Heading to a Wedding? Make One of These Nuptial-Themed Books Your Plus One
Weddings come in all shapes, sizes, and vibes so it's only fitting that now—in the midst of wedding season—we offer up reading suggestions for wedding-themed novels that fit whatever mood you're in. Not surprisingly, nuptials are a common plot point in romances, but as these titles show, they are just as likely to inspire authors writing thrillers, historical fiction, horror, and more.
Contemporary Romance
Wedding Dashers
by Heather McBreen
Stuck in London with a canceled flight to her sister’s wedding in Ireland, Ada unexpectedly vents her frustrations to a handsome stranger at a bar, only to discover he’s the wedding’s notorious best man, Jack. Now, the two must put their simmering attraction behind them to make it to Belfast before they miss the nuptials.
Destination Wedding
by Diksha Basu
Escaping a personal and professional crossroads by attending a cousin’s lavish wedding in Delhi, Tina Das navigates her divorced parents’ dating lives and the reappearance of an ex before drama forces her to make the decisions she has been avoiding.
Queerly Beloved
by Susie Dumond
In mid-2010s Tulsa, Oklahoma, Amy, a semi-closeted, people-pleasing bridesmaid-for hire, tries to balance her newfound career with her already strained relationships, forcing her to decide what it looks like to be true to herself—and if she has the courage to try.
Thriller/Suspense
The Plus One
by S.C. Lalli
In Cabos for the wedding of Radhika Singh and Raj Joshi, which marks the union of two highly influential and wealthy Indian American families, outsider Shay Kapoor, who's dating Raj's best friend, when the bride and groom are murdered, must untangle everyone's lies before her own hidden agenda is revealed.
So Happy For You
by Celia Laskey
During her best friend Ellie’s wedding weekend, Robin, a queer academic dubious of elaborate wedding rituals, second guesses her decision to be Ellie’s maid of honor after a series of ominous occurrences lead her to believe that the bridal party is out to get her.
The Wedding Party
by Rebecca Heath
A group of old friends. A grieving mother. A lying bride. Three families united by a terrible event in the past must survive a deadly wedding on the Australian coast. What happened on the jetty all those years ago was an accident, everyone agrees. Or do they?
Historical Fiction
The Gown
by Jennifer Robson
Intersecting stories—one in postwar London following two embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house who forge an unlikely friendship and the other more than a half century later in Toronto about a woman unraveling the mystery of a family heirloom—about one of the most famous wedding gowns in history.
By Her Own Design
by Piper Huguley
The incredible untold story of how Ann Lowe, a Black woman and granddaughter of slaves, rose above personal struggles and racial prejudice to design and create one of America's most famous wedding dresses of all time for Jackie Kennedy.
The Wedding Veil
by Kristy Woodson Harvey
The Wedding Veil follows four extraordinary women across generations, bound by a beautiful wedding veil and a connection to the Vanderbilt legacy that changes their lives—and history as they know it.
Cozy Mysteries
Murder by Cheesecake
by Rachel Ekstrom Courage
When Dorothy's obnoxious date is found dead in a hotel freezer, it not only ruins a gorgeous cheesecake but threatens the elaborate St. Olaf-themed wedding Rose is hosting.
The Matchmaker
by Aisha Saeed
In Atlanta, matchmaker Nura Khan thrives in her career while navigating her complicated feelings for her pretend fiancé, Azar, but her success is jeopardized when a couple’s wedding falls apart, leading to a series of suspicious and threatening events that challenge her safety and her business.
Mother of the Bride Murder
by Leslie Meier
As part-time Tinker's Cove, Maine reporter Lucy Stone says "oui" to her daughter's surprise wedding invitation in France, she must also make a different kind of vow—to catch a killer!
Literary Fiction
Strangers & Cousins
by Leah Hager Cohen
The community of Rundle Junction is thrown into chaos by the over-the-top wedding plans of a sprawling family, their escalating clashes with unwanted community newcomers, a matriarch's haunting memories and an artistic bride's passion-driven agenda.
The Wedding
by Dorothy West
In a story that documents the rise of the Black middle class, written by a woman who lived it, a racially mixed wedding is about to take place on Martha's Vineyard in the 1950s—amidst extreme tension and resistance.
When the Harvest Comes
by Denne Michele Norris
On the eve of his wedding, Davis Freeman’s joy is shattered by news of his estranged father’s death, forcing him to confront buried trauma and the fragile balance of love and inheritance in his new life with Everett.
Horror
Nothing But Blackened Teeth
by Cassandra Khaw
An abandoned Heian-era mansion is the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding. A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested. But the house has secrets too. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart. And she gets lonely down there in the dirt.
When the Reckoning Comes
by LaTanya McQueen
Returning to her hometown for a plantation wedding, Mira is forced to acknowledge her history and save herself from what is to come as slaves who were tortured mercilessly roam the land seeking revenge on the descendants—the wedding guests—of those who tortured them.
Where the Dead Brides Gather
by Nuzo Onoh
Bata, a young girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin’s door. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride. A supernatural possession helps Bata vanquish the vengeful ghost bride and she is transported to Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There, she receives secret powers to fight malevolent ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.