Page 62 of Raise The Bar
“Oh my God, what time is it?” She rubs her eyes like an overtired child.
“It’s before eight, we’ve got lots of time,” I grin at her as she collapses back onto the bed.
“Is that coffee for me?”
“It certainly is.” I hand her the cup so the name written on the white paper cup is directly in front of her. It says “BRIDE.”
June blinks at my offering before accepting it. “I’m getting married today,” she says dazedly.
“You’re getting married today.”
Once we consume our coffee and carbs in bed, June heads for the shower and I return to my room to do the same. I arrive back at her room just in time to welcome the makeup artist and hair stylist. Valerie arrives next followed not long after by Colin’s mom. April shows up only forty-eight minutes after she was asked to arrive.
The mood is charged, but not frantic. June is the most relaxed bride you can imagine. Maybe it’s because she’s photographed so many couples’ big day, she doesn’t seem to have any nerves about her own. We sip mimosas and chat as the makeup artist and stylist take turns making everyone pretty. I opt for a simple, low updo in order to make sure my curls don’t take on a mind of their own in the humidity. The stylist leaves a few tendrils free to frame my face and I love the softening effect. The makeup artist has to be reined in, as I suspect she would use a heavy hand while applying my face. We settle on a neutral color palette for a flawless but natural look.
Once I’m all dolled up, I get into my dress and then help June with hers. There are hooks to hook, zippers to zip, and laces to lace, but the job is finally done and she is the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. I try not to well up when she pulls me close and whispers in my ear.
“I wish Mom were here.”
“She is,” I tell her, meaning it.
June and Colin have decided to do first look photos, so we make our way to the ballroom. We’ll take pictures outside in front of the harbor after the ceremony. The look on his face when he turns to see June will remain ingrained on my brain for all of my days. Such unabashed, pure love for the woman before him. Even April, the heartless sea kraken, seems to have something in her eye.
After the photographer has snapped the photos of the bride and groom, the rest of the wedding party join them. The photographer does not mess around. She’s a friend of June’s and normally charges ten thousand dollars for weddings. The way she runs us for the next thirty minutes tells me she’s worth every cent. We’re positioned this way and that, heads angled, bodies posed, smiles radiant. Somehow she keeps our movements natural and our smiles genuine.
I’ve heard the term “organized chaos” thrown around a lot, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it demonstrated so effectively as being behind the scenes at a wedding. People are everywhere. June’s wedding planner, Jessica, directs the masses like a natural born traffic cop. Her headset looks as if it’s permanently attached to her head.
The men, with the exception of my father, leave us to take their positions in the Atlantic Room where the ceremony will take place.
“Don’t be nervous, mi ángel,” my father tells June.
“I’m not, Dad.” My sister beams at him. She takes his hand and squeezes it, probably because she knows he needs it. He extends his other arm to me and I gladly step into it. The joy and pride he feels as he holds his two daughters radiates from his smile. I can picture my mother looking at the three of us and know that her heart would have been just as full as his.
“April, you’re up,” Jessica says entering the room. I wonder briefly if she takes the headset off to sleep. April saunters up to the entry, tosses her shoulders back and begins her slow march up the aisle. I leave the comfort of my father’s embrace and get ready for my turn. At Jessica’s nod, I give one final reassuring smile back to Dad and June and start to walk.
This is my first time being in a wedding party and therefore my first walk up an aisle. I didn’t anticipate it would be so nerve-wracking. There are a hundred people to my right and a hundred people to my left. Some of them are taking photos on their phones, but all of them are looking at me.
I remember what Jessica told me at the rehearsal last night: keep breathing, keep walking, keep smiling. And I do just that. I match April’s pace, putting one foot in front of the other. It’s such an odd way to walk. Step, pause, step, pause, step, pause. A string quartet plays an instrumental version of “Just The Way You Are.”
After walking for what feels like miles, I finally make it to the front of the room and take my place beside April. I smile at my soon to be brother-in-law. He seems calm, just like June. They are so sure in their love for one another, never questioning the other’s feelings.
The music changes to “Thinking Out Loud” as June and Dad step into view. Watching them walking towards me, arm in arm, makes my heart feel infinitely full. I look away briefly to see Valerie watch them and our misty eyes meet for just a moment, before we turn our attention back to the aisle. I am so grateful for this family of mine and so happy to be gaining the brother I always wanted.
They reach the front of the room and June throws her arms around my dad’s neck with so much force that a ripple of laughter travels through the congregation. He walks her the last couple steps and then offers his hand to Colin. Colin then proceeds to throw his arms around my father and once again laughter fills the room as the two men hug. Finally, June takes Colin’s hand and they stand facing one another as my father takes his seat in the front row next to Valerie.
The ceremony is brief, but heartfelt. The officiant speaks passionately about love and partnership and while it’s hard to not think of Callum, I keep my eyes on my sister and her groom. I focus on the love that they share and not the love that was not meant to be mine.
Vows are made, rings are exchanged, and contracts are signed. When the officiant declares them husband and wife, a joyous cheer breaks out when Colin and June kiss, followed by thunderous applause.
June and Colin proceed down the aisle. I meet Amos, the Best Man, at the top of the aisle, loop my arm in his and we make our way behind the newlyweds. For the first time since entering the room, I take in some of the faces around me. I spot a cousin and some of June’s high school friends. I blow a kiss to my Aunt Maria as I walk by her. And then my eyes see a face that I never expected to see.
And I almost topple to the floor.
Chapter 35
Maggie
“Whoa! Are you okay?”
