Chapter 20 - Wedding
Christmas went by. Everyone was happy about our engagement, but soon after New Year the happiness about the engagement was replaced by another happy event. Shar gave birth to a pretty little boy. He was named Michael. We visited Shar, Jonas and their little Michael at the hospital the day after he was born. We had bought a teddy bear for him, it was wearing a t-shirt with the text "We're going to be right there for you, whenever you want us to". Shar got teary, when she read it, and announced that we would be the best uncle and aunt in the world. Jonas had agreed with her, probably mostly because he did not have any siblings to be there for their son.
Shar handed Michael to Troy, who gently took him into his arms starting to talk to him as the most natural thing in the world. I smiled at the scene in front of me. Right there, I fell even more in love with Troy. If that was even possible. Troy with a child in his arms was one of the cutest and most handsome things I had ever seen. He looked good with a child in his arms. Shar smiled at me, she knew what I was thinking.
"It's a good thing that you two are already engaged," Shar giggled. "Gabs just fell even more in love with you, Troy," she looked at him.
Troy chuckled, "I'm glad that she can still fall in love with me all over again after all this time," he smiled at me. I blushed. Troy reached out for me and wrapped his arm around my waist, while holding Michael in the other arm. I smiled up at him as we continued to talk with Shar, Jonas and little Michael. After some time, I got to hold him too. He was so beautiful. I could not take my eyes off of him.
"Oh, you just lost her," Shar giggled at Troy.
"Nah, I'll get her back," Troy chuckled rubbing my back as I talked to Michael. "Right babe?" he said.
I nodded, "you will, but this little guy is hard competition," I smiled up at Troy.
"I know," Troy chuckled.
We spent most of the afternoon with them, before we went home to get our dinner. After doing the dishes we cuddled up at the couch watching a movie.
"So, kids?" Troy chuckled.
"What about them?" I asked smiling up at him.
"How many?" he smiled caressing my cheek.
"At least two," I stated, "I don't want my children to be an only child like I have been. What do you think?" It was weird, we had talked about everything about our future, but never talked about children. But now when Shar had gotten a son, we took the talk, 9 months before our wedding that was to stand the second Saturday in December.
"Same, at least two," he smiled and kissed me softly. "And I can't wait to see you with a baby bump, and to become the father of your children," he whispered.
I smiled, "I can't wait to be the mother of your children."
"Good," he smiled and kissed me again. "But not until we are done with college, right?"
I nodded, "right, we will finish our education before having children."
We continued to talk about our plans about children in the future. We agreed on most of it right away, and some things were left to be discussed once we got in the situation. That was what I really liked about our relationship. We talked about everything. We planned our future together and nothing came as a surprise for us, because we already talked about the things that we each wanted in each of our futures and in our future together.
The next few weeks were spent visiting Shar and Jonas, or mostly their little Michael and going to school. We had put our planning of the wedding a bit on hold, because we were waiting for answers from the places, we wanted to have our wedding and reception. We had planned, what we wanted to write in our invitations, and we had already asked our friends and family to save the date for our wedding. Time passed and we got the places and could now go on with our planning.
We had planned to send out our invitations in the middle of August, so we spent most of the summer planning stuff and deciding on the design of our wedding invitations. I enjoyed the creative part and loved sitting making the small parts for the invitations and the other things, we needed to make, and therefore I spent a lot of time doing those things, when Troy was at soccer practice or doing other things.
"Hey babe, I'm home," I heard Troy call from the entrance as he came home from practice.
"Hey babe," I called, "I'm in the living room." I was sitting by the dining table cutting out things for our invitations. We had decided that since our wedding was to be held in December, we would go all in on winter and snow theme.
Troy had just looked at me, when we decided the date and said that he was not even going to argue with me about it, because he knew that winter and snow would be the perfect theme for me. And what better theme could it be, when it had been snowing on both nights; the one where he had promised me to marry me, and the one where he finally proposed?
Troy came in and leaned down and kissed me softly, "what are you doing?" he smiled.
"Cutting things for the invitations," I smiled and held up a snowflake. "Want to help?"
Troy sat down across from me, "what can I do?" he asked. Knowing all too well that Troy did not have the patience to cut out snowflakes, he got the job of cutting out the creamy colored paper, where we had written the invitations on.
We sat there together, talking and made all of the things for the invitations so that it was only to put them together left. We would have time just the two of us, planning and preparing for our wedding. We agreed that we had to finish all of the things for the invitations, before we would make dinner and then call it a day.
"So, when will you go looking for the dress?" Troy smiled at me.
"I'm not going to tell you that," I giggled, "you'll be too curious."
"You know me way too well," he chuckled.
"I do," I smiled.
"It's just that I can't wait to see you in that dress," Troy smiled at me.
I blushed, "and I can't wait to see you all dressed up either. I'm sure you'll be as handsome as ever," I smiled at him.
Troy chuckled, "hopefully I will be able to look just half as good as you."
"You always look better than me," I giggled as I put down my things after finishing the last snowflake looking at the boxes around me containing the things for the invitations.
"Nah, I don't," Troy chuckled and stood up. "So, what do you say we take a break and then make some dinner and cuddle up at the couch? We can continue tomorrow."
"I'm in on that," I smiled at him and took the hand he had put out for me to take.
We made a quick dinner and then cuddled up at the couch, watching some tv and just talking. I ended up falling asleep at Troy's chest. Troy gently woke me up, when it was time to go to bed. "Hey babe, wake up," he said caressing my arm.
"I'm not sleeping," I yawned.
Troy chuckled, "right, that's why you are drooling on me."
I whipped my mouth, "sorry about that, babe."
He chuckled and kissed me softly, "it's okay. Let's get into bed," he smiled.
We spent the next few days finishing the invitations and other stuff for our wedding. The invitations got sent off, and now we were almost just left to wait.
Finally, the day where I should find my dress came. Shar, Tay and my mom were with me. They knew of the theme, and I told the lady in the dress store about it. She went through the dresses and found some fitting the theme and me, and now it was time to try them out.
The first one was a gorgeous ballgown dress. It was a real princess-dress. But maybe a bit too princess to me. I looked at the others, "what do you think?"
"It's pretty," Tay stated. I could already here the but coming.
"But it's too princess for you," Shar and Tay said at the same time.
We all laughed. "Well, on for the next one," the lady from the store smiled, and I went behind the curtain, where she helped me with the next dress. After a few dresses, I got into one, where I felt it. It had to be it.
It was a French-inspired dress with long sleeves of laces. It was A-line, which meant that it was not as big as the ball gown, but not as tight as the mermaid dress that I had tried before. It fell perfectly on my body, and when I looked in the mirror I smiled. "This is it," I said and smiled at the lady.
She nodded, "it's perfect. Let's see what your friends and mom say," she said and stepped out of the changing room and pulled the curtain off.
"Wow," Shar said.
My mom got tears in her eyes, and Tay just stared at me.
"That's perfect!" Shar said, and Tay and my mom nodded.
"It's perfect," Tay said softly as she smiled big.
"It is," I agreed. I smiled down at the dress and looked up in the mirror and twirled around. "Not too princess, and not too not-princess," I giggled.
"So, this is the one, we go with?" the lady from the store smiled at me.
I nodded, "it is, there is no need to try more after this one."
She smiled, "good, let's get you out of the dress and then make the appointments for fittings and hand out." I got into my own clothes and we made the appointments.
Time passed and the day before the wedding, we had a dinner with our parents, Shar, Jonas and Michael, Tay and Chad. Jonas was chosen to be Troy's best man, since Troy did not really have a best friend, and therefore he thought it would be a nice gesture to have his sister's boyfriend as best man.
Troy and I had made the food, and we had all been enjoying it, drinking a glass of wine and talking over the food all evening. Now it was time for me and Troy to say goodbye for the night. I would stay in our apartment with Shar and Tay, and Troy would go home with Jonas and Chad, who was asked to join them. While little Michael would go home with Troy and Shar's parents, who had just left along with my parents.
"I'll miss you," Troy smiled as he wrapped his arms around me. We were standing alone in the kitchen.
"I'll miss you too," I smiled up at him.
He leaned down and kissed me softly, "I can't wait till tomorrow, where you'll finally be mine forever."
I smiled, "I've been yours forever, since forever," I giggled.
"I know, but tomorrow, you'll promise me forever again, and it means a lot to me," he smiled and kissed my nose.
I giggled again, "it means a lot to me too," I said softly.
"This will be longest night of my life," Troy chuckled. "So excited, and then not being able to hold you in my arms?" He frowned, "how can I even do this to myself?"
I smiled and caressed his cheek, "you'll survive, just like the other nights away from me," I promised him.
"Well, this night is different," he chuckled.
"I know," I smiled, "and I will find it hard to sleep without you too."
Troy leaned down and kissed me softly, "but we better both get some sleep tonight, because tomorrow will be long and exciting day," he smiled.
"Okay, lovebirds, it's time to break it up," Chad called from the living room.
We laughed. "we are coming," I called.
"Are we?" Troy chuckled lightly.
"We better," I sighed and leaned my head against his chest.
Troy kissed the top of my hair and caressed my back. "Let's just have one short moment of this," he whispered and held me tightly while stroking my back.
I nodded, "I like it." Troy chuckled. I smiled as I listened to his heartbeat and his soft chuckles.
"Are you ready to go in there again?" Troy smiled down at me.
I nodded, "yeah, we have too, so that we can each get to bed a bit early," I smiled and took his hand.
Troy leaned down and kissed me one more time before we went into the living room, where our friends were all sitting. After a short time, it was time for Troy to leave with Chad and Jonas. We got a few moments alone to say goodbye, before they left leaving me alone with Shar and Tay.
Just an hour after Troy had left, I received a text message from him telling me that he missed me, and he was looking forward to seeing me again the next day. I smiled at the phone. Shar and Tay giggled.
"Oh, loverboy alarm," Shar said.
I blushed, "he is just so sweet," I said dreamingly.
Tay and Shar nodded. "That's good since you are marrying him tomorrow at 2," Tay pointed out.
I nodded, "yeah," I sighed happily.
"Who would have known that me coming to your place on Troy's 10-years birthday, would lead to this?" Shar smiled at me.
We spent some time talking before we all went to bed. I texted Troy a few texts back and forth before I drifted off to sleep. The next morning my mom came with breakfast and we had a nice time over the food and coffee, before the whole thing about me getting ready started. We made sure to take tons of pictures during the whole morning.
The doorbell rang and in came Chad smiling big. "Gabster, my girl," he chuckled and hugged me.
"Hi bro," I smiled, "what's up? Why are you not with Troy?"
"I was sent here to check on you and to give you this," he smiled and handed me a present wrapped in light blue paper with a silver ribbon.
I smiled brightly, "thanks. How is he?"
"He is good," Chad nodded, "he had a hard time sleeping yesterday, because he was so excited, but he was sleeping like a baby, when we woke him up for breakfast." He chuckled and showed me a picture of a sleeping Troy.
I smiled, "aw, he is so cute."
Chad rolled his eyes, "whatever, sis. Are you ready for your wedding?"
I nodded, "yeah, I just need to do like everything before I am ready to go. Makeup, hair, getting dressed…"
Chad nodded, "right, I'll leave you girls alone now," he chuckled. He kissed my cheek, "I'll see you at the church," he smiled at me, "I'll make sure Troy is there at time. And don't forget to open the present."
I smiled, "I'll open it right when you are out of the door, bro." With that Chad left us alone again. I opened the present. It was a black jewelry box with necklace and matching earrings with small light blue emeralds.
Shar smiled, "my brother is good at finding jewelry for you, huh?"
I nodded slowly, "they are so perfect." It was true. Troy had always been good at finding things for me – jewelry, clothes, perfumes and other things – it was always perfect. I was really lucky that I was going to marry him later that day.
"Let's get your hair and makeup done so that you can put your new jewelry on," Shar smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Shar and Tay did my hair and makeup, while we talked and laughed. My mom made sure to snap tons of pictures of us while it happened, but she also made sure that we all got some food around noon, and Shar made sure that I would stay hydrated by continuing to make sure I had water in my glass. At 1 pm my dad came to the apartment.
"Is my princess ready for her wedding?" he asked kissing my cheek. My relationship to my parents had become better over the years, and I appreciated it more than ever on a day like this.
I smiled and nodded, "I am."
He nodded, "I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks dad," I smiled at him. I was all done beside getting into the dress. Shar and Tay were almost done with their hair and makeup too, and my mom was ready too. We all just needed to get in our dresses.
"Okay, dress time," Shar called out.
I stood up, "yay, finally," I giggled. We, my mom, Shar and Tay, went into the bedroom, where our dresses were hanging. Shar and Tay helped me into the dress, making sure that it did not ruin my makeup and hair.
Shar got teary, "you are so beautiful," she whispered. Tay nodded agreeing with her.
I smiled, "aww girls, I love you two! Thanks for everything you've done for me during the preparation for the wedding and today!" I hugged them tightly.
Tay, Shar and my mom got into their dresses, and now it was time to show me off to my dad. My mom went into my dad taking her phone making sure she could capture the moment of me coming into the living room, and Shar took her phone to capture it from behind and that way capturing my dad's face. And it was priceless. He got all teary and smiled brighter than before.
"You look so beautiful, Gabby," he smiled. "You are for sure ready to be given away to your Troy now," he said softly caressing my cheek.
At the church Troy, Jonas and Chad had arrived along with all of our guests. Shar, Tay and my mom went into the church leaving me and my dad in the entrance waiting for the bells to ring signaling it was time to start the walk down the aisle to my Troy.
Finally, it was time. The bells rang, my dad smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I nodded and took a deep breath as the verger smiled at me and opened the door for us to walk in. Everyone stood up and right there, at the end of aisle he stood. My Troy. I smiled brightly. From the meters distance I could see the tears in Troy's bright blue eyes and his big, white smile on his face. This was so perfect.
As I finally reached him, he placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "You look perfect," he whispered squeezing my hand.
I blushed and smiled brightly at him, "and so do you." I whispered back.
The priest took the word and made her speech. She made sure to take every detail of our relationship into her speech.
"Troy and Gabriella, you have gathered your family and friends today for them to witness your vows for each other to spend the rest of your lives together. Some would say it is about time, and others would say that you have been married forever already without the ceremony. But in fact, it took you forever to realize that you belonged together, at least according to Sharpay, Troy's sister and Gabriella's best friend." The whole church laughed softly at this.
The priest continued on for some time with her speech summing up everything from our relationship, about us as a couple. Everlasting love, respect and support for one another. During the whole speech Troy and I had eye contact, smiling at each other. And finally, the moment came, where we would say our "I do".
After the ceremony we all went to the place, where we were having the dinner with all of our guests. Chad was toastmaster taking the word once in a while introducing speeches or other small entertainments from our family and friends.
"And now, it's time for a speech from the bride's best friends, which would be Shar, Tay and myself," Chad said. "So please enjoy the show," he chuckled and went to the center of the room with Shar and Tay.
"Oh god," Troy chuckled lightly.
I nodded, "we are about to get roasted," I giggled, as we took each other's hands.
"Gabby," Shar started. "15 years ago, we met for the first time, and it was one of the best things happening in my life, because on that day I got my best friend, but I also got my sister in law. I've teased you so many times during our teenage years about my brother, and now finally you are married!"
"And thank God for that," Chad continued. "Troy, thanks for marrying Gabby. Thanks for making her the happiest girl, I have ever seen, every single day. It took some time, but whatever, now we are here!"
"And what a journey it has been," Tay continued. "We got through some of it in the church, but let's face it, that was the nice part. So, prepare yourself for the not so nice and pretty side of the story."
Chad turned on the projector putting up a huge screen. "This is the story about a beautiful girl, who was in no need of any savings whatsoever, and the handsome guy, who was too cool for girls, and how they ended up right here, where we are today. The story about Gabriella Sophie Montez, or well now Bolton, and Troy Bolton." Chad said flipping to a picture of Troy and me from when we were kids playing soccer.
"Always fighting, always in competition. There was no chance that any of you would give up without a fight, not even in soccer in the garden at our house," Shar said. "And even though Troy always promised to beat Gabby up, it never happened. One, because Gabby actually was good at soccer, and two, because Troy could never touch her without feeling bad about it." Shar flipped to a new picture, it was from the party at their house, where Troy and I had kissed the first time.
"This picture is from before you two even confessed you loved each other," Tay said. "But honestly, Troy? That hand." The picture got zoomed in to Troy's hand on my waist. "You most definitely had something for her with that placement," Tay stated. "And there are so many pictures to show that you two loved or at least cared for each other before you finally confessed it." There was a slideshow of pictures of Troy and I from our teenage years, before we got a couple. Troy and I smiled at each other.
"But finally, 6 years ago you broke the news. You were finally a couple," Shar said. "And everyone's reaction was somehow alike. "That was about time" was the most common sentence heard about your announcement. And it was. Our dads even used to joke about you two to grow up and fall in love. And thankfully, they were right for once."
Our friends continued to tell things about us, telling us how much they adored us and continued to embarrass us in their speech.
"And now we just have a few last messages to give," Chad announced. "From Troy's soccer team to Gabriella: "We are sorry that we could not be a part of your celebration. Still we want to wish you the best of luck with Troy, Gabriella. We found him useless in most positions, but we are wishing you all the best for tonight"." Everyone laughed loudly. I smiled at Troy, who smirked back at me.
"We want to make a toast to the perfect couple. To a long life together filled with happiness, adventures and lots of wonderful memories," Tay said.
"And we will finish with a romantic film quote from one of Gabby's favorite movies, When Harry met Sally. "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."" Shar read aloud. "Troy and Gabby, we love you, guys, and we can't wait to see you grow old together! Thanks for all of the memories, we can't wait to have more with you!"
Shar, Tay and Chad looked at each other. "To the rest of their lives together, Mr. and Mrs. Bolton." They called out together as the screen showed a picture of me and Troy kissing in the church right after we had given each other our "I do".
The rest of the evening went by with more speeches, more food and finally our first dance as husband and wife, and then free dance with everyone. It was an amazing day and night, and Troy and I ended up at our hotel doing what newly wed do, before crashing into sleep in each other's arms.