How to Ruin a Wedding Characters

Also known as Lucy, she is a down-on-her-luck wedding wrecker who records cheating couples and sabotages weddings for money. She dreams of owning/buying into an animal shelter, carries grief for her parents and her dog Storm, and is dealing with eviction and two failed marriages. She hides behind wigs and disguises but gradually lets herself be seen.

Arc: Starts cynical about love and desperate for cash, fails at her job, falls for Anders, betrays Valerie, and breaks down before finally accepting love and building her own shelter-related business.

• Anders — her client, fake boyfriend, and eventual love interest
• Taina — her younger sister, whom she raised
• Valerie — her friend and the bride whose wedding she was hired to wreck
• Jennie — her early client
• Sora — the shelter dog she bonds with and helps get adopted
• Storm — her deceased dog, still grieving for her
• Mathew — her brother-in-law, who wants her out
• Dainese — her friend and eventual business partner

Taina's husband who resents Lucinda for straining his marriage and believes Taina chooses Lucinda over him. He confronts Lucinda, gives her three months to leave, and reveals Taina's therapy and nightmares to Lucinda.

Arc: Remains hostile; after Lucinda's plan is exposed, he insults her, is thrown down by Anders, and is confronted by Taina.

• Taina — his wife
• Lucinda — his sister-in-law, whom he sees as a burden
• Anders — the man who throws him down

Lucinda's client and love interest; a wealthy man from a complicated family, he owns part of Lightshop, makes art, and uses a dyslexia-friendly reading tablet. He is protective of his sister Valerie and haunted by his failed ten-year relationship with Anna. He hires Lucinda to stop Valerie's wedding by pretending to be his girlfriend.

Arc: Starts as a lonely man meddling in his sister's life, admits he was wrong to interfere, and falls for Lucinda; he ultimately tells her he loves her and secretly supports her business.

• Lucinda — his hired wedding wrecker, fake girlfriend, and love interest
• Valerie — his sister
• John — his former close friend and college roommate, now Valerie's fiancé
• Anna — his first love and ex
• Lucas — his best friend/college friend who gave him a share of Lightshop
• Bethany — his aunt and maternal figure
• Olive — his niece
• Sora — the dog he adopts

Lucinda's younger sister, whom Lucinda raised after their parents died. She worries about Lucinda, runs a background check on Anders, and tries to protect her; she is married to Mathew. She also helps Lucinda by posing as a fake psychic.

Arc: Moves from worrying from afar to confronting Lucinda about pushing her away; ultimately stands by her sister and helps her heal.

• Lucinda — her older sister
• Mathew — her husband
• Anders — the man she vets and later gives Lucinda's address

Anders's sister, the bride at the center of the sabotage. She is warm, somewhat insecure, and big on signs; she met John during a rebound spiral and values genuine love over perfection. She is protective of her cousin Olive and forgiving in the end.

Arc: Believes in her engagement despite Lucinda's manipulations, is hurt by the betrayal, and ultimately reconciles with Lucinda by asking her to help plan the wedding.

• Anders — her brother
• John — her fiancé and eventual husband
• Lucinda — her friend and bridesmaid who tried to ruin her wedding
• Nick — her manipulative ex
• Bethany — her aunt
• Olive — her cousin
• Cierra — her maid of honor
• Jennifer — her friend and bridesmaid

Anders and Valerie's aunt-like maternal figure who raised Anders; she hosts family events, guards her family fiercely, and is generous, buying treats and giving Lucinda a lily necklace. She vets Lucinda's intentions with pointed questions.

Arc: Remains a protective matriarch, is betrayed by Lucinda, but later appears at the wedding and supports the reconciliation.

• Anders — her nephew, whom she considers a son
• Valerie — her niece
• Olive — her daughter
• Lucinda — Anders's girlfriend, later a family friend

Anders's young niece and Bethany's daughter, who greets Lucinda, interrogates her, and bonds with her. She worries about shelter dog Sora, is bullied by Erin, and is defended fiercely by Lucinda.

Arc: Moves from playful curiosity to genuine trust; accidentally exposes Lucinda's phone at the party but later waves to her at the wedding.

• Anders — her uncle
• Bethany — her mother
• Lucinda — Anders's girlfriend and her defender
• Valerie — her cousin
• Erin — her bully
• Sora — the dog she loves

Valerie's fiancé and eventual husband, Anders's former close friend and college roommate. He makes a serious money mistake that costs Valerie a million dollars, but Valerie defends him as naive but loving.

Arc: Marries Valerie with shaky but genuine vows; his presence pushes others to accept the relationship.

• Valerie — his fiancée and wife
• Anders — his former close friend and brother-in-law
• Lucinda — Anders's girlfriend who initially tries to split him from Valerie

A deaf senior black Lab at the K9 Friends shelter, available for adoption. He bonds with Lucinda and Olive, and his trusting behavior convinces Anders to adopt him.

Arc: Goes from shelter dog to Anders's adopted dog, interrupting an intimate moment between Anders and Lucinda along the way.

• Lucinda — the volunteer who advocates for him
• Anders — his adopter and owner
• Olive — someone who plays with him
• Dainese — the shelter worker who cares for him

Runs/works at the K9 Friends shelter, cares for Sora, accepts Lucinda's volunteer help, and eventually becomes Lucinda's business partner in a grooming salon. She is practical and teasing.

Arc: Expands from shelter worker to Lucinda's close friend and business partner.

• Lucinda — friend, volunteer, and business partner
• Sora — shelter dog she cares for
• Anders — the adopter she helps with Sora's paperwork

Valerie's much older ex from a dark period; he was controlling and abusive and took her to the art gallery. Lucinda tries to reunite Valerie with him, but the plan backfires.

Arc: Shows up at the Jack and Jill party to win Valerie back, is confronted and blocked, and his appearance exposes Lucinda's manipulation.

• Valerie — his ex, whom he wants back

Lucinda's client at the start, a panicked friend who believes Eliza is about to marry the wrong person. She hires Lucinda to prove James is in love with Sammy, then is furious when Lucinda fails and says 'I hate you.'

Arc: Disappears after refusing to pay Lucinda for the failed job.

• Lucinda — the wedding wrecker she hired
• Eliza — her best friend, whom she wants to save
• James — the person she suspects of cheating
• Sammy — the person she believes is James's lover

The bride whose wedding Lucinda was hired to stop; she is initially mentioned as James's fiancée and never appears in person early on. By the time Lucinda crashes a wedding, Eliza is already married.

Arc: Marries despite Lucinda's failure; no further arc.

• James — her fiancé, suspected of cheating with Sammy
• Jennie — her best friend
• Lucinda — the woman hired to stop her wedding

Eliza's fiancé in Lucinda's initial investigation; he sits with Sammy in a hidden corner and asks her to his room. He later appears as the groom at the wedding Lucinda mistakenly crashes, denying knowing her.

Arc: No significant arc; functions as the target of the infidelity investigation and then as an unwitting victim of Lucinda's wrong-wedding crash.

• Eliza — his fiancée
• Sammy — his best friend and suspected lover
• Lucinda — the woman who crashes his wedding

James's best friend and suspected lover; she resists his advances at first but agrees to come to his room at night.

Arc: No arc beyond the initial investigation setup.

• James — her best friend and suspected lover

Anders's first love and ex; she left him after he admitted he never wanted a family, and she later married his best friend Lucas. She is referenced as the only girl Anders ever loved before Lucinda.

Arc: No on-page arc; exists in Anders's backstory.

• Anders — his first love and ex
• Lucas — her husband, Anders's best friend

A bridesmaid in Valerie's party and a friend of Valerie; described by Anders as an actual nice person but also a kleptomaniac who stole a Rolex and pearl earrings. She steals Lucinda's lipstick at the wedding.

Arc: Remains a minor supporting presence.

• Valerie — her friend
• Anders — someone she stole from
• Bethany — someone she stole from
• Lucinda — a bridesmaid whose lipstick she steals

Valerie's maid of honor who is away in Belize and absent from the wedding planning. Lucinda stands in for her at the bridal fitting.

Arc: No arc; she is an absent placeholder.

• Valerie — her friend and the bride
• Lucinda — her stand-in at the fitting

Owner of Save a Paw who promised to sell the shelter to Lucinda, but faces pressure from his wife to retire early and has another buyer ready. His deadline drives Lucinda's money worries.

Arc: No arc; his deadline is a plot pressure.

• Lucinda — the promised buyer of Save a Paw

Lucinda's deceased pit bull whom she rescued and adopted; she appears in memories, photos, and videos. Lucinda's grief for Storm is tied to her dream of owning a shelter.

Arc: No arc; remains a memory.

• Lucinda — her owner and best friend
• Taina — shows Lucinda videos of her

A bridesmaid who arrives late with her niece Erin, defends Erin's bullying, and insults Olive's weight. She is doused with a drink by Valerie and kicked out of the bridal party.

Arc: Minor antagonist in one scene; no redemption.

• Erin — her niece
• Valerie — the bride who expels her
• Lucinda — the woman who dumps water on her

Ashley's niece and Olive's classmate who bullies Olive about her weight and flicks her head. Lucinda dumps water on her in defense.

Arc: Leaves the boutique with her aunt after being exposed.

• Ashley — her aunt
• Olive — her classmate and bullying target
• Lucinda — the adult who defends Olive

A potential buyer for Joshua's share of Save a Paw. Lucinda researches him and fears he is more qualified than she is to take over the shelter.

Arc: No arc; he is off-page competition.

• Lucinda — her competitor for Save a Paw

Anders's best friend/college friend who married Anna and gave Anders a share of Lightshop. He is part of Anders's backstory.

Arc: No arc; backstory only.

• Anders — his best friend and college friend
• Anna — his wife

A dog at Save a Paw that Lucinda bathes and dries early in the story.

Arc: No arc; appears in a shelter scene.

• Lucinda — the woman who bathes her

Lucinda's favorite staff member at Save a Paw; he shows her his resume as a backup plan and lets her edit it.

Arc: No arc; illustrates the shelter's precarious future.

• Lucinda — a volunteer he works with

An employee at the dress boutique who helps Lucinda change, returns drinks and a fitting kit, takes a photo, and leads Valerie to the bridal changing room.

Arc: No arc; minor staff role.

The man with whom Lucinda started her wedding-wrecking business, mentioned in her backstory.

Arc: No arc; backstory only.

• Lucinda — her former business partner