Suspend Your Disbelief

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First comes (book-related) love, then comes (book-related) marriage, then comes…


the love of a book

Here on the FWR blog, we’ve discussed how literature can find you love–through online dating sites for book-lovers or in person through speed-dating in libraries. (Hey, even the New York Times picked up on it!)

But what do you do AFTER you’ve found love? Well, boys and girls:

1. Sometimes when two bookworms love each other very much, they decide to get married. If they’re really book-lovers, the proposal happens IN the library, as with this couple, who got engaged thanks to a very special book:

Stephanie of Read In a Single Sitting tells the story of her proposal, which began with a scavenger hunt and ended with the book above:

“I retrieved my Proust, and opened it up to find that a ring box-sized hole had been carved from it, at which point I checked to ensure that this was not, indeed a library copy. […] Inside the hole was a specially made ring box with the date and my and partner’s initials carved into it. And inside the box was a vintage 1930s-era ring … At this point my partner crept up beside me and asked if I’d marry him, to which I gave a very hushed, library-appropriate yes (although from the scandalised look of the lass sitting at the nearby reading table, it was still far too loud).”

2. Then, once you’ve made your wedding plans, you set a date, perhaps using book-themed “save the date” cards like these by MERRILYDesigns on Etsy:

Image via etsy.com

Image via etsy.com

or these by 0namesleft, also on Etsy:

image via etsy.com

image via etsy.com

3. Your wedding, too, can show that you love books almost as much as you love each other. You might have a library-themed wedding (via), complete with bookshelves at the altar.

Or, like author Kimberly Matthews, you might get married in a bookstore. After a family tragedy forced her to postpone her wedding, Matthews and her intended opted for something lower-key and more personal, as she explains on her website:

“You know what would be cool?”
“What?” Clay said.
“If we got married at the very place we met.”
“At Borders?” he asked?
“Yep.”

In our minds, we ran through the logistics, and gave Borders a call. They agreed to let me set up our 11 foot arch, decorate it with tulle and flowers, which I used as the backdrop for my signing event that day, then allowed me to use the manager’s office as a dressing room where I got my make up done, changed into my gown, and glammed up. While I primped in the office, our friends showed up, having been invited via Evite and word-of-mouth only a few days before, gathered between rows of books and waited for my entrance.

(Isn’t that a beautiful story?)

4. Finally, you may find yourself planning a book-themed baby shower, like this one complete with picture-book-topped cupcakes:

Image: Pink Tea

Image: Pink Tea

I’ve always considered myself a book-lover but am now slghtly ashamed that I did not incorporate books into my wedding planning or my baby shower. Anyone out there planning a book-themed life event? Where else could you work your love of literature into your life?


Literary Partners