How does the author use flashbacks in the novel, The Wedding, by Nicholas Sparks?

A flashback in literature describes events that occur before the narrative beginning of the story. This entire novel is a flashback, framed by the prologue and epilogue that take place in October 2003. The core of The Wedding is written as Wilson's flashbacks to the early stages of his relationship with Jane, to the missed twenty-ninth anniversary, and to his attempts in the following year to become a more romantic person. Flashbacks in The Wedding provide the background of how Jane and Wilson's relationship first developed so that the reader can understand how the relationship has atrophied over time. When readers see Wilson and Jane in their early dating and early marriage years in flashbacks, they are able to compare how the characters interacted then to how they interact now. Flashbacks often show the characters' motivations, and are used extensively in The Wedding to illustrate what Wilson misses about his marriage. They show the reader what he thinks about when he looks at Jane and how he knows what he must do to win back her love.