One for the Books

Nathan spent all of his savings to give me the wedding of my dreams. He rented out the back of the Birmingham Resort and Spa with its lustrous green lawn dotted with robust shade trees, rock garden landscaping, and natural stream with waterfall flowing behind the trellis my father built for us to be married under. Nathan proposed with a two-carat solitaire diamond set in white gold. My dress is an elegant sleeveless white ball gown, and my bridesmaids wear lavender dresses so that we match the arrangements of calla lilies and lilacs that adorn our outdoor venue. White folding chairs make up ten rows of five on each side of the white runner that marks the aisle. Purple ribbon is strung along the inner chairs on each side. The top-rated wedding photographer in the city was hired to document the day, and we retained the services of our favorite restaurant to do the catering. A three-tier red velvet cake was chosen for dessert, and I look forward to smashing that first piece into Nathan’s face. Looking down from my window within my room in the lodge, I feel that everything is perfect, the perfect June wedding, except for one little detail – a one-nineteen heat index.

As I look down from above, I notice that the ushers have heeded my warning and have kept their jackets on despite the heat. The photographer is being paid to get candid photos of the wedding party and guests, and if she doesn’t get the memories I’m looking for, heads are going to roll. I see Pastor Rollins under the trellis, dabbing his head with his handkerchief, bible in hand, as he talks to a couple groomsmen. From what I can see, everyone is present. They’re uncomfortably shifting in their seats, trying to get comfortable, fanning themselves with whatever they can find. I know they must be miserable, but we will make it a quick ceremony, not that it will be much cooler in the reception tent.

“Okay, it’s time,” I say to my maid-of-honor, Molly, who leaves me to tell everyone to get ready and fetch my dad.

Ten minutes roll by and Molly returns. “Nathan isn’t here yet, but Michael is going to go look for him.”

“Michael! He’s the best man. It was his job to get him here.”

“I’ll let everyone know it will be a little while longer before we can start.”

I start pacing the room as thoughts pace through my mind. Did something happen to him? Was he in an accident? Surely, he didn’t get cold feet… or did he? I return to the window. Everyone is uncomfortable and getting irritable. I see Molly emerge with the other bridesmaids, heading down the aisle with a jug of water and some cups on a cart. I can tell they are being questioned by everyone, but I know my girls can handle it. I’m just thankful they were conscientious enough to think about the water. People who are more acquaintance than friends are rejecting the water and leaving. I find this disheartening, but shake it off, knowing that those who are dearest to me are still here and will be here until we figure out what’s going on with Nathan.

I call Nathan. No answer. I call Michael, hoping for some information, but there’s no answer. I call Ben, another groomsman, hoping he knows something. No answer. I try all of the groomsmen and none of them are answering. I go back to the window and cannot see any of them anywhere. All I see is more people getting up to leave. There comes a knock on the door and my Aunt Maurine pokes her head in.

“Are you decent,” she asks.

“Yeah, come on in.”

The expression on Marine’s face says it all. “I hate to do this to you sweetie, but we can’t take this heat anymore. Everyone is melting out there. Maybe you two should just go to the courthouse and have a little get together when it cools back down.”

I plop into the chair in front of the vanity. “We spent so much money on this. I have food to feed a hundred and twenty people, plus a cake the size of a small child.” I get up and walk to the window. “Everything looks just as I always imagined it. I know he’ll be here. Something must have happened, traffic or something.”

“I know, Ash, but I have to get your grandma out of this heat. There are still several people here, including the pastor. I’m sorry, but we have to go. Your present is at the reception tent.”

Maurine hugs me and I struggle to hide my disappointment. As she walks out, the bridesmaids walk in.

“Any word from any of the guys,” I ask.

Molly looks at the rest of the girls then back at me. “Not a word. Ash, Nathan’s family just left.”

A knock comes at the door. “Come in.”

Pastor Rollins walks in all red faced and sweaty. “I’m sorry Ashly, but I can’t wait around any longer. This heat is really getting to me and I’m certain I saw the groom’s parents leave. The church will refund your money. I pray the best for you.”

I lower myself back into the chair, defeated. Looking at the clock, he is only twenty minutes late, but without a pastor, what difference does it make if he shows up now.

“Ashly, we’re going to track those guys down and get an explanation from them,” Molly says as she rubs my back. “Maybe we can get them back here and find someone else to officiate at the last minute. You never know what you’ll find on the internet.”

“Thank you, ladies. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I don’t know if I’m mad or sad at this point. It’s obvious Nathan backed out. If something had happened to him the groomsmen would have let me know. Instead, they are all avoiding me. At least I didn’t have to go out there and announce to everyone that my fiancé backed out on our wedding day. Since everything looks so beautiful, I’m still going to walk down the aisle, pass under the trellis, and go stick my feet in the stream while I sit on a rock and contemplate life. It’s either that or face the caterers, which I’m in no mood to do at this moment.

As I walk down the aisle, I notice my parents are still sitting there waiting for me. I raise a hand, gesturing for them to save their sympathies.

“Daddy, can you take care of the caterers for me. I just can’t right now. Right now, I just want to stick my feet in the stream and have a few moments alone.”

Mom and dad both nod, kiss me on the cheek, then head up the hill to the lodge. I find my spot and sit down, taking off the painful excuse for shoes I had chosen for this occasion. The water is cool and, with the exception of the splashing of the nearby waterfall, all is silent. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel at this moment, other than confused. Nothing makes sense. I’m not sure what the reality of the situation is, so that reality can’t necessarily set in. Therefore, I just sit and stare.

I guess I had nodded off for a second. I didn’t hear my dad come up behind me. When he touched my shoulder, I nearly flew off the rock.

“Come on, sweetie, your mother and I want to show you something special, something you’ve never seen before. We think it might cheer you up.”

As soon as dad put the car in drive, I was out like a light. When dad wakes me, we are at the lake and my jaw drops. Artificial white flowers are wrapped around two separate ropes, floating on the surface, forming an aisle. On the outsides of the aisle are all our friends and family, fully clothed, wading in the water, waist deep. At the end of the aisle the groomsmen and bridesmaids are lined up on their respective sides. Standing in the middle, holding his bible above the water is Pastor Rollins. Next to him is Nathan, soaked and wet, but looking devilishly handsome in his tux.

“Shall we,” my dad asks as he offers me his arm.

With dad on one arm, and mom on another, I make my way to the shoreline, speechless but happy. As I enter the water, Nathan’s brother, Luke, begins to play the wedding march on an acoustic guitar from the shoreline. We wade through the water to the oohs and aahs of all those present until my stunning dress is submerged beneath the murky lake water. When my dad gives me to Nathan, I ask him, “What about the money?”

“I just want to marry you and make it pleasantly memorable for everyone.”

I smile at him, and we turn to Pastor Rollins who begins with those precious two words that define what family and friends mean to us – “Dearly beloved…”

Pastor Rollins finishes the ceremony with, “You may now kiss the bride,” and Nathan wraps his arms around me, kissing me passionately. Then he dunks me under the water. Ugh, I’m mad at first, but when I come up, everyone, young and old, is laughing and splashing, hooting and hollering. I jump on him, pushing his head under the water. Payback. The bridesmaids and groomsmen join in on the fun, wrestling and dunking each other to the delight of those in attendance.

From the shore I hear Marcy, Nathan’s mom, shout, “Food’s here!”

The catering vans pull up and unload all the food, setting it up on the surrounding picnic tables. As everyone exits the lake, Joanne, the photographer, grabs us to do pictures. We are a sorry looking bunch in wet clothes and messed up hair and make-up, but we have fun with it. We are in too good of a mood to take it too seriously and besides, I want pictures that capture the essence of the day. While we are goofing around in front of the camera, our guests are enjoying their meals sitting on the grass with some standing and a few seated at the tables. The caterers brought the cake. Nathan and I finish eating and do the ceremonial cutting. I smash a big slice into his face, covering it in frosting. He wipes the frosting from his eyes, throws me over his shoulder, and runs me down to the lake where he throws me in. I help him wash off and we head back up. Molly runs to her car and grabs her Bluetooth speaker to get the music going so we can dance. Michael taps the keg, and we begin to party.

Part of me feels like I should be mad at Nathan, but maybe he’s right. All anyone would have remembered of this day, had we got married at the resort, would have been the heat and how miserable we all were. Nobody would have remembered my dress, or the flowers, or even cared to look at the stuffy old traditional pictures. I guess that’s why the other part of me can’t stop staring at him and smiling. It’s the most unconventional wedding I have ever heard of, definitely not the wedding I had always dreamed of. As it turns out, dreams fade but memories are created in reality.