Chapter 4: The Venue
When Ioulia knocked on the door to the hotel suite where the boys were staying, she was armed with past issues of Modern Ozian Weddings in case they wanted or needed ideas; pen and paper to take notes; and she was full of excitement and anticipation. She was eager to get to work, and confident that Fiyero Tiggular was going to plan a wonderful wedding.
Boq let her in and greeted her warmly, leading her into the suite. Ioulia came to a stop as she saw Fiyero, Micah and Corin lounging casually in the living room, drinking beers.
"Um... Good morning. Were you waiting for me to start?"
"Oh, no, we've started," Micah assured her. "We're brainstorming."
Ioulia looked around the room, but saw no pen and paper or any sign that would indicate work being done.
"Right. Ok, well... did you get the schedule Carleeh sent over? The plan for the three weeks with the checklist?"
Fiyero nodded. "Oh, yeah, thanks. It was a great idea."
"Well, we thought this way you can't forget anything."
"Probably a good idea. It would be just like Yero to forget about invitations or the food or something," Corin grinned.
"Fiyero would never forget about the food," Boq laughed.
Fiyero laughed. "You both make good points."
Ioulia took a seat. "Well, shall we get started then? What kind of wedding were you and Elphaba thinking of, Fiyero?"
Fiyero sighed and swallowed his sip of beer. "Small, I guess. Fae isn't into crowds. Or fuss."
"It's such a perfect fit she's going to be a princess," Corin said sarcastically and Fiyero threw a couch pillow at his friend.
"Shut up, Corin," he scowled at him.
"Can you blame her?" Micah asked pointedly.
Boq nodded in agreement. "You don't know how the people in Munchkinland treat her. And then there's her father."
After meeting Frex at the engagement party, there was no explanation required about Elphaba's difficult relationship with her father.
Ioulia remained quiet, she didn't need anything to be told that this conversation was off the record.
"Ok, well the first thing on the list is the venue," she interjected smoothly, changing the subject.
"We did an article on wedding venues in our February issue, I brought it along in case you wanted ideas. Unless you had a place in mind?"
"Not really. Just, you know... the Emerald City."
Ioulia nodded. "Well, often couples choose a place that has a special meaning to them, or a place that sums up their personalities, or their relationship."
Fiyero thought about that, drinking his beer thoughtfully. "I don't really think Fae and I have a place... I mean, there's one spot," he amended, thinking of a clearing on the grounds of Shiz University. "But it's too private. Elphaba wouldn't like having everyone there. The idea doesn't thrillify me either," he admitted.
Normally, the idea of having their wedding in the spot with the Lion Cub would have been perfect; but it was a sacred spot to them, not even to share with their closest friends and family. The only person who even knew that moment existed was Galinda. And the Lion Cub.
Then he had an idea. "Hey, could we have the wedding somewhere with lions?" he asked brightly.
The others all looked at him blankly.
"Lions?" Micah repeated.
"As in lions or Lions?" Boq asked.
Fiyero stalled uncertainly. "Er... I don't think it matters."
"Why lions?" Corin asked.
"Oh, just... you know... it would be cool," Fiyero said vaguely.
"Well, you probably could," Micah answered him. "But I'm not exactly sure how that would work... and there might be permits involved. Things like that. I'm not sure if you can do it within the budget and time frame we have."
Fiyero looked over at Ioulia. "What do you think?"
She held up her hands. "No, I'm just here to supervise and assist. All decisions are yours."
Fiyero thought about it again and then relented. "OK, no lions. Anyone else have any ideas?"
"I like the lion idea..." Corin said thoughtfully. "I mean, not the actual lion idea, that sounds stupid. It's like you want the headline for this article to read 'Wedding Guests Mauled to Death by Lions'."
Fiyero rolled his eyes. "What's your point, Corin?"
"It means that you want this wedding to be fun, right? So, doesn't that start with the venue? Like... hey! You could get married by a volcano!"
"Um, yeah... I don't want the headline to read 'Wedding Guests Endure Brutal Death from Freak Volcanic Eruption, either," Fiyero retorted. "And I have no doubt that there would be a freak eruption if we did that."
"What about a rollercoaster?" Corin offered.
"How many beers have you had this morning?" Boq asked him.
"That would be fun," Fiyero agreed, ignoring Boq.
Micah was on Boq's side. "Ok, I know you're planning this wedding, but... you might want to keep in mind what will or will not get you killed by your wife-to-be."
Fiyero tried to think of a reason that Elphaba would support getting married on a rollercoaster.
"She's such a buzz kill," he muttered with a sigh.
Boq and Micah were flicking through the magazines for ideas.
"Hey, a couple got married in a hot air balloon!" Boq showed them. "That's not too crazy. Elphaba would probably be okay with that."
Fiyero brightened. "Hey, I like that idea!"
"How big is a hot air balloon?" Micah asked. "How would that work exactly?"
Fiyero paused. "I don't really know," he admitted. "But I do like that idea. Let's keep that in mind."
"You could have a theme wedding?" Micah suggested.
"Hmmm... maybe..."
"Well, you want this wedding to be fun, right?" Boq asked. "So, what things do you find fun? Maybe then we can think of a good venue?"
It sounded like a good idea to Fiyero.
"Ok, easy. Fun things... dancing, music, drinking... hey, drinking!"
"Drinking? Please, tell me that's not going to be the theme of your wedding?" Boq asked tentatively.
"No! Well... no. But I still want to make this a party, which means there's going to be alcohol. Maybe we can combine them somehow."
Micah seemed intrigued. "You know, that's not a bad idea. There's a vineyard outside of the City, towards the Gilikin River. It's not in the City, but I'm sure they do weddings."
Ioulia nodded. "The Bacchus Gilikin Estate. It's beautiful. And it's only about two hours from here, we could drive out and have a look?"
"Sure," Fiyero agreed.
They all left the hotel and headed out to get a carriage, before heading to the vineyard.
"How'd you know about this place, Micah?" Corin asked him as they travelled.
"My parents' honeymoon was a tour of all the vineyards and wineries in Oz. This was their favourite. They get a bottle from there each wedding anniversary," Micah explained.
"That's really cool," Fiyero said honestly. "So, it's good wine?"
"Yeah, I like it more than any Vinkun wine."
Corin scoffed. "No way. It can't be that good!"
Fiyero grinned. "We'll just have to test that, won't we boys?"
Suddenly Ioulia felt like this was going to be a long three weeks.
Ioulia and Micah went to find someone when they arrived, and returned with the manager who had agreed to give them a personal tour. As they walked, he told them all about the history of the vineyard. It was four hundred years old, and had been owned by the same family for seven generations. He was talking a lot about the old buildings, their history and the architecture, but Fiyero tuned all that out. It sounded too similar to one of his lectures at university.
"We have three main sites on the grounds for wedding ceremonies," the manager explained. "For receptions, you have the option of either a marquee or we have the Osiris Ballroom, which is actually the oldest building on the property and has the finest and grandest architecture. Why don't I take you to the common ceremony sites we have, and you can see if you like any of them?"
"That would be great, thanks," Fiyero replied easily.
The first site they were shown was a lovely garden overlooking the vineyard. It was nice, but Fiyero wasn't sure. Although he wasn't sure what he was looking for, but Boq reminded him he could make a decision after seeing the other two sites.
The second site was a grassy spot near the edge of the property by the creek. Fiyero liked it more than the first spot, but still wasn't sure if this was the right spot.
"Where's the third spot?"
"Close by," the manager assured him, and led them away.
A short distance away, as they followed the river along, they came to an old, large covered bridge. It had high archways, old wooden rails and the detail of it was beautiful.
"Wow," Fiyero said quietly, looking around. "This is a wedding venue? The bridge?"
"Well, it's not used anymore," the manager explained. "And yes, it's been a popular wedding venue for the past six years or so. What do you think, Your Highness?"
"I think it's great," Fiyero said honestly. "It's really beautiful... for a bridge."
It had something about it, that reminded Fiyero of the clearing where he and Elphaba had set the Lion Cub free at Shiz. He couldn't pin point what it was, but something in his gut told him this was the spot.
"I think this is it," he told the others.
Micah looked surprised. "Really? Already?"
Fiyero nodded. "Yeah. Plus, Elphaba will love all this historical stuff. She's right into all that."
He turned to the manager. "How much? We're kind of on a budget," he explained.
The manager smiled. "I'm sure we can work something out."
The manager wasn't an idiot. Ioulia had explained the situation, and he knew once the article came out and it was known this was the spot where Fiyero Tiggular and his fiancée had gotten married, their business would increase dramatically.
"What date were you thinking of?" the manager asked.
"Um... three weeks?" Fiyero replied apprehensively.
The manager raised an eyebrow marginally. "Oh. Um... let me check our books. Hopefully we're available."
"What happens if they're booked?" Boq asked Fiyero in an undertone as they headed back to the office to check.
Fiyero sighed. "We'll have the wedding in a library. Fae can't complain about that."
Boq grinned.
They were in luck, the date for three weeks henceforth was available.
Fiyero couldn't deny he was relieved. He was hopeful the rest of the planning went this smoothly.
"Why don't you let me negotiate the price, Yero?" Micah suggested to his friend.
"Sure," Fiyero agreed. "Go nuts. Remember, though- budget."
Micah rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks for that reminder."
"Do you think Elphaba will like this place?" Ioulia asked Fiyero, hoping for a quote that she could use in her article.
"Well, she does like history," Fiyero replied. "And this place has plenty of that. And it is beautiful... plus," he grinned. "She can't argue with the convenience of having the ceremony and the reception in the one venue. Fae's practical like that."
Ioulia laughed slightly. Not the most romantic quote, but it worked. It certainly proved that Fiyero knew his fiancée well.
"I wonder how the girls are getting on," Boq wondered.
The girls were already proving much more efficient. When Kellye had arrived at the royal apartment at nine o'clock that morning, they already had piles of wedding and bridal magazines spread across the dining room table, and were making lists of ideas.
"Wow," Kellye said in an impressed tone as she took a seat. "I was going to ask if you'd had any ideas for what kind of wedding you would ideally like; but I think you're ahead of me!"
Elphaba gave an unapologetic shrug. "I like to be organised," she said simply.
"Hey, I'm not complaining! So, the first thing on our list is the venue. Have you gotten that far?"
"We were just looking at that!" Galinda piped up excitedly. "There was an article you did on the best wedding venues in all provinces of Oz, remember?"
Kellye was stunned. "Um, yes I remember. But... that was four years ago!"
"Galinda has every issue you've published since she was five," Nessarose informed Kellye with a smile.
"And she remembers every article," Elphaba added dryly.
Kellye didn't know how to respond to that. "Wow. Ok. So, did the article help at all?"
"I still like the idea of all the gorgeous churches in the city," Nessarose said.
Elphaba grimaced. "Nessa, we've been through this."
Due to her complete lack of religious belief, Elphaba didn't think getting married in a church was the best idea. Nessa was trying to argue that it wasn't that big of a deal, but Elphaba wasn't buying that.
"There's always the park," Galinda suggested.
"What if it rains?" Elphaba countered practically.
"A tent in the park?"
Elphaba laughed. "Well, there's an idea. Anyone else?"
"My wedding is going to be on a cliff by a lighthouse overlooking the ocean at sunset," Galinda said dreamily.
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "That's great, Glin. And much better than six months ago, when it was going to be at sunrise. But can we focus on my wedding at this moment, please?"
Galinda blinked. "Oh, right. Ok, sure. Sorry, Elphie."
Nessa had begun to flick through Emerald City guidebooks for inspiration, making lists of possible venues. Galinda was very interested in all the ballrooms and halls throughout the City, but they all seemed too grand for Elphaba's taste- even if she was marrying a prince.
"What about one of the palaces? They might... or not," Galinda stopped herself, seeing the look on Elphaba's face.
"What if we just go for a walk?" Elphaba suggested. "We might think of something."
"Sounds good," Nessa agreed.
Nessa insisted on bringing the guide book with her, which made Galinda cringe.
"We look like tourists," she muttered.
"We are tourists," Elphaba rolled her eyes.
As the four women strolled through the streets, Kellye stayed quiet and listened to Galinda and Nessa suggest potential wedding venues.
"Hey, look- the Ozian Historical Museum!" Elphaba exclaimed in interest, cutting Galinda off mid-rant about how beautiful and swankified it would be to have the wedding in the botanical gardens.
Galinda groaned. "Elphie, I can't. I can't spend another three hours at a museum. I know you say it's payback for all the times I drag you shopping; but I swear shopping with me is not that painful or boring."
"Wanna bet?" Elphaba replied teasingly.
Galinda made a face at her. "Besides, wedding venue, remember?"
"I think I read that they have an exhibition on at the moment about the history of fashion in Oz," Nessa said thoughtfully.
Galinda's face lit up. "Fashion?"
Elphaba and Nessa exchanged a grin.
"Yeah. It's a shame to miss it, but I guess wedding venues take priority," Elphaba said solemnly, trying to keep a straight face.
Galinda was clearly tempted. "Yeah... unless you wanted to have the wedding at the museum-"
The blonde cut herself off with an excited gasp, and even Elphaba and Nessa looked impressed and slightly surprised.
"I really like that idea," Elphaba admitted. "I've always loved this building."
"Why?" Kellye asked curiously as they headed towards the museum.
"It was originally the throne room for the Ozma," Elphaba informed her. "It became the museum once the Wizard arrived. But the original architecture is still there. It's so... incredible. The detail in the frescoes and the columns..."
Nessa smiled at Kellye. "Fabala loves architecture. Well, old architecture anyway."
Kellye had to admit, she had never really noticed all the details in the architecture of the museum before. Anytime she had come, her attention had been captured by whatever exhibition she was seeing at the time. But she saw them today, and they were amazing.
"So, if you could get married here, you would?"
Elphaba nodded. "Yeah... I think it would be an amazing wedding venue," she admitted. "I mean... buildings like this... they have so much character, and think about everything they've seen..."
"If walls could talk," Kellye smiled.
"Kind of," Elphaba agreed.
Galinda insisted they see the fashion exhibition while they were there- probably the first and only time she had expressed a desire to be in a museum. So, while Galinda looked at the fashion, chattering to no one in particular about what should come back in style; and which pieces should be "removed from the museum and everyone in history should just forget that wearing that was ever a good idea."
Elphaba tuned out Galinda's commentary, wandering around with Kellye and thinking aloud about exactly which spot within the museum would be the spot for the ceremony... if she actually had a choice in the matter.
"So, do you have any guesses what sort of venue Fiyero is going to pick?" Kellye asked her.
Elphaba had been thinking about that a lot. Knowing that Fiyero was... somewhere... picking the spot where they would get married... it was hard to picture. She was usually pretty good at knowing Fiyero and how he thought, but this was stumping her.
"I have no clue," she confessed. "On one hand, he's very capable of being surprisingly romantic and meaningful when he wants to be; but on the other hand, he does seem to think this wedding is just a giant party. And with Corin involved... it could be anything."
"Have a guess, Elphie," Galinda giggled, reappearing at her friend's side. "It couldn't be that bad."
Elphaba stared at her best friend pointedly. "Have you not heard the story of Fiyero and Corin's joint eighteenth birthday party?"
Galinda laughed. "Oh, right! I'd forgotten about that!"
"What happened?" Kellye asked, feeling completely lost.
"Fiyero and Corin are only three weeks apart," Nessarose explained to her. "So especially when they were younger, they'd have their parties combined."
Elphaba nodded. "For their eighteenth birthdays, they had the party with their friends at midnight on a golf course. Without going into a really long story, it ended badly."
Kellye laughed. "OK, good to know. This should be an interesting wedding, then?"
"I think Fiyero will surprise you, Fabala," Nessa said, showing surprising confidence in her future brother-in-law.
Elphaba was sceptical, as impressed as she had been with the proposal Fiyero had put together.
"Well, we'll see."
AN. I got a book for Christmas for the 75th anniversary of WoO, which includes movie memorabilia- INCLUDING Nessa's (well, Wicked Witch of the East but same thing) death certificate, which has the date May 6th 1938. My timeline for my Wicked fics are based off this.