Pacify Her | Paige Bueckers

twenty-four | rewrite the stars

— seven months later —

The November day was finally here: Paige, now twenty-four, and Azzi, now twenty-three, would be saying "I do" in a small ceremony, surrounded by the people who they love most.

Paige had always wanted a quiet wedding, which may come to some as a surprise since she was such an outgoing, public person. Azzi never cared about numbers, oddly enough. She just wanted to make sure that her wedding was in autumn—Azzi loved autumn, it was not too hot but not too cold.

The two settled on a vineyard not too far from their San Francisco home, as Paige had been selected first in the 2025 draft by the Golden State Valkyries. Though there was debate about it, Azzi decided to attempt to up her stock by staying at UConn another year. At least she was a national champion and was no longer prohibited from loving Paige out loud now.

The rows of grapevines stretched out as far as the eye could see, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. The attire expected of the attendees was "free-spirited" and "boho"... whatever that means. Azzi and Paige understood that as wife and wife, they were already seen as unconventional in many ways. So, why have a conventional wedding?

Paige tied her hair in a low, tight bun. For clothes, she wore a white solid textured button-front short sleeve shirt with straight pants, her collar popped and top of her shirt slightly open. As for Azzi, the people's princess, she wore a white off the shoulder wedding dress with 3D floral cape sleeves and tulle overlay. Her hair was straightened and layered.

The cool part about all of this was that Azzi and Paige ran in the same friendship circles, for the most part. Of course with Paige now being in the WNBA, she had some friends that Azzi didn't. But Paige and Azzi decided on having the 2024 national championship UConn girls be the bridesmaids. A few other exceptions were made, however. The soon-to-be wives also allowed Nika Muhl, Aaliyah Edwards, Amari DeBerry, and Ava to stand with them. That meant that there were seventeen bridesmaids, isn't that fucking crazy?

Chile, anyways... Ava stood in the middle of the seventeen, due to being significantly shorter than everybody else. She had eight to her left, eight to her right. The bridesmaids all wore the same style boho dress: flowing see-through lace with body-con dresses under, but varied in shades of mint green, rust orange, olive green, tangerine orange, burnt umber brown and russet brown. The bridesmaids made a formal walk down the aisle and got into their respective places before either Azzi or Paige came out.

Azzi's parents had been accepting of her sexuality off the bat, in comparison to Paige's. Not that Paige's family did not accept her, but they struggled to align their Christian beliefs with her sexuality. They loved Paige, however, and understood that there was only one of her. As long as she was happy, she could marry whoever she wanted. The Bueckers family would be there every step of the way. Plus, they absolutely loved and adored Azzi for all she has supported Paige through. She was with their daughter through thick and thin, for so long. What better person—man or woman—was there for Paige than Azzi?

Azzi used to listen to the song "Rewrite the Stars" from the greatest showman back when she and Paige were complicated. By then, she used the music to mask her cries at night as life hit her hard. She used to wish for a day like this one. But today, as the lyrics grazed her mind, they had become a reminder of how far she and Paige came. In the end, they did rewrite the stars.

"Ready?" Paige asked Azzi, her father, and Azzi's father. Both women were being walked in by their dads. As everybody nodded, Paige put her hand out. "Teamwork on three!" She beamed with a smile, Azzi rolling her eyes. In everything that Paige did, it was something like a game. Not in a playful sense but in the sense that teamwork was near and dear to her. In fact, having all these women—their teammates at one point or another—be bridesmaids was Paige's idea. "Teamwork on three," Azzi repeated once everybody's hands were in.