright, but I couldn't focus on anything but my shaking. Guests said they could see the back of my wedding gown shaking.
L.L. Muir, author of Kiss This. My Grandpa Harmon was quite a dancer in his day and since my own father couldn't dance if you put a gun to his head, I danced my father/daughter dance with Grandpa instead. I remember when my new husband came to cut in — the little squeeze of Grandpa's hand that said, "I never want to let go ..."
Jennifer Gilby Roberts, author of Caution is a Virtue. My husband and I met through amateur dramatics, so it seemed right to marry on stage at our local theater. We got to the end of the (unrehearsed) ceremony and went, "What do we do now?" (since we didn't have an aisle to go down). Someone shouted, "Take a bow!" Perfect.
Jan Romes, author of Loving Lindy. The guys I worked with stalked me for fun that day. I walked outside with hair curlers as they were driving by. I hopped in my car, scrunched down as far as I could and tried to see over the steering wheel to drive away.
Heather Thurmeier, author of With This Kiss. Our maid of honor and best man were with us the moment my husband and I met. During our wedding reception, they gave us a he said/she said-style speech that had everyone laughing at our unusual, twist of fate meeting. Reliving our first moments together made us realize just how lucky we were to meet that day and how far we'd come since!
Elsa Winckler, author of Real Magic. My favorite moment has to be last December when our daughter got married. They wanted a beach wedding, and we were satisfied that the ceremony would be finished before the tide came in. What we didn't take into account, though, was that it was spring tide — the worst in 20 years. But, with waves crashing around their ankles, the couple never stopped smiling!
Sarah Wynde, author of The Wedding Guests (A Tassamara Short Story). My wedding day disasters included a son with conjunctivitis, my best friend getting in a (fortunately minor) car accident and rain, rain, and more rain. By the time the ceremony was due to start, I was feeling jinxed and running so late that I had to pick up the flowers in my wedding gown! When I came out of the florist's shop, though, the sky had partially cleared and a full, glorious rainbow arched over the street — an unexpected beauty that made the day special.