Chapter 12
Christmas Wedding Part II
The Wedding Ceremony
The wedding ceremony was held in a small ballroom inside the hotel. The room was covered in Christmas ornaments dominated with the color, white, gold and peach. At the altar, there was a giant Christmas tree with silver, white, gold, and peach ornaments. The wedding arch was made of a Christmas wreath with tons of light bulbs around it. The carpet that laid out through the aisle was white, surrounded by white chairs with a peach cloth on it wrapped on it and white flowers tied on the back of each chair.
The wedding ceremony was about to begin and everyone was at their position.
The Officiant was standing at the altar.
The first one to enter the venue was the groom, Ben Geller Willick, accompanied by Carol and Ross on each side. Susan had let Ross to be on Ben's side since she thought it was only appropriate since Ben was Ross' biological son.
The second to walk in the aisle was Rachel and Susan, as the parents of the Groom, followed by Hailee's mother behind. Then, the bridesmaid and the groomsman entered, including Emma, followed by the best man and the maid of honor. The flower girl and the ring bearer entered after. The last one to enter was Hailee with her arm encircled on her father's arm.
Hailee was wearing a floral lace overskirt wedding dress that hugged every curve on her body perfectly. Her bright blonde hair was set loose and curled to perfection. Finally, the bride reached the altar, and the father's bride handed her to Ben, the groom.
Ben took his bride's hand into his as the officiant started the ceremony.
Carol and Susan took a seat at the right side of the room, on the first row, next to Rachel. Rachel took a seat next to Ross, along with Emmery, Ella, and Judy. On the second row, there were Ashley Tribbiani, The Bings (Chandler, Monica, Jack, and Erica) and The Hannigans (Phoebe, Mike, and Lily).
Soon after the groom and the bride exchanged their vows and exchanged their ring, they were pronounced as husband and wife for the first time. The crowds were cheering at the newlywed couple. Their parents and siblings shed tears of joy as the bride and the groom shared their first kiss as a married couple.
"I cannot believe my little boy is married." Ross whispered to Rachel as he dabbed his tears with his handkerchief.
Rachel gave her husband a smile as she took his hand into his and gave it a squeeze, "I know. I'm so happy for both of them."
Ross smiled and nodded at her, "Do you think we will have any grandchildren soon?" Ross asked.
Rachel frowned and slapped his shoulder playfully, "Ross, we made a promise to never push any of our kids to have children. I mean we used to hate that when our parents kept asking us about that particular topic. Have you forgotten about that?" Rachel whispered so that Judy couldn't hear their conversation.
Ross smiled weakly and nodded, "You're right. We shouldn't do that to our kids. But, I don't mind if they give us any." Ross shrugged and smiled excitedly.
Rachel giggled and then said, "And I don't mind too." She finished with a smile.
Meanwhile, when the whole ceremony happened, Emma stared at the happy couple with a hint of envy. She sighed happily as she let her mind wander on a certain thing that has been on her mind these past month. Aaron. She knew she needed to do something about it before she went insane. She made a mental note for herself to call Aaron right after the wedding ended.
As the groom and the bride exited the venue, it marked the end of the wedding ceremony.
The family members and the guests moved to the bigger ballroom, just across the hall.
...
The Wedding Reception
The ballroom was twice as big than the previous one, but the decoration stayed on the same theme. There were several christmas trees around each corner of the room . All decorated in simple warm lights with fake snows beneath it. At the center top side of the room, there was a rectangle dark wooden table designated for the groom and the bride with their respective parents. The table was decorated with a piece of white cloth laid out on the surface, a bunch of flowers in white, peach, and pink, and candles gave the table a warm and cozy impression. Sitting on the table were Ben, Hailee, Hailee's parents, Ross, and Carol.
Rachel sat with her family, Emma, Emmery, Ella, and Ashley, together with their family and friends, Judy, Susan, The Bings and The Hannigans. They shared a large rectangle table that was decorated in the similar way as the groom and the bride's table. It's been a while since the whole gang was here and Rachel made sure to make the best of it.
"I cannot believe my grandson is married. I'm sure Jack would be really happy to be here." Judy said and left out a smile after.
The whole table left Judy a weak smile. It's been almost three months since Jack Geller Sr. passed away. It's been a rough few months for the entire family, especially Judy. Judy has been living with Monica the whole time. It wasn't easy for both Judy and Monica. Judy has been really controlling over Monica's house and Monica hated that. But, luckily, Monica had Chandler, Rachel, and Ross who'd cheer her up and made her feel a little bit better at her mother's annoying behaviour. Rachel, Ross, and their kids also spared their time to visit Judy whenever they could. Of course, Judy's demeanour quickly changed after she met Ross and his family. And of course that annoyed Monica more than ever. If only there's a room in Ross' house for Judy, she wouldn't have to go through this with her mother. But again, no matter what Judy is still her mother and Monica had a responsibility to take care of her as her only daughter.
Emma grabbed her grandma hand into hers and gently rubbed it which earned her a smile as a return.
"We all wish he was here too, mom." Monica said and ended with a smile.
"I'm sure he is watching us from above." Rachel chipped in.
"I know dear, thank you." Judy gave her daughter and daughter-in-law a smile.
The band lead singer then announced, "Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, for the first time as a married couple, Mr. And Mrs. Willick."
The crowd cheered and clapped as the bride and groom entered the dance floor.
All lights were turned off, except the one who shined the dance floor and the light that surrounded the Christmas trees.
Adele – Make You Feel My Love started to play in the background as the couple began to dance.
Ben placed his hand around his wife's waist and Hailee put her hands around his neck. They swayed in a perfect sync.
When the rain is blowin' in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
Ross got off from his seat to find his wife, he took her hand into his as he led them toward the dance floor. Soon after they were followed by a few people, including Chandler-Monica, Phoebe-Mike, Emmery-Ashley, Ella-Judy, Lily-Jack, and Erica with one of the groomsmen.
When the evenin' shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
Emma sat down on her seat as she saw all of her family and friends dance through the romantic music. She was alone and she was lonely. She took a glance at her parents and her smile took a form. Her parents were giggling, kissing, and dancing happily. She was really happy for them and yet a hint of jealousness appeared from the back of her mind.
She sighed heavily as she continued to stare at them.
"May I have this dance?" A man's voice brought her back from her musing.
She turned her face around to see the man.
She was left speechless.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" She shuttered.
The man smiled from ear-to-ear before he replied, "To have this dance with you." He finished with the sweetest smile.
Emma could feel butterflies on her stomach, his presence had just warmed by her heart. She gave him a warm smile.
"I-I mean. Why? And more importantly, how did you get in here?" Emma asked curiously.
"Well, I had help from your mom." He said while he waved his hand toward Rachel.
Emma turned around to see her mother winked at her. She was left dumbfounded more than ever. She couldn't believe her mom was apart from this.
The man cleared his throat before he asked once more, "So, Emma Green-Geller, would you honor me with a dance?"
She gave him a sweet smile before taking his hand into her, "Sure."
The couple went into the dance floor, joining the others. She placed her hand into his shoulder as he placed his hands into her waist. They stared at each other the whole time, completely oblivious with the whole world.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong
"I cannot believe you'd fly to Boston just to meet me."Emma said.
"Well, actually I came here to congratulate Ben on his wedding." He joked which earned him a light punch on his stomach.
"Don't joke with me, Aaron." Emma giggled.
"So.." Aaron started
"What?" Emma asked and raised her eyebrows. She knew what he meant but she couldn't help to tease him.
"Come on." He sulked and she giggled before he continued, "Have you made your mind up yet?" He asked hopefully.
Emma pretends to ponder at her answer, leaving him dying of curiousness.
After a few seconds, she leaned on him and gently brushed her lips into his. Aaron was numb for a few moments before he kissed her back.
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawlin' down the avenue
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
After a few seconds, she broke up the kiss and asked him, "Does this answer your question?"
He gave her a heartfelt smile before he nodded and then leaned in toward her once again as he brushed his lips into his, this time with much more passion.
The storms are gaing on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowin' wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
They broke off the kiss then locked their gaze.
"I love you." He said softly.
She was warmed inside with that three words of his. Right that moment she knew she made a right decision on giving them a chance they both clearly deserved.
She sighed heavily then she rested her head into his chest and then whispered, "I love you too."
I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
To make you feel my love
A few feets beside the new couple was Emma's parents. Rachel couldn't hold her smile as she watched her baby girl had found love, with the help from her of course. Ross saw the look on her wife's face then she turned his attention to the new couple.
"I have a feeling that you have something to do about that." Ross said as they continued to dance.
"The only thing I've done is talking to the wedding planner to let him in." Rachel replied casually.
"Uh-huh? I think you did more than that." Ross said, clearly unconvinced at her answer.
Rachel sighed, "Alright, I may have borrowed Emmery's spare tuxedo for him to use. I mean he was wearing a tartan shirt, a coat and a pair of jeans. I couldn't let him in dressed like that, am I?"
Ross giggled and gave her a kiss on her cheeks, "You and your over packed luggage finally paid off, huh?"
She giggled and nodded, "You bet."
Ross suddenly sighed after he saw his little girl kiss her new boyfriend.
"What?" Rachel asked and raised her eyebrows.
"I don't know what Emma saw in Janice's son." Ross confessed.
Rachel rolled her eyes. It's not like Emma was 15, she was 22 for God's sake. And yet Ross still treated her like a little girl. In fact, Ross treated all of her daughter's boyfriends just exactly like Rachel's father used to treat hers. What an irony. She thought to herself.
"Janice's son has a name, y'know? It's Aaron." Rachel paused. "And Ross?" She called his name to make sure he was paying attention to her.
"Yeah?" He turned his attention back to her.
"You should cut him some slack. You started to act like my dad back then when we first dated." Rachel warned him.
Ross sighed heavily, "I couldn't help it, you know? I mean Emma is my little girl and I just can't imagine one day someone would take her away from me, from us."
Rachel rested her head into his chest and gently rubbed his back, "I know. But on the bright side, they will give us little grandchildren."
Ross smiled at the thought of him as a grandfather. It was something he had in mind ever since Ben asked him for a blessing right before Ben planned to propose.
"Yeah, you're right. But still I'm going to have 'the talk' with him soon." Ross said in a hint of seriousness on his tone.
Rachel giggled, "The talk, huh?"
"Why are you laughing?" He asked, mock offended.
"Alright, I'm sorry. I believe it will scare them off." She joked.
Ross scoffed, "Just wait till' I show him some of my karatay moves." He said confidently.
"Sure, honey. Whatever made you happy." Rachel giggled then brushed her lips against his.
Rachel then stole another glance into her daughter and her new boyfriend and sighed heavily.
I hope this time it will work out just fine, she thought to herself.
The new couple spent the rest of the wedding dancing, giggling, talking, kissing, and enjoying each other's presents.
At last.