Taking the Plunge by Stacie Lewis

Bride's Family Causes Trouble When Planning her Wedding

Nov 19, 2008

Bernie is planning her dream wedding ceremony; her mother and stepmother are, too. From flower arrangements to ceremony and reception venues, no one can agree on anything

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. These are the necessities that Bernadette thought she needed when planning her dream wedding with husband to be Sam. But things take a turn when she and her fiance realize that her mother and stepmother - who have generously offered to pay for the wedding - want more than just accolades for their gift of money.

Whose Dream Wedding is It?

Brenadette wants her dream wedding to be perfect, and so do her mother and stepmother. But she soon realizes that each woman has a very different definition of the word, and her mothers will fight tooth and nail to get their way. Ironically, they are more similar than different - although they would be the last to admit it, and must go to painstaking efforts to instead not get along.

You Can’t Please Everyone

Bernadette soon learns that you can’t please everyone all of the time – especially without finding yourself pushed off to the side, your needs and wants ignored. From choosing the rabbi performing the wedding service to the cake to the flowers to the bride’s dress, her mothers take over and leave Stacie in their dust, yet they call her on the phone every day to rehash various arguments and to tell her what they have decided for her. Bernadette is left feeling betrayed, confused, hopeless and frustrated.

Just when Bernadette thinks that things can’t get any more stressful, her mother sends her a scathing letter, accusing her of ignoring her mother’s feelings and ultimately disowning her. Bernadette flies back to the United States to meet with her mother in person and to try to forge an understanding with her mother and repair the relationship prior to her upcoming big day.

A True Story

Taking the Plunge is the author’s fictionalized version of her own wedding. Originally written for the website www.weddings.co.uk, the work received an enormous response, with hits to the site more than doubling to 25,000 each day. Thousands returned each week to read Stacie Lewis’ reports from the front lines, and she gained a huge following of readers, all of whom brides experiencing similar problems.

About Stacie Lewis

Stacie Lewis grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She obtained her bachelor's degree in English from Michigan State University and a master's degree at the University of London in Royal Holloway. She is a full time teacher and weekend writer, and writes political essays for the Detroit News.

The copyright of the article Taking the Plunge by Stacie Lewis in British/UK Fiction is owned by Teresa Shaw. Permission to republish Taking the Plunge by Stacie Lewis in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.