Dark Night

Just the beginning

Gradually we got things checked off our list. Choosing the invitations was fun; we selected an ivory like my dress, with a nice clean typeface, on a nice plain card with a coral border. Taste-testing our way through the dinner options and the cake was quite nice too. The flowers were easy, too; the florist we chose from the Huntington's list was a pro and understood the look we were after and the colors we wanted after a few skillful questions. I checked heel height for my shoes by snuggling up to Will and determining what height I needed to add to rest my head on his shoulder comfortably, then went shopping for shoes to match my dress that added the required elevation. Zayna agreed to be my maid of honor, and Cass, Carol, Keshondra, and Maya my bridesmaids. We found some surprisingly pretty dresses for them, long chiffon skirts, not too fluffy, with a lace halter top that came around to four thin straps that covered the back. And not too expensive, just over a hundred dollars. Or it would have been, but the color, the coral part of our colors but called papaya here, was due to be retired, so we got them for $80 each. I didn't want them to have to get expensive dresses since the expectation that they'd actually wear them again was quite low. Because the skirt hem hit the floor and you couldn't see the shoes when they just stood, I told them to get whatever shoes they wanted that would be comfortable and pretty. I did specify that they had to be dress shoes, though, no cowboy boots or sneakers. So that was awesome. We chose the table linens and the DJ we chose had beautiful original music for the ceremony. It all came together, a little haphazardly, but it worked for us. Will chose gray suits for him and his groomsmen, with peach silk ties and pocket squares, a little lighter than the bridesmaid dresses. I got his ring size and, a little frustrated by his desire for a plain band, found one that had a brushed white gold exterior and red gold interior that was almost the coral shade of our wedding colors. 

We decided to set up a table with candy and drawstring bags for favors that people would actually like, finalized the menu and flowers, and made the final decision on the cake. Will proposed having fondant icing in ivory, with hexagonal layers, a piped design in green, with delicate coral peonies here and there.  For flavors, we had a smores layer, key lime, and champagne strawberry. Our mothers were a little freaked out by the slow pace of our decisions, but we got the job done by the deadlines. Sometimes there wasn't much wiggle room in the deadlines, but we met each one. 

Zayna had a tea for me instead of a bridal shower, and my bridesmaids went in on a massage for me the morning of the wedding. Will was a traditionalist, and had gotten me a room at The Peninsula Hotel for the night before the wedding. I teased him about turfing me out of our home and he laughed. We'd be spending the night of the wedding there before departing on our honeymoon and he said he was just giving me first crack at the bathroom. It was a pretty big room, with couches and a fireplace, which was good because the Huntington didn't have facilities for getting ready for the wedding and I needed to host a bit of a crowd as I got ready. After the massage, I went to a salon to get my hair and nails done, and a makeup artist met me back at the hotel after lunch and a nap (taken carefully, sitting up, so as not to mess up my hair.) Everybody started to arrive around five, and I was ready, having my lingerie on under a robe. Zayna and Maya helped me into my dress, doing up the back, and the photographer arrived to take pictures. We all had sparkling wine as we passed the time, my mom, Will's mom, and all three grandmothers included. Will's family had rented us a very stylish 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow Sedan to take us away from the reception, but to get there, we took Zayna's SUV so that there was plenty of room for my dress.  Maya had thought to bring a portable steamer, so that the few wrinkles in my dress could be taken care of when we got to the library. Then there were pictures in our venues of my half of the wedding party, then we retreated as guests began to arrive and Will and his groomsmen would be showing up. My something old were my diamond earrings, something new was an Edwardian pendant of a beautiful pearl surrounded by a diamond frame that one of Will's grandmas had given me; it had belonged to her mother. I had blue bows on my lingerie, and I'd borrowed a spritz of perfume from Carol, having forgotten mine at home. Nobody had a sixpence for my shoe, which was fine with me since I thought it would be uncomfortable to wander around with money under my foot and there was a chance I'd get blisters from my new shoes anyway. They felt comfortable now,  but I'd never worn them for hours, either.

Finally, my dad showed up and the mothers and grandmothers left to find their seats. Keshondra handed me my bouquet, white orchids that trailed down a little, with ivy and jasmine (the bridesmaids' bouquets were smaller, with the orchids and some different green thingies just for fun), Zayna assured me that she had Will's ring, and we left for the Rose Garden. I peeked around the corner first, just to be sure that the minister was there, then my bridesmaids departed, and Dad and I started down the aisle. It was so beautiful with the rosebushes and other flowers in bloom, the neat rows of guests, and a floral arch where my beloved waited for me with the minister. I smiled when I saw him and couldn't stop. Truthfully, I would have preferred it if Grandpa had walked me down the aisle, but that would have opened a whole ugly can of worms so I just let it pass. Dad kissed my cheek when we got to Will, and I handed Zayna my bouquet.

Honestly, I didn't pay attention to a thing the minister said, content instead to watch Will, until I was brought back to business, as Will recited his vows and slid my wedding band onto my finger. Then I had vows of my own to make, and put his ring on, quite firmly. We grinned at each other, elated, and kissed lightly. Then the recessional music started, my bridesmaids escorted by the groomsmen--Stan was best man--and the wedding party was taken off for pictures as our guests went to the reception site for pre-dinner drinks and snacks. Dusk was falling, making everything even prettier and romantic. Then our relatives and our attendants were shooed off to the party while the photographer worked just with Will and me. My ring was beautiful, a thin circle set with tiny sparkling diamonds. My engagement ring was on my right hand, and I eagerly tried them together; the band fit snugly and was a pretty addition without being too sparkly or too much. As usual, Will had hit a home run. There wasn't much room for an inscription, but the jeweler had managed "Forever." In his was "My love like the ocean." Vast, full of wonders, constant, and in danger of increasing all the time. Then we went to our reception, ate quickly, stopped at each table to thank people for coming, and then it was time for the dances. First with my dad, then Will, then my grandpa, Will's dad, and Stan. My grandfather Knight had been able to come, but his heart disease was taking its toll; he was frail and wasted and didn't dance. Will and I had taken dance lessons and had a tango for our dance. I'd learned when I was in dance club at college, but Will had to learn. He was a quick study, light on his feet, and an excellent partner. Of course.

We kept circulating through our guests, and I got to talk to Serafina for the first time in years face-to-face; Johanna came with her boyfriend, who I was pleased to meet, and she had good news; she was taking a job at Space X, which was headquartered here in LA. It was wonderful and I think everybody had a great time, but I was still pleased when it was time to leave. Not as concerned about wrinkling my dress now, I happily squished into the Pierce-Arrow as Will started the car. Then we had to switch sides since it was a stick and Will was having trouble with it. I drove back to the hotel, reluctantly surrendering the car to the representative of the company who was there to pick it up, and we walked, hand in hand, to the private entrance to our room. Once of Will's groomsmen had brought over his luggage, so everything was perfect. Will opened the door, picked me up, and stepped over the threshold.

The next day we took a flight to Paris for a ten day honeymoon. We visited the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars, dining at one of the restaurants overlooking the city, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and l'Ile de la Cite, the Louvre, Champs-Elysses, Montmartre,  the Tuilleries, le Marais, the Jardin de Luxembourg, Sainte Chappelle, did kind of a mini Revolution tour of la Place de la Concorde,  Place de la Bastille, and the Conciergerie, the Grand Palais, the Pantheon, descended into the catacombs, and visited a wildlife park to the southwest of the city. We took a twilight tour on the Seine, had a few late mornings in bed, lots of romantic meals, and time just poking around and exploring. We learned how to make croissants and macarons. Will bought me a sterling silver bracelet with a charm of the Eiffel Tower on it and a quartz sphere that had the continents etched on it. He might not be able to give me the world, but we were certainly going to explore it together, and he planned on giving me a charm for each trip we took.

I couldn't wait.