THE WEDDING
The ceremony that officially takes a couple to the beginning of their happily ever after… a gathering that involves a lifetime of promises.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I could barely recognize myself. The girl staring back at me was wearing a very elegant white princess gown made from the finest duchesse satin and silk. The bodice that has a sweetheart neckline was encrusted with genuine crystals. The romantic full skirt with elaborate ruffles and folds was adorned with crystals and intricate embroidery, as well as the cathedral length veil that I wore. The famous designer who made my gown made sure that the dress was fit for fairy tale and princess romances, too.
My hair was curled and clipped in a half pony and fastened with two diamond hair combs that belonged to Ryder’s mother. My hair cascaded around my face and there were very s
1. MOTIF: a dominant color. In choosing a color motif for a wedding, keep in mind the colors that mean something in your relationship, and what you want to attract in your future. “We’d like the colors moss green and brown,” Estelle, the happy bride-to-be was saying to me and my best friend Nicole. I watched her dreamy eyes and her happy smile and I couldn’t help wondering if I looked as ridiculous as that when I was planning my own wedding. Nicole smiled back at her enthusiastically. “That’s a good combination. So…” “Jungle-like,” I suggested, cutting Nicole off mid-sentence. Estelle stared at me for a moment and her dreamy smile threatened to fade from her beautiful face. “Excuse me?” Nico
ENTOURAGE: A group of people surrounding an important person or persons… like the bride and groom in a wedding. I met up with my friends. I could tell that they were all getting bored with me. I whined about the usual things. Like how I had known Bryan since I was in college and we had been friends first before we dated and how I’ve known Geena since we were little and never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that she would betray me like she did. Dannie Jones, my gay best friend, became the most impatient of my group. He had listened to me enough, I guess. John Green, my guy best friend, was the angriest at Bryan for what he did to me. Nicole was the most sympathetic for my feelings. “I wonder how he is now,” I asked. “Oh, for crying out loud!” Dannie muttered. “Ash, please! Don’t do this! You’re beautiful, you’re smart! You have your whole life ahead of you!”
DIAMOND: The strongest and hardest mineral. Commonly used in engagement rings to symbolize the unbreakable bond between a man and a woman. For the next few weeks, I spent my time job hunting. I tried to steer clear of weddings for now. I knew that I was still in pain, but acknowledging the pain didn’t really mean adding up to it or provoking it in whatever way. But by end of the week, I still had nothing. I was still the same clueless girl I was weeks ago. “Hang in there, sweetheart.” Nicole said to me one night we decided to check out the new bar in the city called Oil Rig. “You’ll find one. Although, you would have found one already, if you just went back to wedding planning. You were famous before. People loved your work. It would have been easy to get a job with the competition.” I rolled my eyes. “What’s the point of planning other people’s weddings when I don’t believe in
4.RSVP:Répondez s'il vous Plaît, meaning, “Please Respond”I’m not going. I’m not going.At least that’s what I kept telling myself over the last two weeks. Now, it’s one week until the wedding and no phone calls from my mother begging me to go. Not even an encouraging look from Adam.So finding mystery Alpha Male is out of the question. Until I received the call that I thought I would never receive.“Sweetheart, it’s Uncle Jack.”I took a deep breath. “Hey, Uncle Jack! How’s it going?”“Not bad,” He replied. “How are you?”“I’m…fine, Uncle Jack.”He sighed. Then he said, “Sweetheart, I know that what Geena did to you is just… unforgiveable. I… couldn’t believe it
5.BRIDAL CAR:The car that carries the Bride and the Groom after the ceremony; usually adorned with flowers and signage saying “Just Married!”I picked out a bright lavender outfit that accented my curves, bared my shoulders and exposed my long perfect legs. I was going to tease Bryan… with something he never had. Something that he should have been having by now, had he waited.I used to be a little bit on the conservative side when I was with him. But they’d stripped me of almost everything so what did I have to lose?I went to the salon to color my hair. I tried a multi-colored hairstyle. Blonde, red, reddish brown, dark brown and a few black strands. When the hairdresser was finished, I thought I looked cool and my hair looked stylish. As a benefit, no one could tell what my natural hair color really was.No contacts anymore. When
PLACE CARD HOLDER:Use a place card holder in line with your motif or theme to ensure that your guests will be seated according to your preference (not theirs!)I fought hard to hold the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes when I saw the whole ballroom. It was exactly as I had imagined it would be. The colors, the hues, the lilies. Everything was perfect.“Welcome to my dream wedding,” I murmured to myself, but Ryder heard me.“Welcome to the wedding that you’re going to best—a hundred times over,” Ryder whispered against my ear.I looked up at him and he gave me an encouraging smile. Then he leaned his forehead against mine and he said to me, “Relax, Astrid. You have to remember, it’s me you’re in love with now.”And then he leaned forward and gave me a butter soft kiss. “And I love you m
WEDDING GARTERWorn by brides above the knee. Nowadays, wedding garters can come in different materials, and colors.After dancing with Adam, Nicole and I switched and I was back in Ryder’s arms once again.“Hmmm… I thought you weren’t going to dance with any other lady aside from me,” I said, faking a cross expression on my face.He chuckled. “Well, I figured, I needed to score with the women in your life, starting with your mother. I danced with the rest because I didn’t want them to think I was only impressing your mother. Then I danced with your nieces and the little girls because I thought you’d think that was sweet. I danced with your best friend because I needed her approval, too.”“What’s the verdict?”He leaned closer to me and said, “Your soul is sold, love. I’m afraid I am the highe
THE WEDDING NIGHT: The first night as husband and wife.If torn between the much-needed sleep and passionate lovemaking, keep this in mind: You only have ONE wedding night! Make it memorable. Make it count!Everything was dark and hazy. I opened my eyes and the first thing I felt was the severe pain in my head.I opened my eyes and saw light peeking through the curtains. I didn’t feel cold like I usually do when I wake up in the mornings. Normally, an image of Bryan popped up in my head when I woke up, reminding me of my broken heart.This time it was different. This time, the first image that popped up in my head was that of a much more handsome guy. His eyes were deep ocean green, his hair raven black. He looked like a wonderful Adonis drawn out from the pages of a historical novel. His face was perfect. His body… his abs were perfect, his muscles well-toned, his skin flawles