Here are some ways weddings can heighten drama, reveal depth, and offer your readers more than a Pinterest-perfect day.
Conflict at the Altar: Raising the Stakes
A wedding is the perfect setup for tension because it blends private love with public performance. Here are a few juicy conflicts to stir the pot:
The Family Divide: One character’s family refuses to attend, or worse, shows up and starts drama. This is especially poignant in the m/m romance, including the short stories and novels I write as Jaxon Sevyn. Often for characters, familial acceptance can be a central emotional beat. What does that absence—or painful presence—mean for the couple?
Cold Feet or Open Secrets: Maybe it’s not about if they love each other, but whether one partner feels ready to say yes forever. Or perhaps an ex shows up (uninvited, of course), holding onto a secret that threatens to upend everything.
Cultural Collision: Blending traditions, religions, or even expectations for what a wedding should look like can reveal deeper values—and values in conflict. When I’m working on a wedding scene, I ask myself: do both grooms envision the same future? Or is this wedding just the surface of a bigger compromise?
Out-of-Control Planning: One partner is overwhelmed, the other disconnected. It’s not about the flowers, it's about communication, priorities, and what each character needs to feel seen and supported.
Too often, weddings fall into a pattern: white dress, big venue, happy crowd. But like the lovers at the heart of your story, no two weddings should be the same.
Tone Match: A low-angst, small-town romance might call for a barefoot beach ceremony or courthouse vows. A high-drama, enemies-to-lovers saga could culminate in a lavish society wedding, one where everyone’s watching (and waiting) for it to fall apart.
Personality Reveal: A wedding planned by a control-freak character might be so structured it’s stifling… until their free-spirited partner throws in a last-minute surprise. What do their wedding choices say about how they’ve grown or what still needs to shift?
Setting as Symbolism: The location can carry deep emotional weight. Are they reclaiming a place tied to past trauma or celebrating somewhere completely new? For example, an m/m romance might frame a destination wedding as a chance to be fully out and visible, far from judgment.
In a well-crafted romance, the wedding should do more than wrap things up. It should reflect the journey the couple’s taken and hint at the road ahead.
Character Payoff: Did your characters earn this moment? Let readers feel the emotional arc as old fears are shed and new vows made. Even if the wedding goes off the rails, what matters is how the characters show up for each other.
Reader Experience: For queer love stories, a wedding can be a radical act, a celebration not just of love but of visibility, chosen family, and resilience. Make space for that. Lean into what makes this couple’s path unique, not just romantic.
Final Thought
A wedding isn’t just a promise, it’s a story in itself. As a romance writer, you have the power to make that story unforgettable, reflective of your characters, and resonant with your readers. So go ahead. Break a heel. Misplace a ring. Invite chaos and catharsis. Because when your characters say “I do,” your readers should be cheering not just for the kiss but for everything it took to get there.
Wren Valentino
