Weddings by Danielle Steel – 20-Question Quiz

How well do you remember Weddings?

This quiz covers the entire story—from Dominique’s secret affair to Felicity’s traumatic engagement and the family’s summer of weddings. Each question is tied to a specific moment in the novel. The answer key with explanations follows the quiz.

Part 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

1. What event causes Dominique to cancel Felicity’s wedding to Taylor?
A) Felicity elopes to Paris
B) Taylor is arrested for drunk driving
C) Felicity miscarries after Taylor rapes her the night before the wedding
D) Dominique discovers Bill is still married

2. Where does Marie-Aurélie finally marry Clément Bertrand?
A) In a small church in Saint-Tropez
B) At the Metropolitan Museum of Art
C) In the Tuileries Gardens
D) At the Hotel du Cap in Antibes

3. Early in the novel, Dominique’s lover Bill tells her he cannot see her for several months because:
A) He is traveling for work
B) His wife Eileen is seriously injured in a car accident and needs nursing care
C) He is divorcing Eileen and moving to Connecticut
D) He has been diagnosed with a serious illness

4. During her ski vacation with Jamie, Violet refuses his proposal with a World Series MVP ring. Later, when does she finally accept a marriage proposal?
A) At Marie-Aurélie’s wedding in Saint-Tropez
B) At Felicity’s gallery opening
C) During a Yankees game with Jamie’s family
D) On the beach in the Hamptons at their engagement party

5. What triggers Felicity’s pregnancy scare that she initially wants to end?
A) She forgets to take her birth control pill after Taylor coerces sex
B) She intentionally stops taking the pill to trap Taylor
C) She has unprotected sex with an old friend
D) A birth control failure during consensual sex

6. Tommy Walker (Dominique’s son) advises Felicity to:
A) Cancel the wedding if she has any doubts
B) Marry Taylor quickly before the baby shows
C) Hire a wedding planner to reduce stress
D) Demand a prenuptial agreement

7. After the wedding is called off, what does Felicity decide to do in the fall?
A) Move to Los Angeles to be near Tommy
B) Take art classes in Paris and rent a studio
C) Return to graduate school in New York
D) Travel alone through Europe for a year

8. What wish do Bill and Dominique release in a lantern at the end of the novel?
A) That Marie-Aurélie and Clément have a long life
B) That Felicity finds a new love
C) That their own long-held wish for a life together has finally come true
D) That Violet and Jamie have a happy marriage

Part 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

9. Why does Dominique stay in a secret affair with Bill for sixteen years, even though she is lonely?
A) She is afraid of being alone
B) She loves him and believes it is enough; she does not pressure him to divorce
C) She needs him as her business attorney
D) She is waiting for her children to leave home

10. Taylor’s motivation for insisting Felicity keep the baby is best described as:
A) Genuine desire for fatherhood and family
B) A need to control Felicity and assert ownership over her and the pregnancy
C) Pressure from his mother Elizabeth to produce an heir
D) Fear of legal consequences if she aborts

11. Violet initially refuses traditional marriage because she:
A) Wants to focus on her career as an antiques dealer
B) Does not believe in the institution after her parents’ divorce and her grandmother’s unwed love affair
C) Is afraid of commitment due to past trauma
D) Thinks Jamie is not serious enough

12. Why does Marie-Aurélie agree to marry Clément after forty years?
A) She is lonely and wants companionship in old age
B) She realizes she still loves him and wants to spend the rest of her life with him
C) Her daughter Dominique pressures her
D) Clément is wealthy and can provide security

13. After Taylor is arrested, why does Bill decide to leave his wife Eileen?
A) He feels guilty for not supporting Felicity
B) Eileen asks for a divorce after the accident
C) He realizes he wants to be with Dominique fully and that the time is finally right
D) His children encourage him to move on

Part 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

14. The wedding dress that Dominique designs for her mother is an exact replica of a Givenchy dress from the 1960s. What does this dress symbolize?
A) The weight of family expectations
B) The persistence of memory, beauty, and second chances across generations
C) Marie-Aurélie’s desire to look young again
D) Dominique’s skill as a copyist rather than a creator

15. Taylor’s frequent use of physical force and sexual coercion reflect the theme of:
A) Wedding planning anxiety
B) Toxic masculinity and the abuse of power within intimate relationships
C) Social class conflict between the Whitfields and the Duponts
D) The dangers of alcohol abuse

16. Violet’s unconventional wedding (taco truck, paper lanterns, baby doll dress) contrasts most strongly with:
A) The Whitfields’ rehearsal dinner at a stuffy club
B) Dominique and Bill’s secret vacations
C) Marie-Aurélie’s formal Parisian dress fitting
D) Felicity’s gallery show as a solo artist

17. The phrase “partial love affairs” (used by Marie-Aurélie to describe Dominique’s relationship with Bill) suggests the theme that:
A) Love can be fulfilling even when it is incomplete
B) Commitment requires full presence, not stolen moments
C) Family obligations always trump romantic love
D) Affairs are more romantic than marriages

Part 4: Synthesis Questions (3 questions)

18. Compare Felicity’s and Dominique’s experiences with unwanted pregnancy. How do their circumstances differ, and what does each resolution reveal about their agency?
(Short answer)

19. The novel presents three weddings: Felicity’s (canceled), Marie-Aurélie’s (joyful), and Violet’s (unconventional). What does each type of wedding reveal about the characters’ values and the novel’s overall message about marriage?
(Short answer)

20. In what ways does the character of Bill serve as both a source of support and a source of tension for Dominique? How does his eventual choice to leave his wife affect the family’s future?
(Short answer)

Answer Key

1. C – Taylor rapes Felicity the night before the wedding, causing a miscarriage. Dominique cancels the wedding and Felicity reports him to the police. (Ch. 13)

2. A – Marie-Aurélie marries Clément in a small church in Saint-Tropez. (Ch. 14)

3. B – Eileen is in a car accident and requires nursing care, so Bill cannot see Dominique. (Ch. 10)

4. A – Violet accepts Jamie’s proposal inside the church right after Marie-Aurélie’s ceremony. (Ch. 14)

5. A – After Taylor coerces sex (ch. 8), Felicity forgets her birth control pill and becomes pregnant. (Ch. 9)

6. A – Tommy tells Felicity to postpone the wedding if she has doubts. (Ch. 5)

7. B – Felicity explores art classes in Paris and rents a studio; she reconnects with Fred Miller. (Ch. 14)

8. C – They release a lantern with a wish that their “long-held wish” to be together has come true. (Ch. 14)

9. B – Dominique loves Bill and repeatedly decides the stolen time is enough, even though she feels lonely. (Ch. 1, 5)

10. B – Taylor slaps Felicity and forbids abortion, exerting control over her body and the pregnancy. (Ch. 9, 10)

11. B – Violet cites her grandmother’s unwed love affair and her parents’ divorce as reasons to avoid traditional marriage. (Ch. 6)

12. B – Marie-Aurélie realizes she loves Clément and wants to spend her remaining years with him. (Ch. 7, 9)

13. C – After years of hesitation, Bill decides to leave Eileen to be with Dominique, finally prioritizing their relationship. (Ch. 13)

14. B – The replica dress connects past and present, showing that joy and commitment can bloom at any age. (Ch. 14)

15. B – Taylor’s violence and coercion illustrate toxic masculinity and the abuse of power in relationships. (Ch. 2, 8, 11–13)

16. A – Violet’s free-spirited, casual wedding contrasts with the stiff, expensive formality of the Whitfields’ rehearsal dinner. (Ch. 14)

17. B – Marie-Aurélie warns that a “partial” relationship leaves one lonely; full commitment requires genuine presence. (Ch. 4)

18. Felicity is coerced into keeping a pregnancy from rape and later miscarries after further violence. Dominique becomes pregnant outside marriage (unwillingly) but does not disclose details—both women face limited choices, but Felicity eventually reclaims agency by reporting Taylor and moving to Paris. Dominique chooses to end her affair rather than remain in a partial love.

19. Felicity’s planned lavish wedding is canceled because it masked abuse—showing that ceremony cannot substitute for respect. Marie-Aurélie’s simple, joyful wedding proves that love can triumph at any age. Violet’s playful, informal wedding celebrates individuality and chosen commitment. Together, the novel suggests that meaningful marriage is based on mutual respect and authentic connection, not tradition or show.

20. Bill supports Dominique emotionally and legally (advising after Felicity’s rape), but his hidden marriage creates tension and loneliness for her. When he finally leaves Eileen, he becomes a fully present partner, allowing Dominique to heal and the family to unite. His choice signals that commitment must be whole-hearted.