My Big Fat Fairytale Wedding
"Tell me Swan how many people are we up to?" Killian asked as he leaned back in his chair and brought his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"350," sighed Emma placing her forehead on the square inch of space left on the table in front of her. The table was littered with seating charts, swatches for table linens, invitation samples, and 3 different centerpiece arrangements, the rest of the loft littered with wedding magazines, more centerpieces, and photo albums full of different photographers' sample pictures. Emma and Killian never expected wedding planning to be this difficult when he proposed to her 2 months ago, but as soon as they told Emma's parents they insisted on having a large ceremony. Even though they had wanted something small, Emma complied since this was the one thing in her life that her parents would be able to experience with her.
"350? I'm pretty sure I don't even know 50 people in this town. Where are all these people from?" Killian exclaimed.
"Apparently they were all part of my parent's court back in the Enchanted Forest and when they saw our engagement announcement in the paper they called my mother who put them on our guest list. I'm pretty sure I don't know half of these people," Emma said picking her head up off the table. "Are you sure you're okay with having this huge wedding?"
"Love so long as I'm marrying you, I'll be the happiest man on earth," he smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead.
"Let's just take a break, if I have to look at one more invitation sample I will scream. Want to go to Granny's and get some lunch?" she asked him.
"That may be the best idea I've heard all day," Killian said standing up and stretching. Suddenly the front door burst open Ruby, Elsa, Snow and David all filing in.
"Oh good you're both here," said Snow unbuckling Neal out of his stroller. The lively toddler walked over the David's outstretched arms.
"Yeah but we were going to go to Granny's to get some lunch, what's up Mom?" asked Emma as she shrugged on her leather jacket.
"Oh Honey you can't go to Granny's right now," Snow said.
"What why?" Emma asked, she hadn't eaten all day and she was craving a grilled cheese and tomato soup.
"We have your bridal dress appointment today, we need to head over there right now," said Snow picking up some of the bridal magazines stacked haphazardly on a side table.
"But food," whined Emma, looking from her father to Killian to Elsa.
"Don't worry I'll bring you a grilled cheese and soup," Killian told her.
"Oh no you won't it's bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding, plus we need to figure out what kind of suit you'll be wearing," said David clapping Killian on the shoulder.
"Now come on we don't want to be late," Snow said, grabbing Emma and kissing David on the cheek and Neal on the forehead. Emma turned and gave Killian her "my mom is out of her mind but we'll deal with it" look and followed her out the door.
The bridal store was bright and inviting as Emma, Snow, Ruby and Elsa walked in and greeted the bridal consultant. They were presented with some champagne and the tiniest sandwiches Emma had ever seen, but they would have to hold her over. The bridal consultant lead them over to a couch in order to talk to them about the wedding and what kind of dress Emma wanted.
"So where are you getting married?" the consultant named Rebecca asked.
"On the beach," Emma smiled remembering the spot Killian had proposed to her.
"And what kind of silhouettes and fabrics do you like and don't like?"
"I definitely want something a little more form fitting, nothing too heavy and absolutely nothing that has a really poofy bottom."
"And how do you feel about lace?"
"I'm not opposed to it, so long as I don't look like a doily," Emma laughed.
"And what about you, Mother of the Bride? What would you like to see her in?" Rebecca asked Snow White.
"I would at least like to see her try on one big princess dress," Snow said placing her hand on Emma's knee.
"Really?" Emma asked trying not to make a face. She may have worn a huge red ballgown when she and Killian crashed her father's and Princess Abigail's engagement ball but she could live without having to wear another one.
"Please humor me, Emma" Snow said and Emma smiled and agreed, what's the harm in just trying one on if it'll make her mom happy. They discussed budget and the consultant took Emma into the back to pick out a first batch of dresses to try on.
"So which one do you want to try on first? One that you really like or one that your mom would like to see?" Rebecca asked hanging up some of the dresses in the changing room.
"Let's try on a ballgown so that we just get it out of the way and then we can really focus on finding something we all like. Emma changed out of her jeans and leather jacket and Rebecca helped her get into the huge ballgown she had pulled. It had draping all around strapless sweetheart bodice and the skirt was covered in petals. Emma pulled the bodice up and marveled at how freaking heavy the dress was, her hips actually hurt with all the weight they had on them. Emma picked up the front of the skirt so she would be able to walk out to the podium so her mother and friends could see it.
"Oh Emma it's beautiful," Snow said as she stood up from the couch to get a closer look at Emma and the dress. Emma smiled as Snow circled her and looked at her in the mirror until she noticed that Snow was blinking back tears.
"Mom are you okay?" she asked as she reached for her mother's hand.
"Yes, yes happy tears I promise. You just look so beautiful, like the princess you could have been if this curse never happened," Snow said, her voice wavering. Emma felt herself get choked up and smiled at her mother, glad that she could give her mom at least this brief look at what her life could have been had they not been separated.
"So um what do you guys think about it?" Emma asked turning to Ruby and Elsa who were both seated on the couch.
"Your waist looks super tiny in this dress and it's absolutely beautiful on you," said Ruby wiping her eyes.
"I agree the dress is gorgeous but Emma is this what you want? How do you feel in this one?" asked Elsa as she sipped her champagne.
"I do feel really beautiful but it's just so heavy and all wrong for the beach. I feel like I have 10 pound weights on my hips," laughed Emma smoothing the front of her dress and looking apologetically at Snow but she smiled and patted Emma's hand and nodded before sitting back down on the couch.
Emma and Rebecca went back to the changing room to change Emma out of the gown and put her in some of the other dresses she had picked out. The next dress was a very simple silk mermaid gown that Ruby said made her butt look perfect but was overall a little too plain, another one was a very pretty drapey chiffon that was very light and airy but Emma felt like it made her look like she was trying to hide a nonexistent baby bump. Emma loved a lace mermaid dress with cap sleeves and an open back but Snow felt it was too revealing for a wedding.
"Well Mom, I'm 31 years old and I had a kid when I was 18, I'm not fooling anybody," Emma said.
"I know, but I just think a wedding should be about love and not the wedding night," said Snow who was obviously trying not to loose her patience. Emma held her tongue and turned to look back in the mirror. This was by far her favorite dress, it fit like a glove and made her feel beautiful and sexy and she wasn't going to lie she liked imagining the look on Killian's face when he saw her in it. But she also didn't want to get a dress that she knew her mother really didn't like.
"How about we try on the last dress and see how you feel?" suggested Rebecca trying to diffuse the tension. She lead Emma back to the changing room to try on the last dress, a silk A-line with a satin cummerbund around the waist. It was very simple and Emma had overlooked it but Rebecca had insisted she try it on, saying it was much more beautiful on. Emma stepped into the gown and Rebecca zipped her up and Emma turned to look at herself in the mirror and felt all her breath leave her chest. The gown was very simple but the skirt was so light and soft and the cummerbund cinching her waist made her look very elegant and romantic.
"So do you want to show them?" said Rebecca with a knowing smile on her face. Emma nodded, she felt speechless as she walked out to show her friends and her mother. Everyone gasped and Emma saw Snow's eyes well up again.
"Emma this is stunning on you!" Ruby said rising up off the couch followed by Elsa and Snow.
"And you look so happy in this one, you're glowing!" exclaimed Elsa looking at the dress up close. Emma turned to look at Snow.
"So what do you think of this one? Better than the ballgown?" Emma asked.
Snow smiled wide and cupped Emma's cheek in her hand, "It's definitely better, it's more you." Emma leaned down and hugged her mother tight trying to hold in the tears welling up behind her eyelids.
"Um excuse me but does this little cutie belong to someone?" a voice behind them asked. Everyone looked around to see a receptionist holding little Neal's hand who was holding what looked like a take out bag from Granny's.
"Neal what are you doing here?" Snow asked picking Neal up and balancing him against her hip.
"Killy told me to bring this to Emma," he said holding out the bag to his sister. Emma took it from him opening it to find a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup and a note from Killian.
"All finished at the tuxedo shop, hopefully you're enjoying yourself. I sent in the little one with sustenance and I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner at the restaurant we had our first date in for a night without wedding talk. Just you and me, Swan. -Love, Killian"
Emma beamed at her note, she was marrying the biggest dork but he was her dork, she borrowed a pen and scribbled her response on the back of his note.
"I would love to, see you at 7. -Love, Emma"
She gave the note back to her adorable three year old brother who lead Snow out of the bridal shop and out to where Killian and David were standing.
"So Emma would you like to see a veil to give you a more complete picture?" asked Rebecca.
"Just a second, let my mom come back so she can see too," said Emma looking towards the front of the store. She spotted Snow coming back to the group.
"Do you think he saw anything?" asked Emma, surprising her self, she never cared about the superstition before but now she wanted Killian's first look of the dress to be when she's walking down the aisle.
"No, you're all the way back here and plus David made him wear a blindfold while they were standing out front," Snow laughed.
"Are you serious?" asked Ruby, Snow took out her phone and showed them all a picture of Killian with a scarf tied around his eyes making his best pouty face. Emma laughed looking at her fiancé, he truly was a huge dork.
"So Snow, would you like to see Emma in a veil before we make any final decisions today?" asked Rebecca.
"Of course!" Emma thought she had never seen her mother this happy as she placed a simple fingertip veil on top of her head and handing her a bouquet of flowers. Emma turned to look at herself in the full length mirror flanked by her mother and her bridesmaids and couldn't believe she had reached this point in her life. Only 5 years ago she was chasing down perps in Boston with no family and mile high emotional walls, and now she had a family, a home, and a man she loved and who loved her back with every part of his soul. She started nodding furiously.
"This is definitely the one, this is it," she said a wide smile spreading onto her face.
"Are you sure you aren't just saying that so you can eat your food?" Ruby joked and everyone laughed. Rebecca took Emma back to the fitting room to be measured so they could order her the right size and the change back into her own clothes.
Killian was right, so long as she was marrying him she would probably be the happiest woman on Earth.
