Ally stood in front of the mirror, wearing a beautiful white dress. "You look great." She turned around and smiled at Trish, who was in a purple dress.
"Thanks for being my maid-of-honor."
"That's what friends are for." Trish pointed out. "How do you feel?"
"Nervous, but in a good way." Ally told her. "I felt the same during my graduation from college. Anyway, how's your business going?"
"It's going pretty well. We're generating a lot of new clients." They'd stayed in touch over the years and Trish had started an event planning business.
"Hey, everything's ready." Kira said, entering. She was in a lighter purple dress.
"Shouldn't you be with the rest of the bridesmaids?" Trish asked her.
"They sent me back here to check in on the bride." Kira explained.
"I'm so glad you made it." Ally told her, hugging her.
"Oh, and also, Trish, your fiancé is here." Kira said. Trish blushed. She hadn't told anyone but Kira about the engagement.
"You're engaged?" Ally asked.
"It was supposed to be a surprise." Trish said. "I was going to wait until after the wedding to tell you."
"I'm sorry, Trish. I didn't know."
"It's okay, just make sure it doesn't get around, okay?" Trish asked her. Kira nodded, then sprinted out the door.
"What was that all about?"
"Let's just say someone, who shall remain nameless, was there when my boyfriend popped the question." Trish said.
"Does this someone have red hair and happen to be a popular director in film, music, and television?" Ally asked.
"Yep."
"Well, I don't think you need to worry about it. I've heard he's gotten a lot better at keeping secrets." Ally said.
"I hope so." Trish said. She checked the time. "You ready?"
"About as ready as I'm going to be." Ally told her.
"If you need me, Kira and I will be right next to you." Trish said, putting her hand on her shoulder. There was a knock at the door. Trish opened it and Ally's father walked in.
"You look beautiful, Ally."
"Thanks, Dad."
"Trish, could you give me a moment alone with my daughter?"
"Of course." Trish walked outside and closed the door.
"You look as beautiful as your mom did when we got married."
"I hope that ours works out." Ally said, turning back to the mirror to adjust her veil. "No offense."
"No relationship is ever going to be perfect." He pointed out. "Anyway, I wanted to give you this. It's from both of us." He handed her a box. She opened it. Inside was a gold necklace with a sapphire charm.
"It's beautiful."
"Your mother wore this when we got married. We both wanted you to have it." Ally smiled and put it on. She glanced down and noticed her moon-and-sun necklace. Then she glanced at her wrist, where she wore the charm bracelet her friends got her for her birthday. The charms consisted of a music note, a microphone, a ruby heart, a silver star, and a yellow tulip.
Trish opened the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt. But they're ready to start."
"Shall we?" Ally asked. Lester offered his arm.
"Let's do this."
Downstairs, out in the courtyard, the guests were seated. They had only invited family and close friends from work or college. Austin and Dez were standing at the altar. "Thanks for agreeing to be my best man. I know that you're busy with your new movie."
"I'm your friend. Besides, I had permission to take a couple days off." Dez pointed out. "It's been going kind of slow with the casting."
"I heard Carrie was up for a role in this one."
"Yeah, she's playing the main character's best friend." Dez said.
"Tell me more about it later." Austin told him. He nodded.
"Austin, I just know things are going to work out with you two."
"Thanks, man. You always know the right thing to say." Austin said.
A few minutes later, the wedding started. The bridesmaids went first, Kira being the last one to appear. Trish walked up next. For a few minutes, everything was quiet. Near the altar, the group spoke in soft whispers.
"Uh, what happened to the flower girl?" Dez asked.
"She got sick, so my little cousin's supposed to fill in." Kira whispered.
"The ring bearer's okay. Since it's Jace's cousin, he went back to help him." Trish added.
"How's Ally?" Austin asked.
"She's fine. She was a little nervous, but she's ready." Trish said.
"I don't blame her. I'm nervous, too."
A few minutes later, everyone turned. Lester was walking his daughter down the aisle. "I'm so happy for you, Ally."
"Thanks, Dad." Ally said. It didn't take them long to reach the altar. Austin and Ally looked at each other.
A few minutes later, the group had headed inside for the reception because it had unexpectedly started to rain outside. "Someone remind me, is it good luck or bad luck if it rains at a wedding?" Dez asked.
"I think it's supposed to be good luck." Kira said. "
"She's right. It rained at my brother's wedding, he and his wife got blessed with a beautiful little girl." Jace added. This prompted the bride and groom to blush.
For a while, everyone sat down at their assigned tables. The wedding group's consisted of Ally, Austin, their parents, Trish, Dez, Jace, Carrie, and Kira.
"Long time no see, Carrie."
"How's the acting career going?"
"It's going great. I'm playing the best friend of the main character on Dez's new TV show." Carrie told them. "I've also gotten several movie roles."
"I know. I loved seeing you in When in Barcelona." Austin asked.
"You saw that, too?" Ally asked him.
"Yeah, it was hilarious. Plus, it was Dez's first movie." He added.
"I like that movie too." Trish and Jace said at the same time. They both blushed.
"That scene where she and the others get stuck in that tiny black Bug is so funny." Kira added.
"How are things going, by the way?"
"It's going great. My music career is doing good and I've been teaching kids." Kira added. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you. My little cousin, Claire, signed up to take classes at the Music Factory."
"That's great news." Ally said. "It's great to know it's still going good."
"Well of course." Trish said. "After all, I am engaged to the new video editor and scene creator." Jace smiled.
"So, Ally, your local book group still going okay?"
"We just finished reading Mysterious Love." Ally said. "Personally, I thought it was a bit strange. Almost as though I'd lived that story, but without all the weird love fantasies."
"You're telling me." Trish said. "I read that book, too. How in the world did that author make the best seller list?"
"I thought her earlier books were better." Kira agreed.
"I don't get time to read much." Carrie said. "Aside from studying my lines. Though I prefer mysteries to romance."
"Wow, really?" Ally asked, surprised. She thought that Carrie was more into the fantasy genre. Then again, it wasn't easy to tell with her.
"So, about this show you're doing." Austin said. "What's it about?"
"I'm trying to keep the details under wraps, since we haven't finished the pilot yet." Dez told him. "But I can say that our old friend Miles is a surprisingly good actor."
"Really?" Everyone at the table, apart from Dez and Carrie, asked, shocked.
"I can vouch for that. He's one of my co-stars." Carrie said.
"Before I forget, how's your parents' business going?"
"It's going good." Austin said. "Some of my cousins showed interest in working there, so they hired them. What about your dad's art?"
"It's gotten pretty popular." Ally said. "He's even sold some pieces at art shows in the mall."
"And you're mom's a best seller as well." Trish said. "Is she still in Africa?"
"No. She moved back to Miami during my college years." Ally said. "I'd visit her every other weekend. I'm glad she was able to make it to the wedding." She waved to her. Penny waved back.
"And now it is time for the bride and groom to share their first dance as husband and wife."
"You ready for this?" Austin asked.
"We've been practicing all week." Ally pointed out. "Let's do this."
The two of them headed to the dance floor. It started out as an ordinary slow dance. "Are you sure you're going to be able to finish the dance in that dress?" Austin whispered to her as he dipped her.
"Relax, I've got a little surprise up my sleeve." Ally told him.
Suddenly, the music changed to an fast, up-tempo song. Taking it as her cue, Ally tore the skirt off her dress, revealing a pencil skirt attached to the dress underneath with the same intricate beading pattern. Everyone looked impressed.
"I helped her with that." Trish told the others, smiling at her friends on the dance floor. Without missing a beat, the married couple managed to perform an outstanding hip-hop routine.
As soon as the dance was over, everyone was standing up and applauding. Everyone cheered for them. "That was amazing, you guys. How did you come up with that routine?"
"It just came to us one day while we were visiting the studio." Ally explained. "We were having trouble deciding on the music for the wedding, so we decided to combine our ideas."
"How did you come up with that idea for your dress?" Austin asked her.
"I got some help from Trish, my mom, and Mrs. De la Rosa." Ally said. "I wanted to do something slightly traditional, but also something that wouldn't ruin it during the dance routine, so we got to thinking about adding a detachable skirt to wear over the dress."
"The bead work turned out better than I thought it would." Trish said. "It took a long time to get the details right."
"So, where are you guys going on your honeymoon?" Dez asked them.
"We haven't decided yet." Austin told him. "We're still figuring it out." Ally nodded.
A few minutes later, Ally had stepped onto the hotel's balcony. The rain had stopped, leaving a clear night sky. She took a moment to take in the view. "You doing alright?"
"I'm fine. I just needed to get some air." She said, turning to Austin.
"I know what you mean, it was getting really crowded in that room." Austin said. "No second thoughts, I hope."
"No, it's just…there's still a lot to figure out. But I'm glad we'll be figuring it out together." Ally said, taking his hands in hers.
"Me, too." Austin said. "Some things will be different, but I'll always be happy to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love." Ally smiled.
"Well, you know what they say. Soul mates always do end up together in the end." She pointed out. The two of them kissed under the stars. No matter what the future had in store for them, they were ready to face whatever came next. Together, they could handle anything.