The person in the mirror was almost completely unrecognizable. That probably wasn't too surprising considering the half pound of contouring makeup on her face. Her lids were painted with shimmering golds and bronzes, a deep burgundy matte color stained her lips. Her hair was spun back into a series of intricate braids coalescing into an elegant chignon pinned with a diamond incrusted snowflake hairclip attached to a long, flowing, lace veil. And then there was the dress. The MillaNova gown was backless and plunged deep between her breasts, but the floral, lace overlay kept it respectable. The intricate lace detail extended all the way down her arms and over the flowing, poofy, princess style skirt. It was beautiful. And the woman staring back at her in the mirror was beautiful. But it wasn't her. It wasn't Rory. Which, quite honestly was fine with her, because this wasn't really Rory's wedding. She'd executed her veto power a few times during the whirlwind planning that had happened over the last two months, but for the most part, she'd let her grandmother and Logan's mother lead the show. It was easier that way. Easier to just defer all major decisions to them. Easier to pretend not to hear the subtle, passive aggressive digs her future mother-in-law made at her expense. In the end, it didn't matter because this was all just for show…someone else's show. She might as well be an actress in a rom com playing a character. That's all this was; a role she'd agreed to take on for the next two years. Eventually she'd have a chance to fall in love and marry the man of her dreams and then she'd have her real wedding. So for now, this beautiful stranger would do.

"Oh Rory, you look so gorgeous," Emily gushed, coming up behind her. "Every bit the blushing bride I always knew you'd be."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"You know, it's not too late to pull a Julia Roberts," Lorelai interjected, only half joking. "When she rode away from Richard Gere at the alter on a horse, not when she became his prostitute."

"Honestly Lorelai, must you be so flippant? Your daughter is about to get married; this is a time for celebration, not mocking."

Lorelai ignored her mother's reprimands. "I'm just saying, we're right by Central Park, I'm sure there are some abused carriage horses that would love to ride to freedom too."

Emily rolled her eyes and let out a sigh but focused her attention back on her granddaughter. She wouldn't let Lorelai ruin this for her…or Rory. Besides, who was Lorelai to talk, she was dating Jason, the son of a rich insurance executive who now partnered with Richard in their own firm. She only seemed to be opposed to society and the people in it when it didn't benefit her. "Here," Emily said to Rory, reaching over to pull a small box from her handbag. "I wore these 47 years ago when I married your grandfather. It would be an honor if you wore them today."

Rory took the box and opened it, revealing a pair of vintage sapphire drop earrings encircled with diamonds. She gasped at the gesture. "Grandma, no, I couldn't. These are too much."

"Of course you can. They're exactly right for my granddaughter to wear at her wedding to a wonderful man."

"I think you mean her wedding to a rich man."

"I think they're beautiful," Lane chimed in.

"I bet you could hock those for a pretty penny. I could probably pay off my med school loans and my law school tuition with just the left one alone." Paris griped.

"I'm not going to hock them." Rory rolled her eyes at her friend. Ever since Paris's parents had had all their assets seized by the IRS, she suddenly thought she was a French peasant storming the palace and demanding Marie Antoinette's head on a spike.

"It'll be your something old and your something blue," Emily replied after giving Paris an annoyed look but choosing to focus on her granddaughter. It was her day after all. A day that every young woman dreams about. She remembered how excited she was for her own wedding. She couldn't sleep for a week beforehand. Every night she would get out of bed and put on her veil and just stare at herself in the mirror. It was magical. And the day of…she was so unbelievably nervous; but the good kind with fluttering butterflies in her stomach and her head full of dreams of waltzing across the dance floor in the arms of her husband for the first time. She couldn't wait to stand next to Richard and say her 'I dos'. She wanted that for Rory.

"And borrowed," Rory reminded her, unscrewing the diamond studs from her ears and replacing them with her grandmother's jewels

"Don't be ridiculous. Those belong to you now."

"Hey!" Lorelai protested. "Aren't family heirlooms supposed to pass to the daughter and then the granddaughter. "I want pretty jewelry."

"You lose your sunglasses when they're right on top of your head, Lorelai. You want me to trust you with precious family jewels?"

"In my defense, I can't see the sunglasses when they're on my head so how am I supposed to know they're there?"

Rory ignored the bickering between her mother and grandmother…it was nothing new; no family gathering would be complete without it. "I can't keep these Grandma. What if something happened to them?"

"Nothing is going to happen to them. And while I'm sure Logan will buy you lots of beautiful jewelry, you can never have too many earrings. You'll need them to wear to all the wonderful places he's going to take you to."

"As a representative of the Huntzberger women here, believe me when I tell you your grandmother is right. Take all the jewelry you can get. Especially something as classically gorgeous as those," Honor chimed in, coming up from behind and offering Rory a glass of champagne.

"Oh, I don't know if I should…" She looked warily at the glass then down at her dress. What if she spilled? What if her lipstick got smeared? It took the makeup artist two hours to put it all on. She didn't want to mess up any of their work. And she was about to have an obscene number of eyes staring at her.

"Just take it. I promise you, you're going to need it."

"Well, umm, okay." She really could use a little something to calm her nerves. For as much as this marriage was a farce, it was still a marriage. A legal one. And this wedding was mindbogglingly enormous. Despite the insane number of hours over the last two months that she had devoted to wedding planning (and by wedding planning she mostly meant sitting around watching others plan while she nodded yes or no and then inevitably let everyone else bulldoze over every one of her opinions), she had no idea how it was humanly possible to put on an event of this magnitude in such a short period of time. There were 500 people in attendance (of which she personally knew about 30.) There was an eight-course meal, a 12-piece band, enough flowers to start a nursery, and an entire team of photographers and videographers. And with this many moving pieces and these many eyes on her, it was practically an inevitability that something would go wrong.

Honor took another step closer and handed her the drink, leaning in close as she did. "Your mother's not wrong," she whispered into her ear so that Emily couldn't hear. Rory turned to look at the woman in shock. Was she really suggesting Rory run away? Honor stood to lose almost as much from the will clause as Logan did. Keeping HPG in the immediate family served them all. "I mean, I'm not saying I want you to, but it needs to be your decision."

"Thanks," Rory said as she took the glass from Honor making it seem to her grandmother that she was just talking about the drink. While her decision had been made up months ago, Rory appreciated knowing there was one member of Logan's family that actually seemed to care about her.

At that moment, the door swung open and Shira Huntzberger stormed in. Unfortunately, Honor's magnanimity did not extend to everyone in the family. Fortunately, Shira hadn't been around much as she'd spent most of the morning nitpicking over every aspect of the table set ups, the flower arrangements, the best location for wedding photos…or locations, Rory should say, as Shira had made them spend two full hours traipsing from one side of the Frick to the other so the photographer could have as many choices as possible. Honestly, Rory mostly thought the neoclassical architecture was over the top, or as Logan liked to pretend her favorite word was…garish. But at least the garden court, where most of the event would take place, was beautiful. "We've got five minutes to show time," Shira announced as though she were a director commanding her actors to take their cues. "Is everything ready?"

"We're all set in here," Emily assured her.

Shira didn't respond immediately, just let her eyes rove up and down Rory. "Umm, is something wrong?" Rory asked warily.

"You look pale. I don't remember you looking that pale when we were taking the photos."

"She looks perfect," Emily replied, with offense as though she were the one being insulted. "A perfect alabaster complexion any woman would kill for."

"Maybe it's the lighting in here," Shira postulated. "But perhaps we should have the make-up artist add a little more rouge, just in case. We don't need her to be all washed out standing next to Logan at the altar."

More rouge? Rory internally cringed. If there was any more makeup on her face she might as well be Tammy Faye Bakker. She was about to protest, but Shira suddenly seemed to forget her concerns about Rory's complexion. "What are those in your ears?"

"Umm," Rory reached up to finger her new jewelry, "they're earrings."

"You haven't been wearing those all day, have you? During the photos? What happened to those lovely diamond earrings we'd picked out?"

"Well, Grandma gave me these and…"

Shira turned immediately to Emily. "Honestly, Emily, what were you thinking. Every aspect of her aesthetic was carefully curated and decided on weeks ago. You can't go changing things up at the last minute on a whim."

"It wasn't a whim. It was a surprise. Those are the same earrings I wore to my wedding."

"So they're old? Do you want people to think my son can't afford to buy his bride a decent pair of new earrings for her big day."

"They're not old," Emily huffed, completely affronted by Shira's attack. Of Rory? Of the earrings? Rory wasn't sure which. "They're antique. They were bought for my grandmother by the great great grandson of the Marquis de Layfette. She wore them over on the Titanic. She went back to her quarters just to save them before she got on the life boat. But I could see how someone of your standing wouldn't appreciate the importance of history."

Shira scowled angrily, unable to rebut the dig. She'd married into her wealth. And new money could never compare to old in their world. Instead, she turned to a different tactic. "They don't go with the color scheme at all. I mean, sapphires? Really? Who wears sapphires to their wedding? You wear diamonds at a wedding."

"She needs something blue," Honor replied in an attempt to be helpful while Rory just stood there silently. Why wasn't she saying anything? They were her ears; she could put whatever the hell she wanted in them. If she wanted to wear a pair of fuzzy bunny, Easter themed earrings that was her damn prerogative. But still, she just stood there and let others fight her battle.

"She has blue in her garter…where it won't be distracting."

"The blue in the earrings brings out her eyes. I think they look lovely, Mom."

Shira scowled in annoyance, but clearly overruled and running out of time, she decided to move on. It would be far worse to keep fighting and make them late. Rory could only imagine the humiliation Shira would feel if Rory wasn't walking down the aisle at the exact moment she was supposed to. If even one person thought for a mere second her precious son was being jilted, she would never live it down. "We're down to three minutes. I need you in place."

"Okay."

Everyone started to file out of the room. "Can I just have a moment with my daughter?" Lorelai asked. Shira gave her a dirty look. "Two minutes until we start," she reminded her curtly.

Once everyone was out, Lorelai turned to Rory. "Mom…" Rory preempted what she knew was coming.

"This is your last chance, Kid, are you sure this is what you want?"

"I've made up my mind, you know that."

"Okay, but I'm just saying, if that changes anytime in the next ninety seconds, I promise to be your decoy…and stay around long enough to get pictures of Shira's face when she realizes you're not coming…"

Rory laughed. "Way to have my back."

"I just want you to be happy," Lorelai inserted seriously. "You don't have to give up your own life for your grandparents, or Logan, or anyone else."

"It's two years, not my whole life. And it's not like I'm going to prison. This is going to open up a lot of opportunities for me. The people I'm going to meet, the places I'm going to go…you don't have to worry about me."

Lorelai let out a sigh. She wanted to keep fighting this. She'd been fighting it for months. But there was no fighting it anymore. It was happening. And it was happening now. And if this was Rory's decision, she needed to back it. If Lorelai was right and it was a mistake, her daughter would need her support. "Well, then, let's go get you married."

They made their way out of the dressing room, down the stairs and to the entrance of the Music Room where the ceremony would be held.

Lane, Paris, and Honor were waiting there in their burgundy bridesmaids' dresses holding bouquets of light pink, cream, and dark red roses. Logan's niece Grace was dressed in a flowing rose-gold layered dress with a crown of flowers on her head and a basket full of deep red rose petals ready to be tossed. His nephew, Ethan was looking dapper in a miniature tux with a crimson cummerbund holding a rose gold satin pillow with the rings tied to it.

"You look absolutely stunning." Rory turned to see her grandfather examining her with a sanguine smile on her face looking as proud as any grandfather could. "The most beautiful bride in the world."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Rory blushed. Almost on cue, the organ started.

"Everyone get in their places," the wedding planner declared, hustling people into line. The doors opened and the sound of the wedding march grew louder. Rory was surprised at how nervous she was. It wasn't a real wedding after all. It wasn't like she was actually binding herself to one man for the rest of her life. It's not like she had any real investment in the outcome. It was all just a formality. But still, the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't quit flitting about.

Honor made her way down the aisle first, followed by Paris, and then Rory's maid of honor, Lane. Once they were in place, the wedding planner shooed Ethan through the door and he marched up the aisle like he was tasked with delivering a peace treaty to the President of the United States. Grace went next; the five-year-old stumbled a step, but then regained her balance and started tossing rose petals with flair as she made her way to the front of the room.

And then, suddenly, the music went silent and five hundred people stood and turned towards the door. Rory took a deep breath, shifting her bouquet to her left hand and using her right to grasp her grandfather's tightly. He squeezed back in a comforting gesture. The music resumed and somehow, Rory forced her feet to start moving. She was concentrating so hard on not tripping and falling on her heels that she barely noticed Logan, the officiant, and the rest of the wedding party waiting for her at the altar. But finally, she made it to the front of the room, a fact she only half way realized because Richard had stopped walking. Rory handed her bouquet to Lane.

"Who presents this woman to be married?" The officiant asked.

"I do," Richard announced. He let go of Rory's hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning to Logan. He reached out to take his hand in a hearty handshake. "Welcome to the family, son. I trust you to treat her well."

"Thank you, sir," Logan replied. As Richard made his way back to his seat, Logan leaned into Rory. "You look gorgeous," he told her. He meant is. She was a picture-perfect bride. He could appreciate that despite the fact that this wedding and the entire marriage were nothing more than a show.

"You're just saying that because you want to get me to go back to your hotel room with you later," she teased.

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"I suppose not."

They stopped speaking and turned to the minister.

"I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of your here to share in this special day with Rory and Logan. Marriage is a blessed union. It is a merging of lives, a coming together of two souls as one. Marriage is a promise to tackle the world and all its obstacles together. When you find that person, that partner who promises to accept your troubles as theirs, to celebrate their wins as though they are yours too, you must hold on to them. When you find that partner who wants to share their life fully with you and is willing to share in your life equally in return, there can be no greater joy. For what is our purpose on this Earth if not to find connection and cherish it? And so, today, we cherish the connection that Rory and Logan have forged. We revel in the love they have for one another. We celebrate this union knowing that it is but the beginning of a wonderful ride full of ups and downs, wins and losses, heartache and happiness. We celebrate the love, but also the work, sacrifice, and commitment that is the partnership of marriage."

Logan tried not to role his eyes at the speech. If only the minister knew what this marriage was really all about. Then again, the partnership part wasn't all that off target. That's what this arrangement was, really; a temporary partnership to help each other out. But there would be no sharing of lives fully. No merging of souls. And definitely no connecting—at least not of the fun variety. Still, he was beginning to appreciate this for what it was. It may not have been a marriage in the true sense of the word, but a partner was something he wouldn't mind having from time to time and so far, Rory had been a good one.

Rory's father, Christopher came up for a reading. It seemed the least they could offer him since Richard had been the one to give her away. He stepped up to the alter, paper in hand and smiled warmly at Rory and Logan before turning to face the room. "I carry your heart. (I carry it in my heart)" he began the famed E.E. Cummings poem, reading it off without a hitch.

Next it was Shira's turn. Despite the fact that it wasn't traditional for the mother of the groom to give a reading, she had insisted. ("If the father of the bride can give one, the mother of the groom certainly can too.") It didn't matter how they tried to explain the unconventional circumstances surrounding the situation, Shira was insistent. It was hardly a surprise for Logan; his mother needed to center herself in everything. And so, there she was, reading from Genesis as though she wasn't a lapsed Jew masquerading as a lapsed Episcopalian who hadn't read the Torah or the Bible in decades. But hey, at least it was Genesis. He couldn't imagine his Jewish grandfather's reaction if she'd read from Corinthians instead. He watched Rory as she tried to keep her eyes from rolling at the complete lack of subtlety in Shira's choice of reading; "The Lord God said, 'it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.'" Logan himself found it hard not scoff out loud at the blatant sexism. But somehow, they made it through.

And then, at last, it was time for the reading of the vows and exchanging of rings. Somehow it had hardly felt real up until now. It had just been for show until this very moment. But now, short of Lorelai getting up and objecting in front of everyone, which he wouldn't exactly put past her—she didn't seem one to mind a spectacle—he was about to be legally married. It couldn't get realer than that.

"And now, unless anyone has any objections, we shall move on to the exchange of vows." The minister paused, but fortunately the room—and Lorelai—remained silent.

"Logan," the minister looked at him. "Do you take Rory to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish til death do you part?" Til death do you part. Logan wasn't much a believer in God and sinning. And if there was a God who cared about sinning, he was already going to hell anyway. Yet somehow the idea of knowingly lying, here on this altar before a minister seemed particularly egregious. He tried to console himself with the fact that this was between Rory and him, and she knew the truth—was in on the truth. Was it really a sin if both parties were in on it together and no one got hurt?

"I do," Logan managed to get out with an ease he did not feel.

"Rory," the officiant turned to her. "Do you take Logan to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish til death do you part?" Oh god, that 'til death do you part' part really stung. Also, since she was technically marrying him for his money, she couldn't really guarantee the 'for poorer' part either. Was knowingly lying to a minister a straight path to hell? Or would she be able to work it out in purgatory. After all, it was for a good cause; she was just trying to help Logan and her grandparents. And Logan knew exactly where she actually stood on these issues, anyhow. So it wasn't like she was lying to him. She steadied her racing heartbeat and tried to convince herself she wasn't condemning her soul to eternal damnation.

"I do."

"Who has the rings?" Colin stepped forward. "At this time Rory and Logan will exchange rings. The wedding ring is a symbol of binding. A symbol of attachment and of belonging, not of possession, but of partnership. Logan…" Logan took the first ring from Colin, trying to keep his hand steady.

He turned back to face his bride. "Repeat after me," the minister said. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Logan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then opened them to look at Rory. He might not love her, but he trusted her. And besides, his birthday was a week away, so he was pretty much out of options. "With this ring, I thee wed." He slid the diamond encrusted gold band onto her left ring finger.

"Rory," the minister instructed her that it was her turn. Rory bit her lip hesitantly as she took the ring from Colin who then stepped back in line with the other groomsmen.

"Repeat after me…With this ring, I thee wed."

Rory felt her whole body shaking, she was sure everyone would hear the waiver in her voice but she did her best to hide it, there was no turning back now. "With this ring, I thee wed." She slid the more masculine version of the ring Logan had given her onto his hand.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," she heard the officiant say, though at this point his voice sounded slightly disembodied and far away. It all seemed surreal. She was married. She was really freaking married. "Congratulations. You may kiss the bride."

Though she knew it was coming, and she and Logan had kissed for public appearances' sake before, she was somehow taken aback as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "I do believe that's our cue," he whispered to her before plastering his lips to hers. They were smooth, like he'd had them exfoliated or something. Without thinking her arms reached up around his neck and her lips pressed back. She felt a strange flippy feeling in her stomach. Not from the kiss. No, that wasn't it. It was just the punctuation on the reality of what she'd just gotten herself into. She and Logan were officially husband and wife

AN: I know some of you probably wanted wedding planning. But Rory wasn't really invested int he planning of this wedding so there wouldn't have been much tension there. She and Logan had already decided during their agreement dinner that it was best just to let Shira and Emily have their way. And it was such a short engagement that I imagine Logan and Rory were only around each other for wedding planning purposes and didn't have much time to bond. I wanted to get to the part where they actually start getting to know each other and developing a relationship. So anyway, hope you at least enjoyed the wedding. There will be more wedding day stuff to come. Please remember to leave a review.