Page 40 of The Magic of Sea Glass
“I do.”
Lauren smiled at Stephanie’s choice of words, just when Brody came back into view through the window. Mary shuffled over to him, the two of them talking about something.
“And matchbooks, paper products—any of those things ordered yet?”
“Yep. We have all the giveaways and gifts ordered.”
With every yes, Lauren felt a little better. She picked up her cup and took another sip of her coffee. “I’m assuming the color theme and the dresses have been chosen as well?”
“Yes, we’re going with a pale blue. We’ve just had our last fitting for the bridesmaids. My dress is almost done, we’ve transferred it to a seamstress here in the Outer Banks, and all the tuxedos have been rented, according to Brody.”
“Wonderful.” Lauren clicked a few keys on her computer, checking off those items as Mary and Brody continued talking outside. It was strange to feel, already, that she knew Brody and Mary very well. In only a few days, she seemed to know more about the two of them than anyone back in New York. Letting the idea bring her to a calmer state, she returned to her questionnaire. “Have you registered for gifts?”
“Yes. That’s all done, too, and we have a website.”
“How many guests?”
“About a hundred. We’re sticking with close friends and family.”
“Given the time frame that we have, I’m so glad that you’re organized,” Lauren said with a smile.
“Yes, I really just wanted you to plan the venue, the reception, and the ceremony itself.”
“Those are my strong points,” Lauren said, relieved that they were on the same page.
Now that she knew Stephanie a little better, the idea of planning was also coming more easily to her. Stephanie was no different from one of her regular clients, so until the big day, Lauren knew she had it in the bag. Getting through the actual wedding would be another story, but she tried to ignore that for now. “Florists? I’m assuming not, since you’re in a different state than you planned to be.”
“That’s right. We haven’t secured a florist.”
“Okay, we’ll want to get that done as soon as possible.” She clicked a key to mark it. “We may not have too much wiggle room, given the late date, but do you have any idea what kind of flowers you’d like?” She peered out the window again at Mary and Brody, but they’d moved out of sight.
“I’m not sure,” Stephanie replied. “Maybe gardenias?”
“I’ll call around to a few florists to see what’s available and if they can send us some photo samples.” She jotted down the note on her computer. “What about the officiant?”
“We don’t have one yet.”
“Okay.” She added that to the list, trying not to panic. That one was a little more difficult. “Musicians?”
“Not yet.”
Also a tough one on such short notice.
“We’re going to need to hire a small production crew for lighting during the ceremony and for the first dance—things like that. Dave’s film crew might be able to step in. I’ll ask and if not, I’ll get on it as soon as humanly possible. How about the cake?”
“We don’t have a baker yet.” Stephanie made a face, her concern beginning to show.
“Don’t worry. Most major bakeries have stock cakes we can embellish if need be. I’m great at it—your guests will never know. I’ll get some samples for that too.”
Stephanie broke into an excited grin. “Yes, that’s right! I saw an episode of your show where you worked magic with a stock cake.”
“Oh yeah,” Lauren said, recalling exactly what Stephanie was talking about. The couple had ordered a custom cake and the bride had picked it up to show her mother and dropped it. Lauren and Andy had scrambled to get her a cake on the day of the reception. Lauren really did have a knack for this sort of thing. She thrived under pressure. She’d just forgotten for a bit. “Have you sent invitations to the guests?”
Stephanie sucked in a breath. “No. But I did send an engagement notice that let them all know the wedding was coming. And most of them are aware that we’ve moved the wedding here. We just haven’t formally sent anything out.”
“I’ve had to rush this before. We’ll need to get the invitations printed right now. I know a printer who can create them super quick and then overnight them to each guest. And I’ll provide a digital code for the RSVP so that we can get real-time responses. Do you have any initial designs for the cards themselves?”
Stephanie shook her head. “A simple design would be nice, but whatever you think.”
