Page 52 of Jilted

16SLOANE

“So today is going to be a fun one,” I said into the camera. “We’re making a dos-and-don’ts list for brides leading up to their wedding. And to help us, I have a special guest—Anna Wren from Park Avenue Wedding Planners. Anna has planned some of the biggest and most luxurious weddings in New York, including those of celebrities and Wall Street tycoons. She’s one of the most sought-after planners, and her fifteen years of experience have taught her a thing or two about good etiquette.” I took a breath. “And then toward the end of the show, I have agiantannouncement I can’t wait to share.” I pressed a button to split the screen, and Anna went live with me. “Hi, Anna. Are you ready to get started?”

She pretended to crack her knuckles. “I am.”

We jumped right into the list, starting with simple stuff like:

Dotake into account all of your bridesmaids’ body types when selecting dresses.

Don’task people to be backup bridesmaids.(I didn’t even know that was a thing.)

Domake sure dress fittings and rehearsals are at a convenient time for everyone involved.

Don’tfire your bridesmaid because she gets pregnant.

Most of the list was pretty comical, consisting of things I hoped most people wouldn’t need to be told, but brides got caught up when it came to their weddings. Anna and I laughed our way through the entire segment, and pretty soon it was time to ask the viewers for their input.

“Alright, ladies, you have our list. But we want to hear from you! So, we’re going to open the chat for you to give us your thoughts on what else we should add to our list.”

The suggestions rapid-fired in one after another, most of themdon’ts,which clearly showed how many people have had bad bridal-party experiences.

Don’task your bridal party to chip in for your honeymoon. (Huh?)

Don’ttell your bridesmaids they must hold off on getting engaged until after your wedding so they won’t steal your limelight.

Don’tforbid your bridal party from eating the day of the wedding so they won’t look bloated in pictures.

One in particular caught my attention as it rolled in.

Don’tmake your bridal party spray-tan themselves orange so they all have an equal amount of melanin.

The viewer’s handle? NumberSeventeen.

A tingle ran up my spine at the thought of Wilder watching. The man was traveling nonstop and pulling together a brand-new professional sports team, but he’d remembered my weekly show? It was almost nine o’clock here, so nearly two in the morning his time—assuming he was back in England tonight. He was like Waldo lately, popping up in my Instagram feed all over the place in different countries.

I smiled at the camera, feeling slightly flushed. “Alright, I think we’ll add NumberSeventeen’sdon’tto our list—not requiring your bridal party to get matching spray tans so no one in particular stands out—and call it a day.” I rubbed my hands together. “But we still have the big announcement, which I’m going to share with you by reading a letter I received from a viewer. But first, I want to thank Anna for all of her help today.”

Anna waved. “Thank you for having me! And if we’ve made one person into less of a Bridezilla, I think we’ve done our job.”

“Definitely.”

“Bye, Sloane!”

“Bye, Anna!”

I pressed the button to go from split screen to just me and lifted a paper from my desk. “Alright, everyone, here we go. This is the letter I received from a wonderful viewer named Larisa… ‘Dear Sloane, I’ve been a fan of your show since I got engaged two yearsago. A friend told me about one of your segments on unique venues, and I watched it and wound up booking a small farm you featured up in the Hudson Valley for my wedding. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out, and my fiancé and I called off the wedding a few days ago. The entire thing is already paid for—in excess of fifty thousand dollars spent on the venue, catering, photographer, floral arrangements, hair and makeup, even a honeymoon suite. All of it is nonrefundable and going to go to waste, so I thought maybe I could turn something negative into something positive and pay forward the blessing I was able to afford. Would you be interested in running some sort of a contest with your followers to give away a pretty amazing wedding package? Best, Larisa Maven.’”

I leaned forward, unable to contain my excitement. “Of course I would! In fact, I’ve already spoken to Larisa several times and verified with all of the service providers that the services are transferrable.This is happening, everyone!The only thing you need to get is your dress. Larisa was going to wear her grandmother’s, which she obviously wants to keep.”

The comments section had been busier than usual all day, but now the messages were coming in so rapidly, I couldn’t even read them.

“So here’s the deal. One lucky person is going to win thisah-mazingwedding. To enter, all you have to do is tell us why it should be you, in three hundred words or less.” I pointed down to where a link had started flashing on the screen. “Just click below to submit your entry. We’ll keep the contest open for five days and announce the winner live on our next show! Good luck, and happy wedding planning.”

My laptop wasn’t even shut when my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I smiled and swiped.

Wilder:Great show. That’s some contest.

Sloane:I know. I was tempted to go buy back my wedding dress and donate it to the package. But I thought better of it. LOL.

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