Shourtney AU - Loving So Hard (Mature)

#65 - The Dress

*Courtney*

One final task was left for me in preparation for the wedding, and that was the dress. I had already bought my wedding ring for Shayne, and he had bought his for me. We decided not to keep that a secret, as it was pretty obvious we'd be exchanging them, however, it still felt extremely special nonetheless.

Shayne and I agreed to go shopping on the same day, with Damien, Noah and Keith accompanying him as they set off to rent tuxedos, and I was joined by Kari, Olivia and Jessica.

The priority was my dress, and we'd find their dresses afterwards. I had set my sights on one a few weeks before, spotting it in a wedding brochure. The veil was woven with an elegant silk completed with subtle floral decor, and the dress stretched on for what seemed like miles behind the wearer, almost like a ballroom gown.

The four of us entered the shop in which the brochure said the dress was being sold at, however, I wasn't surprised to see soon-to-be brides everywhere. Countless women barged their way past others, desperately trying to acquire their perfect dress. I smiled at the 'buzz' of it all, the sheer excitement of marriage. I felt the exact same way.

"Okay, we'll fan out and look for Courtney's dress separately," Kari instructed objectively.

Jessica and Olivia nodded, whilst I remained perplexed at the layout of the store. There was no clear order or pattern, it was simply bedlam. My three girls then set off to search, and so I followed suit.

Soon enough, Olivia began waving back and forth at the other end of the store, signalling to us that she had got it. I rushed over and hugged her as a sign of my gratitude, and with that, we went off to pay for the dress.

"Well that was a rush," Jessica wheezed as we left the store.

Olivia and I nodded in agreement and Kari added, "Those girls were crazy. One tried to scratch me when I was checking a dress."

We laughed in unison before going to grab some food. Subsequently, we had to go and find matching attire for Kari and Olivia, and then a different-styled dress for Jessica, as she was just a bridesmaid. Whilst I loved Jessica so much, she understood when I didn't pick her as a maid of honour, because I hadn't known her for nearly as long.

I decided on an elegant navy blue dress for all my bridesmaids, and a similar navy blue dress for my maids of honour, however, Olivia's and Kari's would be complete with golden roses and elegant sequins lining the collar, making them stand out a little more.

After a long day's worth of shopping, I returned home to find Shayne playing on the PlayStation, and I discovered treachery.

"You're playing Uncharted without me?"

Shayne grinned sheepishly as he approached me with dramatic trepidation, "You look beautiful, baby."

I giggled, "Don't try and change the topic you traitor!"

Shayne and I laughed in harmony once more, before he passed me the controller and sat beside me, playing with my hair as he watched me shooting bad-guys.

"How are you so good at this!?" Shayne whined playfully.

I chuckled as the level concluded with a cutscene, before I cupped his face and kissed him lightly, "I'm not good. You're just awful."

"Hey!"

Laughter could be heard again between the two of us, and as we proceeded to cuddle up and put on a movie, I felt my excitement multiply exponentially in anticipation of our wedding, as well as our subsequent honeymoon to Barbados. My life with Shayne was officially perfect, and it was only going to get better.