Please Welcome today’s Guest Author — E. Ayers
Thanks so much for having me here today. June is the month for brides, and the Authors of Main Street boxed eleven, new, complete novellas in Weddings on Main Street. Each wedding-themed story is about 25k words. That’s the perfect length to read one story in an evening read or a lazy afternoon. And considering my book, I Thee Wed, is the eleventh book in the set, I’m your eleventh night, but you don’t have to have a bonfire to read mine.
And no cheating! Read the others first because I don’t want to give away any wedding surprises in the other stories. My heroine works for DeeDee Drayden who owns Main Street Bridal Salon. And where do you think so many of the brides bought their wedding gowns? So no sneak peeks!
Writing a bridal story was a different venue for me. It was a lighter, fun book to write from my normal contemporary romances. In fact, all the Authors of Main Street enjoyed writing these stories. But the process of delving deeply into bridal designs and trends was a wee bit eye-opening for me. Weddings in the last ten to twenty years have undergone major changes, but weddings have always changed with times.
Wedding dresses have always reflected the style of the day. And wearing white is a western tradition that really came about in 1840 when England’s Queen Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert. Queen Victoria’s gown wasn’t pure white. It was embellished with orange flowers. But there is evidence of white wedding dresses all the way back to the early 1400’s. But in the 1850’s Godey’s Lady’s Book (considered to be America’s first female magazine) declared white the best hue for a bride, setting the trend for white among the wealthy.
Actually pure white was extremely rare as there were no means of bleaching way back then, so that off-white or what we might call eggshell was about as close to white as any white gown could be. But most of the time, women wore their very best gown, as they couldn’t afford something that they could not wear again.
When the Great Depression hit, women reverted back to wearing their best dress. That trend carried through World War II. It was the wedding of Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco that triggered the return to the opulent white gown to the masses. White is still the preferred choice for most brides. The royal wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William, again reinforced the white gown as the primary color for brides.
But many brides today are turning away from the traditional western wedding. We’ve become a melting pot and mixing traditions of other cultures or religious beliefs into a wedding is not uncommon. In China and Japan, many brides wear red, as it is a good luck symbol. A young Asian woman might choose a typical western “princess” gown but instead of being white, it’s red. And you don’t have to be Asian to wear a red wedding gown!
Returning to Queen Victoria’s white gown with orange flowers, we’re seeing gowns today with color embellishments. And why not? This is the bride’s special day, and she’s entitled to wear whatever she wants for her wedding! And with traditional weddings becoming an outrageous expense for many households, quite a few brides are choosing less formal events to celebrate their union.
Beach weddings and backyard picnics are becoming quite common. Simple dresses that can be worn again are in vogue. And with family scattered all over the globe, why have everyone fly home when they can fly to a lovely destination and make a real vacation out of it? But no matter where the marriage takes place, women still want to look beautiful. It doesn’t matter if they are wearing a plain white cotton dress on a beach, an elegant black and white pants outfit, or a fun, over-the-knee pink tulle and satin dress.
Life has changed quite a bit since Queen Victoria married, and weddings are reflecting those changes. If you are contemplating marriage, be it the first or second marriage, or are the mother of the bride, there are plenty of options available when saying I do. Make it memorable and make it your own. Remember to have fun!
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I have two wedding themed stories, With this Ring, a full novel, and I Thee Wed, a novella.
The excerpt from I Thee Wed. Found in the boxed set Weddings on Main Street by the Authors of Main Street on sale for 99 cents for a limited time. All the stories range from sweet to slightly sexy but nothing is too hot. This is Julia’s first date with Aaron.
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When the waiter left, Julia looked at Aaron. “I’m not of legal age to drink.”
She could see the playfulness in his eyes and the way the edges of his mouth twitched up.
“Please tell me you’re not jailbait. Maybe I should have asked the other day.”
“I’m almost nineteen. September fifth. More times than I care to remember, I’ve started back to school on my birthday. It totally ruins the birthday party thing.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “I’ll be extra good.”
“How old are you?”
“Does it matter?”
She scrunched her nose. “It really shouldn’t, should it?”
“No.” He picked up his water goblet. “I propose a toast to a lovely evening with a very beautiful woman.”
“Thank you.” Heat crawled up her chest and to her cheeks. “I know you are older. So how old are you?”
He grinned and she loved that twinkle in his eyes. “Twenty-eight. Does that bother you?”
“No.” She took another sip and swallowed the cold water, hoping it would cool the heat that spread through her. She wasn’t just out on a date with some guy; he really was a man. That sent a trill through her and those butterflies took flight again.
“You’re not jailbait, but I don’t want your father upset if I’m seeing you.”
She took another long swig on her icy water, but it wasn’t cooling a darn thing. There was something sexy about him. Dangerously sexy and she liked the way it flowed through her.
“He’s my father. He’s always been protective of me.” She grinned as she gazed into his eyes. “He expects all my dates to be very good.”
“I promise. I’m good.” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m very good.”
His insinuation wasn’t lost on her. Oh, yeah, you are definitely dangerous and way too hot.
***
Where to Find E. Ayers on the Web
(Twitter)
@ayersbooks
(Website)
(Email)
e.ayers@ayersbooks.com
(Shared Blog)
http://authorsofmainstreet.wordpress.com
(Blog)
http://ayersbooks.wordpress.com
(Amazon Author Page)
(Authors of Main Street Newsletter)
Other Books by E. Ayers
Wanting (A River City Novel)
A New Beginning (A River City Novel)
A Challenge (A River City Novel)
Forever (A River City Novel)
A Son (A River City Novel)
A Child’s Heart (A River City Novel)
Campaign (A River City Novel) coming in June 2014
Coming Out of Hiding (a novel)
With This Ring (a novel)
I Thee Wed (a novella) coming in June 2014
Weddings on Main Street (boxed set)
A Fine Line (a novella) *
Mariners Cove (a novella)
Ask Me Again (a novella)
A Skeleton at Her Door (a novella)
A Snowy Christmas in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Cowboy’s Kiss in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Love Song in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Calling in Wyoming (a novella) *
A Rancher’s Woman (a historical novel)
Sweetwater Springs Christmas (anthology) *
* sweeter reads
Leanne Tyler 
E., great info on weddings. I went to a Chinese wedding once. The bride wore a white dress for the wedding and a traditional red dress at the reception. It was kind of cool to see something different.
I’ve seen photos young women in red wedding dresses and several other colors. Just awesome. I love the new color choices for brides.
I wore my mom’s dress that she design and my Grandma stitch. We used tea to dye it an antique color. My oldest daughter doesn’t plan to marry, ever. My youngest is too tiny for the dress but is in love with all things Japanese. I think she’ll want an anime dress:D Thanks for the interesting post. Funny thing about your except, that was the age my husband and I were when we met. We let my folks think he was 24:D
Some parents get upset with age differences. I don’t think it matters. I think that’s wonderful that you wore your mom’s dress. Maybe your daughter will “re-make” it into something she can wear.
Hi E, great history of wedding dresses. Whatever happened in the past, it looks like everything goes these days. What a wonderful idea for a boxed set of books and what beautiful covers.
Thanks, Jane. We had so much fun writing these books. They are all so different but each one has a wedding theme.
That was a very infomative post. Glad I read it. Good luck with sales.
Thanks, JoAnne. I knew the whole white dress thing came from back in the 1800’s but when I stopped to do a little research, I was surprised.
Thanks for the history lesson! I always wondered where the idea of all white came from. I’ll have to check out I Thee Wed.
Looks like we can really thank Godey’s Lady’s book for it. Thanks for stopping by!
The last time I got married, it was unexpected. I wore jeans. I think if I were to plan ahead, the dress would be purple. Great article about the evolution of wedding dresses, E.
I’d say it was unexpected! I’m waiting for the invitation to the big anniversary party and renewal. Wear your purple dress that day. I have a feeling that’s probably one of the prettiest colors on you. And in so many way you represent so many brides today. You two have been together forever and have children. A “wedding” is really just a legal formality and a celebration.
I didn’t know that about Queen Victoria’s wedding dress, This was a fun blog post E. Thanks. I like your excerpt. Somehow, I don’t think daddy is going to be happy.
Daddy is just a little too protective of his daughters. 🙂 But he also doesn’t want any of the children making the mistakes that he made. Hope you grab your copies while they are 99 cents!
Interesting information about the white wedding gown. In India the wedding gown is red and the groom arrives on an elephant and lifts his bride in front of him. I attended an Indian wedding. It was a blast.
Oh, I can imagine! It must have been exciting. Weddings in every culture seem to be major events filled with all sorts of pomp and circumstance. The groom of many American Indians gives gifts to all attending until he has nothing left to give. He is the one who comes into a marriage with nothing.
A very informative post, E. Your story sounds delightful, and I’m sure good old dad is going to lock her away. It’s your story though, so I’ll have to read it to find out. lol Sandy from RB4U
Sandy, thanks so much for stopping. Cody isn’t that much different from many fathers. He’s got to stop seeing her as a “little” girl, and he’s got to realize she’s grown up. He’ll always be there for her, but he’s not always going to be the number one man in her life.
I always love everything E Ayers writes, it’s one of the reasons I was so pleased to be in the Weddings on Main Street with her. I’m hoping the talent will rub off, once you read one of her stories you’ll want all of them!
Thanks, Kelly. We are so lucky to have so much talent in the group. Every author is excellent!
Great and interesting post on the history of the white wedding gown. Things have certainly changed. Wonderful stories in Weddings On Main Street. 🙂 I’m looking forward to your next book!
We miss having you with us this time, Carol. I love your southern voice and your sweet stories.Thanks for stopping.
Loved the post. I ran away to Vegas to get married. It was the expense and the idea of putting my family through the wedding. 🙂
My daughter ran off to Vegas. She loves it there.
Maybe you’ll do a big anniversary/renewal one day. It’s a great way to celebrate those big milestones!
Fascinating.
Tweeted.
Great post, E.! I love the fact that brides now, even young ones, are choosing to add color and their own style to traditional white–which is lovely. It’s great to add a bit of who we are and who we wish to be to something so important and unique as what you wear to your wedding. So pleased to be an Author of Main Street and I love the fact that your story weaves in elements of all the others. Your covers and your stories are lovely.
Thanks so much for having me, Leanne, and letting me share a thimble full of white wedding dress history with your readers.
E.