The Wedding

The Big Day

She dreamt about this day for many years. All their friends and family have gathered and are waiting for the big moment to commence. As she stood there looking in the mirror at herself, a smile plays across her lips. She can't help but feel excitement mixed with joy. She admires her beautiful, long, white dress that hugs her body just enough to show off her curvy hips. "You look beautiful." Her mom says, walking up behind her. The girl turns to face her and notices her mom's tears. "Mom, your makeup." Her mother smiles, "Oh, never mind that. There's no need to fix it. There won't be any left after this anyway." The girl smiles again and hugs her mom. "I love you so much mom. Thank you for everything you've done for me." She says sincerely. Her mother has always been her role model. She's always looked to her for guidance. Her mom pulls away and wipes her tears. "Baby, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you and everything you've accomplished in your life so far. I've been blessed to call you my daughter and I can't believe you're all grown up. Just remember that I'm always here for you whenever. You know our door is always open." The girl smiles and looks towards the door after hearing a knock. Her father walks in and smiles at them both. "You ready my little bugger bugger?" She laughs and walks to her dad. "I love you daddy." Her voice nearly breaks. She always swore she would never cry on her wedding day. "I'll see you two out there." Her mother says, leaving the room. "Honey, I know I haven't been the greatest father to you over the years and we may have argued more than we should have but to me, you'll always be my little baby girl and I love you so much. I'm so happy you've found someone who loves you almost as much as your mom and I do." The girl smiles, "You're gonna ruin my makeup." She says with a chuckle. "Come on. Let's get in line." She takes her father's arm and leaves the room. They start down the hallway towards the rest of the group as her mind travels elsewhere. 'In just a few minutes, I'll be somebody's wife, sister-in-law, etc.' Her nerves begin building and the butterflies in her stomach flap their wings intensely. They reach the group of bridesmaids and groomsmen by the back door. Everyone Ooh's and Aah's at her but she just smiles them off. She looks out the door at the rows of pale pink rose petals lining the grass making a walkway. Her maid of honor walks over to her with the bouquet of flowers she's to carry. "Break a leg, sis." Her sister/maid of honor says. "Thanks, Kelly." The two share a hug before the music starts and everyone lines up. The doors open up and out walks the first group. The rest follow suit until it's just the bride and her father standing in the doorway. From there they can see the backs of the first few rows of people. The wedding song begins playing and everyone stands and turns towards them. Her father looks to her and smiles. She smiles back and links arms with him and begins walking between the petals. As they walk down the walkway, she looks up admiring all the beautiful decorations. At each end of a row is a white flower pot full of pale pink roses and bright red roses. They're sitting on a chopped off tree trunk, wrapped in silver garland and tied in a bow. Each row is made of barn wood planks placed on the two stumps at each end. Surrounding everyone is a forest of willow trees with their white blossoms reaching down, giving the scene a beautiful accent. The place feels like an adventure in the woods, which is something the young couple loves. The stage is white, lined with more pots of the same flowers as the bench rows along with a white picket fence lining the backside. As they reach the first row, she looks up at the audience, glancing around noticing all the familiar faces. Family, friends, college teammates and buddies, her sorority sisters, everyone there to help celebrate the joyous occasion. When they get halfway down the aisle, she looks up to the stage again. This time she lays eyes on her soon to be husband. She almost cries again when she sees him in tears. From head to toe, the boy is completely decked out. His suit is black with a white shirt, silver vest, and black tie. His red hair cut just long enough to comb over and fluff up a little. She had always loved that style on him. The girl and boy lock eyes and never look away. That is until they reach the steps of the stage. The boy comes down to greet them. "Son, please take care of her." Her father says. He shakes the boy's hand. "I will, sir." Her father kisses her cheek and places their hands together. The boy helps her up the steps and up to the preacher where they both look up and smile. "We are gathered here today..." The preacher begins but the rest is lost out of focus. They squeeze each other's hand and look over at each other. The immense love between them is felt throughout the room. As the minister finishes his opening speech, he asks the two to face each other and join hands. She hands her flowers off to her sister and joins hands with the boy. "We will now begin with prayer. Let us pray." The preacher says. Everyone bows their heads and prays. Each prayer different but most for the young couple. At the end, the boy and girl both open their eyes and look at each other. The boy reaches up and lifts the veil off of her face and over the back of her head. The preacher asks if anyone thinks they should not be wed to speak up. After no objections, they begin with their vows. "Sir, may I say a few words?" The young boy says after they've finished their vows. She stares at him, fear rising in her chest at the sudden change of plans. He looks from the preacher to his bride. "I know we said we wouldn't do actual written vows but what we just exchanged just isn't enough for me. I want to share something more personal and memorable." The boy clears his throat, takes a breath and looks deep into her eyes before starting again. "I remember back when I would stare at you across the classroom and see you in your natural way. Happy, cheerful, smiling all the time. I fell in love with that part of you and you didn't even know it yet. I was dying to tell you but I just didn't have the strength. I struggled with a lot, as you know, and this one night, when I thought I couldn't take anymore and needed an escape, my phone rang with a message from the girl in the classroom. When I opened that message, my life changed. I knew right then and there you would be my everything. I know we've been through some really rough things together and we have our ups and downs but I wouldn't be here today without you and I can't hold it in anymore. I can't be without you. I can't wait for us to travel the world and see everything. I can't wait for us to have children and grandchildren and so much more. I love you so much that my heart feels like it'll burst every time I see you. You are the light of my life, and I can't wait to be your husband. I love you baby." The girl looks at him with so much affection. She wipes the few tears that managed to fall down her cheek before nodding to the minister to continue. They go through their I Do's and exchange rings. They both look into each other's eyes as if the whole world just stopped spinning. They stare for what feels like eternity. Just looking at each other and taking in their final seconds of being single. "I now pronounce you, Husband and Wife. Son, kiss your bride." The boy takes his bride, pulls her close, rubs her cheek with his hand, and then kisses her. The young couple melt into each other with such a passion that they almost forget where they are. It's only broken up when they hear claps and cheers from the crowd. They pull away and stare into each other's eyes once more. "I love you too." The girl says. They hold hands and face the crowd. As they walk down the stage the minister says, "Mr. and Mrs." But the rest is drowned out by the crowd. The young couple take off running down the aisle. They run towards their future. Towards their lifetime of happiness together. Towards the rest of their lives.