Dawn was, Sunny was half-certain, going to kill him for this.
On the other hand, it was Marianne and Bog's wedding, and he was acting on their request. Sunny and Dawn had had their wedding, and it had been perfect, and now it was Marianne and Bog's turn to have their perfect day.
Griselda and Dawn had basically taken over the wedding plans as soon as Bog and Marianne announced their engagement. The couple was happy to hand off the chore, insisting only that it be "small. We don't want to make a huge production out of this."
Considering Marianne's last attempted wedding, an elaborate Event Of The Century affair that had all gone to waste when she cancelled only hours before the ceremony, it wasn't hard to convinced Dawn to tone it down. Griselda was so thrilled Bog was getting married at all she would've been only slightly disappointed if they'd insisted on having a paperwork-only wedding or eloping.
Now their families and friends were gathered in a charming venue, flowers everywhere, watching the three bridesmaids – Viola, Iris, and Rosie, Marianne's best friends from college – proceed down the aisle. Bog and his three groomspeople, Thaddeus, Brutus, and Stefania, were already at the head with the officiant; Marianne had passed on having her father escort her down the aisle, and the bridesmaids weren't escorted either.
Thaddeus was carrying a box. He was worried, he'd said, that he would forget his wedding present if he didn't keep it with him.
With perfect timing, Sunny changed the music as Marianne appeared.
Everyone gasped.
Marianne was all in white. Dawn had been insistent on that, finally loaning Marianne her wedding dress, a loose and draping gown that evoked ancient statues of goddesses, when Marianne refused to buy one. She was carrying a bouquet of white roses. Under her lacy veil, she wore a white Stormtrooper helmet.
Instead of soft strings playing "dun, dun, dah-dun … dun, dun, dah-dun," heavy brass boomed out, "DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN-DAH-DUN, DUN DAH-DUN!"
By the time she reached her groom's side, Bog had opened Thaddeus' box and put on the Darth Vader helmet that had been smuggled in.
The bridesmaids and groomspeople were laughing. Stefania was teasing Thaddeus about how well he'd kept the secret. The guests were getting over their shock and starting to chuckle.
Marianne reached the front and handed the bouquet to Viola before taking Bog's hands in hers.
Dawn was red-faced and choking and Sunny wasn't sure yet if it was with indignation or amusement.
"Oh –!" she finally managed. "Oh, you two just think you're so damn funny, don't you!"
"Yes." Their voices were distorted by the synthesizers built into the helmets but completely in synch with each other, and audibly self-satisfied.
Bog took off Marianne's helmet during the unveiling. She took off his helmet in turn. They were given to Thaddeus for safekeeping for the rest of the ceremony.
Yes, those were tears of laughter in Dawn's eyes. Maybe Sunny would live.