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“Stay still.” Liliver tells me waspishly, swatting the back of my head.
“There should be a rule about not hitting brides on their wedding day.” I complain, but I understand while she’s annoyed. My maid of honour is doing a very intricate hairstyle that requires a lot of concentration and I can’t sit still.
I bounce my leg against the tile floor of Vivi and Heather’s bathroom to appease the bundle of nerves sitting in my belly.
Vivi pops her head round the door. “Need our help?”
Liliver twists another strand of hair then sticks a pin in so forcefully it hurts, then steps to the side. She demonstrates quickly to Vivi, then sends Heather to get the dress. Lili then starts attacking my face with makeup brushes.
When they’re both done with that, they help gently ease my dress over my head, careful not to smudge my make up or mess up my hair.
The dress wasn’t anything fancy, what with the wedding only being an exchanging or vows in the park. Its knee length, off the shoulder and lacy. It’s light grey just because I have moral objections to wearing white at weddings because of Queen Victoria.
“Before we get the car.” Heather says, bringing a stack of four boxes to me.
“Something old.” She tells me, sliding a ring onto my middle finger.
“It was our moms.” Vivi explains, taking the second box from Heather’s arms. “Something new.”
She clinks a cuff of silver to my wrist.
“Something borrowed.” Liliver says, unfastening her belt of rhinestones and re-doing it arrounded my own waist.
“And finally,” Vivi says, with mischief in her eyes. “something blue.” And she offers me a baby blue garter.
My face burns, but I snatch it out of her hands and put it on, firmly avoiding all their gazes.
___
I get out of the rented limousine, Heather, Vivi and Liliver in their bridesmaid dresses flanking me as we walk down the path to the wedding.
Someone hands me a bouquet. I don’t see who. I’m all jittery and my eyes are set on the figure down the aisle.
Liliver links her arm through mine as the music starts. Somebody covers my sight with a veil.
With one last inhale and a reassuring squeeze from Lili, we start to walk down the aisle. It seems to last forever though I know the aisle is short and make-shift.
I can see him hazily as we approach, the cloud of white netting obscuring his face from my view.
The music stops. I take my place opposite him as Liliver unlinks our arms. There’s a general shuffle as people take their seats. Cardan very gently lifts the veil from my face. I blink once, the sun too bright, forming a halo around his head.
We’re not getting married by a priest, just someone whose ordained. Neither of us are religious and I don’t think now is the right time to bring God into our lives.
He starts reeling off his speech. I don’t really listen, I just stare at Cardan.
When it comes times for my vows, I recite them perfectly even if my voice trembles a bit. Oak hands me the ring and I take it. With trembling fingers, I slide the thin band onto his finger. It’s silver, with an emerald studded in the centre. Simple. It’s supposed to remind him of me. Yes, I know that men’s wrings don’t usually have gems in them, but this is Cardan. He’d probably be offended if the ring didn’t have a stone.
Cardan, still holding my hands in his, says his vows beautifully then, incredibly gently, he slides my wedding ring onto my ring.
I only have a second to admire it. It’s a small crown of leaves, linked together with incredibly small topazes. Next t my engagement ring, twisting branches holding up an onyx, it’s beautiful.
“Jude Duarte, do you take Cardan Greenbriar to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I hold his gaze in mine. “I do.”
“Cardan Greenbriar, do you take Jud Duarte to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
His eyes don’t waver where they’re locked on mine. “I do.”
“Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
I fling my arms around Cardan’s neck and envelop him in a kiss. My bouquet scratches against the back of his neck, but I couldn’t care less. His hands are hot on the sides of my dress.
When we finally break away, the small reception party starts. We all pile into a hired limo to take us to a bar. The gathering is so small, everyone could fit. Well, everone could fit once I’d sat on Cardan’s knee to give Caelia my seat.
I press my face into his neck. He kisses my forehead.
The bar Vivi helped me rent out has been decorated with white and gold streamers. The barman congratulate Cardan and I before the music starts and we have our first dance.
He can dance really well. He taught me how, but I’m nowhere near as good as him. I let my head fall to his chest. I can hear his steady heartbeat.
When the song ends, we continue dancing. Elowyn is being very graceful, with my little brother in her arms; Heather and Vivi are dancing horribly together in a corner.
Cardan twirls me off the dance floor half way through a song, to get us broth drinks.
“Are you having a nice time Mrs Greenbriar-Duarte?” he asks.
“I am. Are you, Mr Greenbriar-Duarte?”
“That I am.”
I kiss him.
In this moment, everything is perfect.