Nice Dress
"Nice dress."
Jen beamed at Nick. She hadn't stopped smiling all day and she wasn't sure she ever would.
They had opted for something private and quiet and simple at a magistrate's office. With their jobs and the risk they were taking, it wouldn't do to have a big affair. Besides, neither of them was very close with their families. It just made sense to keep their wedding like they'd kept their entire relationship: just between the two of them.
But Jen had decided about three days earlier that she did want to make their casual little wedding a bit more of a to-do. So on a whim, she'd gone to a bridal shop and bought a gown on sale. It was simple and understated, but the moment she'd tried it on, it was perfect.
Jennifer had never been one of those little girls dreaming of their wedding day, planning the flowers and the colors and the dress. In the back of her mind, however, she had considered what a wedding would be like, especially with Nick. She'd never really imagined getting married for real until she was with him. And other than the joy of marrying the man she loved, Jen knew that there was one thing that would make a wedding special: the dress.
She and Nick were getting married to prove their commitment to each other and the promise that they'd be together for the rest of their lives. That commitment for their future meant more than the day itself. But even so, Jen knew that she'd regret it if she didn't at least get a dress. So she did. She'd never felt more glamorous in all her life. And the way Nick looked at her as he complimented her was something she'd never forget.
They stood with the magistrate and repeated the generic vows. Nick had tears in his eyes as he promised to love and cherish her as long as they both shall live. Jen could barely get the words out. She hadn't thought it would be such a momentous thing, their little civil wedding ceremony. Her hands and voice shook as her heart pounded in her chest and her face did nothing but smile.
They kissed to seal their union. The feeling of Nick's hand on her bare back and his lips moving gently and reverently on hers caused her to burst into tears. He held her as she laughed and cried, too overcome with emotion to know what it was she was actually feeling. All she really knew was that she loved him, and marrying Nick Buchanan made her deliriously happy
They signed their names to the marriage license and certificate. There was no exchange of rings, no changing of names. Nothing to outwardly show that they had gotten married. But Nick and Jen knew. And they knew they were forever bound to each other through their love and their struggle and their sacrifice.
As they walked out of the office, hand in hand, Jen held the train to her white silk gown and decided definitively that she was glad she'd gotten the dress.