“I set up the event,” grumbled Elly, but she understood. The man led her around to a small alcove that overlooked the entire ceremony and put out a folding chair adorned with navy ribbons. Even the folding chairs were decorated within an inch of their life. Oh, Gemma. Elly was impressed.
Elly had barely gotten settled and stopped sweating when the strains of the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” blared through the farmhouse’s ancient wood walls. Somehow, Elly Jordan, a measly florist, had actually scored the best seat in the house. Her seat was positioned so she could see everything underneath the fluttery draped fabric of navy and white that blew slightly in the cool breeze that was filling the farmhouse. Flowers cascaded from every surface. The aisle had remained stunning, and Elly was thankful that a blissfully ignorant production assistant hadn’t ruined everything. Cameras were everywhere; Elly counted at least twenty from her perch, their lenses trained on every possible angle.
The prelude ended and the bridal procession began. Lola’s thirteen bridesmaids (who were all supermodels, as far as Elly could tell) began filing in from the altar’s sides, each wearing a stunning chiffon dress in bright fuchsia. Snarky Teenager had designed each of their bouquets a bit differently, so that each one carried elements of the other ones. Each flower arrangement featured a single highlighted flower: ranunculus, delphinium, dahlia, veronica, scabiosa, and zinnia. They looked incredible together and made a gorgeous palette of pinks, blues, creams, and whites at the front. A tiny flower girl danced up the aisle wearing miniature navy aviator sunglasses and promptly destroyed her white zinnia pomander, which made Elly bite her lip in exasperation. Two hours of work down the drain…. All was forgotten when the strains of Vincent Herring’s “Stars Fell in Alabama” began and the crowed rose to their feet to see Lola. Half of them were here anticipating a nervous breakdown, of course, hoping to have something to spill in the latest magazine.
If so, noted Elly with a huge grin that stretched all the way across her face, they would be sorely disappointed. Lola was beyond stunning. Clutching the arm of her father, she moved up the aisle like an ethereal ghost, and Elly felt all the air in the room sucked out by her magnetic presence. Ah, there was the movie star that she had been waiting for. Lola’s Valentino wedding dress wrapped tightly around her slender frame. A piece of delicate lace twisted down Lola’s bare back, connecting to the lower half of the dress, where it turned out into a lace overlay that covered the satiny fabric draping down her hips. The front of the dress was a lacy cut of white fabric that draped squarely down her shoulders and ended at her waist. The dress was capped off by an enormous veil that stretched twenty yards behind her. This dress, Elly knew instantly, would be replicated in dress shops across the country.
When Lola saw the aisle, Elly saw her start to cry. She clutched her bouquet closely to her chest and waded into the ankle-deep petals. Clouds of multi-colored petals drifted around her feet as she walked, and the beautiful swirls that Elly had created became a stunning mix of pinks and whites that trailed in her veil as Lola waded toward her groom. She looked to the front, where Joe Keats, looking dapper and robust in a gray windsor suit, was becoming completely undone as Lola approached him. He bit his fist and then brought it down to his waist, tears streaming freely down his face as he reached for her. Unable to wait for her to make it to him, Joe took a few steps down the aisle, his arms open for Lola. They both laughed as she reached for him and he kissed her hand with a passion that Elly had only known once, a passion she had seen in Keith’s eyes. When she saw them clasp their hands together and make their way to the altar, she knew that Lola was going to be fine. She was a good but damaged girl, and Joe was the kind of man who could love the damage right out of her. True love could do that. With a happy shout, Joe picked up Lola at the waist and spun her around, kissing her hard. The pastor gestured for them to settle down and the crowd erupted into applause, their joy contagious to all. Elly wiped happy tears away, thankful that she had been able to witness such a special moment.
When she sat back down, Elly felt a hand on her shoulder as the ceremony began. Gemma stood behind her. “It all seems to have turned out. I’m surprised, but pleased.” She watched Joe and Lola, crying with happiness at the front. “You Americans sure do have a fondness for over-emoting.”
Elly turned back to the ceremony. “I’m sure you will be over-emoting tonight when your advertising dollars roll in for this episode.”
Gemma laughed, an actual deep laugh that sounded totally unlike the woman she had known up until now. “Oh, indeed I will. And, I must say, the flowers turned out beautifully. It pains me to say it, but you were right about the design of it all.”
Elly patted her hand and turned back to the ceremony. “Well, the rest of it was you. And look how wonderful—”