Page 82 of Once Upon a Holidate
She put a picture of chairs up on the screen. Large lanterns sat on the floor, along the aisle.
“We have these in our warehouse,” she said. “They’re about eighteen inches high, so substantial but they don’t get in the way. We also have flameless candles that go inside. The only cost is for new batteries.”
“They’re lovely,” Holly said.
“Good. Now I’m thinking we’ll do a cluster of deep red dahlias on the backs of the chairs along the aisle. Probably every other chair, so it’s not too busy. The florist will add ribbons and some greens to make them pretty.”
“I like the look,” Holly said, her tone hesitant, “but there’s a cost factor.”
Renee glanced at Wynn, then back at the screen. “Let me explain all my suggestions and we’ll talk money at the end. For now you can simply enjoy the show.”
Holly nodded. “Okay. Sure.”
Joylyn thought the slide with the lanterns and flowers was beautiful, but she was with Holly. No way could they afford that.
“We’ve reserved a local minister to perform the ceremony,” Renee said. “Now about your bouquet—what are you doing for a dress?”
“I don’t know,” Holly admitted. “I found a dress at David’s Bridal I really like. It’s on sale, but it’s still three hundred dollars. I think that money might be better spent on the wedding itself.”
“Do you have a picture?” Renee asked.
Holly reached to her left and came back with a printout of a strapless dress. The style was simple—fitted to the waist, then gently flaring out to the floor. Joylyn leaned closer to study the sweetheart neckline and the pleating at the bodice.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “You’ll look amazing in that.”
Holly smiled. “It’s taffeta and looks great on. I don’t need much in the way of alterations, but the cost...”
Renee typed on her tablet. “It’s lovely and very classic. I think a teardrop bouquet with cascading flowers would be best. Red roses.” She smiled. “They’ll look fantastic against the simplicity of the dress.”
Joylyn met Holly’s gaze on the screen. A bouquet like that was going to be expensive. Roses? Really? Maybe Renee didn’t understand Holly didn’t have a lot of money. But before she could figure out what to say, Renee had moved on to the reception.
“We’ll do rectangular tables forming a loose square,” she said, putting another picture on the screen. “More dahlias down the center with votives floating in glasses. The long-stemmed glasses will give height and interest, but won’t get in the way of conversation across the table.”
Holly nodded. “The centerpieces are beautiful.”
“For the dinner, I’ve spoken with the caterer. Are there any vegans?”
Holly smiled. “No. All our friends eat meat.”
“Good. We’ll have a vegetarian option, just in case. Risotto is always good. For the first course, given the time of year, we’re thinking soup. A butternut squash soup with an Asiago truffle mac and cheese muffin is very popular.”
“It sounds delicious,” Holly said. “But expensive.”
“No thoughts of money just yet. Don’t forget, our previous bride has paid for a lot of this.”
“Okay. I’ll just listen.”
Renee went through the rest of the menu, including filet mignon and a potato gratin.
“I was thinking simple for the dessert,” Renee said, putting another slide on the screen. “Chocolate dipped strawberry towers. They look incredible, they’re light and delicious. Plus it’s fruit. The serving plates are tiered, so the stacked strawberries take the shape of a Christmas tree.”
“They’re beautiful,” Holly murmured.
“Great.” Renee made more notes. “The cake is problematic. We are stuck with what the previous bride ordered. It’s a four layer cake. There’s no time to get anything fancy, so what I suggest is a simple white frosting and then we cascade red roses down the side. It’s elegant, it’s easy and it meets our time constraint.”
Holly nodded without saying anything.
Joylyn could see her confusion and worry. Even with the deposit money waived, there was no way Holly and Rex could afford even a portion of this.
