Well, I managed to finish this earlier than expected! This is my first time that I wrote a wedding fic, and I know that there may be some inconsistencies with how traditional wedding go, but I still hope that you enjoy some Shiningsunshipping goodness! This fic was inspired by an artist who drew Lillie and Sun as a bride and groom. Enjoy! ^_^
"Oh man, oh man." Sun muttered as he frantically paced back and forth in Hau's living room.
Today just happened to be the day where Sun and Lillie would wed and start a new chapter in their lives. Around 7 months ago, Sun had proposed to Lillie at the Mahalo Trail by the Ruins of Conflict, where they first met each other close to 10 years since.
And so, the couple decided to host the wedding at Iki Town, they felt it fitting because it was close to their first encounter with one another on that fateful day. Their friends and family were invited, and they managed to accommodate for their Pokémon and Nebby, despite the latter's size. Sun had opted to keep his hair similar to how he had it in his teenage years, with his mullet cut but with a few of his bangs left intact.
"I swear to Arceus, Sun," Gladion complained, adjusting his bow tie as he continued, "if you choke during your wedding ceremony, then you're not worthy of being with my sister."
Gladion's threat frightened the Alola Champion because he couldn't tell if his fiancée's brother was just simply using dark humor or not. Sun still remembered the first time that Gladion found out that he was dating Lillie.
"Oh please, you're joking right?" Hau playfully insisted as he adjusted his traditional outfit for the ceremony. The young Island Kahuna also happened to be Sun's best man for the wedding.
"What do you think? Gave you a scare, huh?" Gladion confirmed with a smirk towards his soon-to-be brother-in-law.
Sun let out a sigh in relief due to the pressure that he was enduring. "Geez, can you at least show some decent support?" He then proceeded to lay down on the couch. "I'm about to get married to Lillie, and even then, I still think that I don't deserve her."
Gladion and Hau sat down on the couch as it was spacious for the three to fit in evenly. There they offered to give their friend a bit of reassurance.
"That's crazy talk, Sun!" The Island Kahuna countered as he gazed at the groom.
"As much as I like to give you a hard time, you're overreacting." The blond refuted, halting Sun from retorting back. "Hear me out, and no, this isn't a scare tactic of some sort."
Sun adhered to Gladion's demands as the latter began to talk again.
"Words can't describe how happy I am to witness my little sister begin a new life with you, truly. You are a man of such compassion, kindness, and of the sort that made Lillie fall for you. No matter how much you doubt yourself, just remember who said 'yes' on that day." Gladion finished, though he felt as if he was flattering Sun in the end.
A small smiled formed on the groom's face, touched by Gladion's speech. "I guess so. Sorry for acting hectic." Sun apologized for his irrational behavior.
"Sweet," Hau replied as he raised himself from the couch, extending a hand to Sun as a signal to get up as well, "now, let's do some practice for the event."
The former Team Skull Enforcer scoffed at the Island Kahuna for wanting to practice something that he perceived to be menial. "Really? How much effort does it take to screw up? You're basically just standing there."
Hau laughed at Gladion's commentary. "Honestly, do you want Sun to mess up on one of the most important moments of his life?"
Cringing at the thought of Sun embarrassing himself at his own wedding, the blond relented to Hau's advice. "Fine, let's get to it."
With that, they helped Sun brush up on his wedding etiquette.
Meanwhile…
"How are you feeling, Lillie?" Selene spoke as she continued to adjust Lillie's hair.
Lillie and Selene were situated in Sun's house, well, what used to be his home because he and Lillie have found their own place in the Hau'oli Outskirts recently.
"Pretty excited! Sure, I feel a bit nervous but I know that all is going to go well." Lillie answered with mirth. She couldn't believe that she was about to be married to the love of her life.
Her best friend stifled a laugh in response. To elaborate, Selene, or Moon as what most people called her by, was Sun's cousin from the Kanto region, and she happened to be Lillie's close friend. The two had met each other when they were 14 years old, and Selene assisted Lillie into confessing her feelings to her cousin a few years later, and have often discussed on certain matters. For the wedding, Selene was Lillie's maid of honor.
"To think that little Elio would tie the knot one day," Selene wondered as she chuckled at the thought, "sounds like a fairy tale come true, if you ask me."
The bride laughed nervously at her best friend's strange analogy. "That's rather interesting to say. But I'll admit, I can't wait to begin a new life with him. You can count on me to watch over your cousin."
"There's nothing to worry about, Lillie." Selene promised as she tried to adjust Lillie's hair before reinforcing her point, "you're going to do fine. Plus, Sun is feeling the same way, too, but he may be taking it a bit out of hand."
Lillie began to wonder as to how Sun was handling his preparations for the ceremony. She had noticed that he's been trying his best to prove his worth to her family, even when they first started dating. Lillie had recalled one time of Gladion stating that he and Silvally would hunt Sun down to the end of the world should the Alola Champion do anything to hurt her. "I just hope that he takes care of himself, is all." Lillie had wished for.
"You and me both." Selene agreed, a smile plastered on her face. "Now then, I'm almost done fixing your hair. Just hold still for a moment."
The bride nodded her head in agreement as she closed her eyes, envisioning a life with Sun as husband and wife.
Later in the day
Around the afternoon, Sun stood on top of the pedestal where he had first battled Hala for his Grand Trial years back. There was a crowd that consisted his and Lillie's friends and family who were sitting in their respective chairs.
He saw his mother and Selene, Hau and Hala, Gladion and Lusamine, Guzma and Plumeria, Kukui and Burnet, the former Trial Captains, the former Island Kahunas, his and Lillie's Pokémon, and the list went on. Nebby was hyped for the special occasion, and Sun had to remind himself to thank the Legendary Pokémon for being the reason why he and Lillie had met each other in the first place.
The pedestal was adorned with a wide variety of flowers and decorations, and an officiant was standing next to Sun.
Sun fiddled his tie out of nervousness because the wedding was about to start, all eyes laying on him. He could feel the Butterfrees in his stomach, but he would not give in fear, for his and Lillie's sake.
Then, as everyone quieted down, the ceremony began to start.
The performers began with a traditional Alolan dance and music that mesmerized the attendees, and it reminded Sun of his Champion's ceremony long ago. However, the theme of the music changed once he noticed two figures walking towards the pedestal from a distance. All eyes were directed towards Mohn and Lillie, the latter wore a white wedding dress and a veil which hid her blushing face, her hair bun was done in an intricate manner courtesy of Selene, and her father had his arm locked around one of hers.
As the two got closer, Sun felt his eyes watery as a few tears slid down his face at the sight of Lillie, his soon-to-be wife. To him, Lillie was that of a goddess, and he was a simple mortal who was blessed to be together with.
Mohn and Lillie exchanged hugs with one another before he sat down by Lusamine's side. Lillie then proceeded to walk towards Sun, blushing even madly. Once she had reached her destination, she revealed her face to her fiancé, as well as her lovable smile.
Sun had managed to share the same expression to her before they faced the officiant in order to continue on with the ceremony.
'Almost thought he was going to mess up there.' Gladion thought as he mentally congratulated Sun for not letting his nervousness get the best of him.
The performers finished up their part of the opening ceremony, and then, the officiant began the introductions.
"Friends, family, and Pokémon of the bride and groom, I would like to thank you all for attending this glorious day of unification. Today marks the start of a new life for Elio and Lillie."
Some of the wedding guests couldn't hold back their tears as they were amazed at the thought of Sun and Lillie growing up so fast. Lusamine and Sun's mother were among the worst cases, but it was easily understandable. Nebby gently hummed in response, showing its support for Sun and Lillie.
"There are those who have watched the two grow in life. Whether it was by simply helping out one another, bonding with Pokémon," Sun, Lillie, and the attendees had their eyes directed at Nebby, causing it to hum quietly, "and so forth. One must wonder as to how it had led to this point."
"And so," the officiant cleared his throat as he followed on, "Elio and Lillie will recite their own wedding vows to one another. Let us start with Lillie first, shall we?"
Since she had it memorized, Lillie proceeded to recite her wedding vows to Sun, the both of them facing each other.
"Elio, it was as if it was just yesterday when we first met each other all those years ago. As time went by, you have shown me all of your strength and weaknesses, and I used that as a way to better myself in life. That is why I can never thank you enough for being my support, and I'll promise to do the same in those trying times," a few tears streamed down her face, "and to love you with all of my heart, for the rest of my days."
The audience felt touched by Lillie's words, eliciting a few tears from most of them.
"Now then, it is your turn, Elio." The officiant informed as he handed Sun the copy of his wedding vows; the groom had it planned out since the beginning as he couldn't take any risks. Taking a deep breath, Sun recited his wedding vows to Lillie.
"Lillie, words can't describe just how I'm blessed to start a new life with you as a team. I know that I need to not worry about trying to prove myself to others, but with you by my side, I have nothing to fear. I will promise to be a shoulder for you to lean on, to make your dreams come true, and to watch over Nebby as well," that comment had the wedding guests lightly laugh in the process, "because this," Sun paused himself as tears of his own cascaded down, "is my sacred vow to you, and I would never think of breaking this irreplaceable bond of ours."
Sun's convictions resonated to the audience as they were amazed by his brevity, especially Gladion.
Then, the officiant began the next step of the wedding as he took Sun's copy of his wedding vows. "I am touched to hear your vows from you two. Now then, I would like for the best man to present the wedding rings to the bride and groom."
Hau got up from his seat as he made way to the pedestal. He then presented the rings to Sun and Lillie, and went back to his seat, a grin on his face.
"The bride and groom will exchange the rings to each other," the officiant declared as he gestured at Lillie to do the following, "Lillie, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed." Lillie repeated as she placed the wedding ring on Sun's ring finger.
"Ok, Elio, repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed." The officiant advised.
"With this ring, I thee wed." Sun repeated as well, placing the wedding ring onto Lillie's ring finger.
The bride and groom were mentally preparing themselves for the next part of the ceremony.
"So, is there anyone in the audience who objects to Elio and Lillie's unification?" The officiant mentioned, though there was silence that followed. "I figured, just had to ask."
Now, the most important part of the wedding began to commence.
"By the power bestowed within me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
With that, Sun and Lillie shared their first passionate kiss as husband and wife. She had her arms wrapped around his neck while his arms were around her waist. The audience and Pokémon cheered in joy for the newlyweds. Nebby roared in joy as well.
Then, a loud noise was heard after the couple broke away from their kiss.
Tapu ko-ko-ko-kooo!
The officiant was humored by the tapu's reaction. "It seems that Tapu Koko has also given its blessing to you two. I would like for Selene and Hau to make their presence here, please."
Selene and Hau summoned themselves to the pedestal as they stood right in front of Sun and Lillie, facing the guests.
"Before we close this off, these two have something to say about Elio and Lillie." The officiant stated as Selene cleared her throat, and proceeded to speak to the audience.
"Hello everyone! I am enthralled to have been chosen as Lillie's maid of honor. Ever since I first met Lillie, I just knew that she and my cousin Elio shared a strong link with each other. I remember the time that I helped Lillie pick out a dress for her first date with Elio, or when we talked about how capable she became as a Pokémon Trainer because of his battle style when she bested me in a Pokémon battle as teens. Elio, make sure to treat her right, and don't burn yourself out, is all. I wish for them to have a prosperous life together!" Selene finished as she let Hau begin his speech.
"Alola to you all! I was pretty stoked when I was asked by Sun, I mean Elio, if I wanted to be his best man. We've been friends ever since he settled into Alola back 10 years ago, and he has helped me grow as a person and Pokémon Trainer throughout our wild adventures together. If it wasn't for his influence, I don't think I'd be the person who I am now. Lillie, I just know that you'll watch over our friend, and if you two ever need any help, then we're more than happy to assist you!" Hau affirmed as he and Selene left the pedestal, walking back to their seats afterwards.
"I think that is about it. Now then, let us congratulate Elio and Lillie once more, and commence on the festivities!" The officiant finished as the audience and Pokémon congratulated the newlyweds once more.
Each partygoer had given their blessing to Sun and Lillie, wishing them the best of luck in their new lives. Gladion commended Sun for not screwing up in the ceremony, much to the chagrin of the bride and groom. As a call back from Sun's Champion party, a majority of the guests performed their respective Z-Move stance. The music and dancing helped set up a pleasing atmosphere of modern and old traditions, symbolizing a sense of unity. Hau raided the malasada table that was supposed to accommodate the guests, but he didn't overdo on his bingeing. It was truly a joyous event. Then, as night hit, and the partygoers started to disperse before bidding the newlyweds farewell, Sun and Lillie decided to take a stroll to the Mahalo Trail.
"I gotta say, I'm surprised that you're not fretting about your wedding dress getting stained by the dirt." Sun commented as they reached the bridge where they first met.
Lillie grinned at her husband's statement, her fingers interlocked with his. "Well, I'm just too happy to give a care in the world. It's not going to be the end of me."
Sun nodded in agreement as the two stared at the bridge leading to the Ruins of Conflict. A wave of nostalgia flowed through the couple, looking back at the circumstances of their first encounter.
"Sometimes I wonder, would things have been different for us?" Sun asked his wife.
"What do you mean?" She questioned.
"I mean, if we have never met at this exact spot, would things still have been the same?" He answered.
Lillie's grip grew a bit tighter in response, a smile on her face. "All that I can say is that we shouldn't wonder about hypothetical situations, and just look forward to the future."
The Alola Champion agreed in the end, realizing that it wasn't something ponder on. "Always the wise one, huh. Thank you, Lillie."
"Hey, I promised to always support you, right?" Lillie reminded with a smirk.
"Of course. Just wanted to point it out, my beautiful wife." Sun responded back.
Lillie felt giddy at Sun calling her 'wife', it just sounded right to her. "Save the compliments for later, my darling husband."
"Now you're being hypocritical." He playfully retorted back. The sound of Lillie calling him 'husband' was something that he was going to enjoy hearing on a usual basis. "Oh, we still got to thank Nebby when we get back."
"You're right. Nebby is partly the reason why we got to know each other." Lillie replied.
Afterwards, Sun and Lillie gave a last look of the bridge before deciding to head back.
"Here's to a brighter future for us." She happily commented.
"Couldn't agree anymore." He said.
Then, Sun and Lillie shared another passionate kiss of the same intensity from the wedding ceremony. As cliché as it was, the night sky made it much more memorable. The two broke away from the kiss as they stared at each other with such affection for one another.
"I love you, Elio." Lillie proclaimed lovingly.
"And I love you, too, Lillie." Sun replied joyously.
And so, the newlyweds ventured off from the Mahalo Trail, and back to Iki Town where they planned to prepare for their honeymoon. Once their presence was gone, Tapu Koko came out from hiding and elicited a cry to show Sun and Lillie its support.
Tapu ko-ko-ko-kooo!
If one could understand the tapu in depth, what it shouted would translate to something like,
Alola to a Brighter Future!