"I want you to try this on." She motioned to a small curtained off area in the room. "Then come out and we’ll see what needs to be altered." She smiled brightly. "I hope that you like the dress, dear."
I took the bag and headed to the curtained area. Slipping into the dress, I emerged from the area and heard gasps around the room. I looked up and saw Maggie, Viola, Elora, Celia and Phoebe all looking at me with different emotions on each of their faces.
"Lilli, you look amazing," Phoebe said as she flitted over to my side and walked around me.
"It’s a gorgeous dress," Elora added with a warm smile.
"Oh, Lilli, do you like it?" Viola pulled my hands out in front of me while looking me over.
"Are you sure you don’t want to save this dress for Maggie?" I questioned and looked from Viola to Maggie.
Maggie giggled.
"Does my daughter look like she would wear this dress?" Viola smiled and we both turned to Maggie who was wearing black fishnet stockings, a pleated red plaid skirt, black rock band shirt, black patent leather boots and her red hair was up in multiple twisted knots.
I laughed.
"Yeah, I guess not, huh?" Then I looked back to Maggie again. "Why aren’t you in school, by the way?"
She shrugged.
"I get to be here for the wedding stuff," she smiled brightly.
Viola led me to the white stand so that the seamstress could go over the dress and pin the places that she would need to make alterations. I glanced into the mirror in front of me and looked at myself in the ivory dress. The dress was made of ivory organza. It was strapless and fitted through the body, flaring at my hips all the way to the floor. A single wrap of sheer ivory organza went around my shoulders and there were creamy sparkled appliqué’s across my stomach and over my right hip. The dress was truly beautiful, too beautiful to waste on a fake marriage. I sighed.
"What’s wrong?" Celia cocked her eyebrow at me.
"I just feel like it’s all a bit much for what this is, ya know?" Celia smiled softly.
Viola interrupted.
"Lilli, this may be an arranged marriage, in a sense, but that does not mean that you don’t deserve a beautiful day." With that she turned back to the seamstress to discuss things.
"Guess she told you," Phoebe piped in from behind me.
"Hush it, gnome." I laughed.
"I am not a lawn gnome!" She argued.
I changed out of the dress and was instructed to walk through the racks of clothing to look for bridesmaid dress ideas. I stopped on a strapless empire waist gown. It was simply, yet elegant and it was just beautiful. The dress was a very deep fuchsia like color; the description on the dress tag said watermelon.
"What about this?" I shouted over my shoulder and the girls appeared at my side. They all looked it over and added it to the pile of dresses to try on.
I sat back with Viola and Elora with a mimosa and some fruit waiting for Celia and Phoebe to change into the different dresses.
"Try the same one on at the same time" I asked. I then noticed Maggie starting to sit next to Elora. "What are you doing?" Maggie looked at me confused. I smiled and nodded my head toward the changing curtain. "Get your little ass behind that curtain." I winked. She smiled large and ran to the curtain.
"I think you just became her favorite person" Elora leaned over and whispered.
"Oh hell, she loves you already" Viola stated and tilted her flute glass back completely.
Whoa. Viola is feeling the champagne.
I smiled to myself as I heard Elora giggle at Viola’s change of demeanor.
"Well, Viola, I do believe that you are a little hell cat underneath all of this." I smiled as I motioned over her body. She just smirked and grabbed another glass with a wink. I giggled with Elora. The girls went through a few dresses until they came upon the one that I picked out. Each of them looked perfect in it and they felt comfortable, so that’s the one we got.
I thought that the dresses would be the end of it but I was so wrong. The rest of the afternoon was spent picking out a cake; I picked out a plain white cake with deep red lilies decorations. Selecting flowers, deep red lilies and ivory color snowball flowers or Guelder Rose and going over hairstyles, shoes, menus for the reception and the location. Viola had a couple of New York locations picked out but I could tell that there was one she favored, so that is the one that I picked. The wedding and the reception would be held at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Pier. It was truly a beautiful location.
We were all about to start our goodbyes when Phoebe chimed in quickly.
"What about the Bridal Shower and Bachelorette parties?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Phoebe, there is no time for those things. We simply…" Viola cut me off.
"Nonsense! What did you have in mind Phoebe?"