While you wait for The Wedding People

As fall approaches, so does a booming wedding season filled with love and happiness. The Wedding People by Alison Espach isn’t exactly your typical love-riddled wedding story though. 

Phoebe Stone is trying, and failing, to cope with several major life changes. Her cat died, she’s gone through several failed rounds of IVF and worst of all, her husband left her for another woman. Alone and hopeless, Phoebe heads to Newport, Rhode Island, intent on one last hurrah before she ends it all.  

Phoebe arrives at Cornwall Inn, a place she’d always dreamed of visiting, just in time to be mistaken for one of the wedding people who have booked the entirety of the hotel, aside from Phoebe’s room of course. The bride thought she had accounted for every wedding disaster, but Phoebe and her suicidal plans weren’t one of them. 

Despite the sobering topic of suicide early in the story, Espach crafts a romantic and humorous story that shows how a chance encounter can change the entire trajectory of a person’s life.  

While you wait for The Wedding People, here are some stories surrounding big wedding days that don’t quite go to plan. 

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall 

Eight weddings are on the calendar, the first of which is meant to be Freya Scott’s. Hours before she is set to walk down the aisle, her soon-to-be husband calls it off. 

Knowing she needs distractions to get through the seven weddings remaining for the season, all of which her ex is also set to attend, Freya’s friends set her up with wedding day challenges she must complete. From stealing cuff links to goodnight kisses, Freya’s challenges grow in intensity with each wedding that passes. 

While nursing a broken heart and navigating being newly single, Freya realizes things aren’t all that bad and the journey to a happy ending requires some self-discovery along the way. 

If you’re in the mood for another wedding-related story from Birchall, make sure to check out The Secret Bridesmaid, which follows Sophie Breeze, a full-time professional bridesmaid who may have gotten herself in over her head with her latest job. 

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sousa 

What would you do if you were a bystander to a soon-to-be married couple and knew they weren’t fit to be together? 

In The Wedding Crasher, Solange Perreira faces this dilemma after her wedding planner cousin asks for help with her latest wedding event. Solange decides the only solution is to crash the wedding and save the groom from what could hurt him, even though she really doesn’t know the couple all that well. 

After grappling with the wedding day disaster, the former groom, Dean Chapman, realizes he needs a significant other in his life to land a work assignment that could put him up for a big promotion. Without thinking he declares he’s in love with his wedding crasher, Solange. 

As Solagne and Dean navigate this new relationship and try to pull it off as the real thing, they begin to realize there is something more between them. With everything that’s happened though, how could they possibly fall for one another? 

If you’re a fan of the fake dating trope, make sure to check this one out. 

Save the Date by Morgan Matson 

If contemporary young adult fiction interests you, this story is one you need to pick up right away. 

Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married. She’s clinging to the hope of a perfect wedding weekend at her family’s home before it is sold. All her siblings are together again for the first time in years, so what could possibly go wrong? 

For starters the wedding planner quits, stormy weather and an upset neighbor threaten to destroy the big day, and a cute boy is distracting Charlie through it all. What once seemed like a nice wedding weekend at home is quickly turning into a disaster.  

As Charlie deals with wedding weekend troubles and looming life changes, she comes to realize maybe this is all a part of living. Sometimes letting go of the past is necessary to move forward. 

Though not wedding related, I recommend you also check out Matson’s other books, including Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour and Second Chance Summer, which are great YA novels.  

The Guest List by Lucy Foley 

If you want something a little bit darker and twisty, I’ve got you covered. 

On the coast of Ireland family and friends gather to watch the glamorous union of two successful individuals. Little do they know, things are about to take an unexpected turn as the wedding celebration begins. 

When someone turns up dead, the newly married couple is forced to come to terms with the fact that someone on the remote island may not approve of the union. With building tension, a not-so-great wedding party and a disastrous turn of events, this story is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Unlike the other wedding stories mentioned here, this is probably not be a wedding guest list you want to be on.