. . .
On Friday night, after a brief rehearsal of the wedding ceremony in the front yard of the house, everyone was gathered at the inn where the dinner part of the rehearsal dinner was being held. Lorelai was sitting on the counter in the inn's kitchen drinking a glass of wine, talking with Sookie as she put the finishing touches on the main course.
"Centerpieces?" Sookie asked.
"Done," Lorelai replied.
"Favors?"
"Finished."
"Placecards?"
"Yup."
Sookie gave Lorelai an impressed nod. "Wow, you really kicked it into high gear this week to get all that stuff done, huh?"
Lorelai nodded. "Both of us taking the last few days off from work is what did it. It let us focus purely on wedding stuff."
"Have you packed for the honeymoon?" Sookie asked.
"Nah, we'll do that tomorrow," Lorelai replied.
"It probably won't take long. . .depending on the amount of clothes you plan on wearing while you're away," Sookie said with a smile.
Lorelai took a sip of wine, then raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Not many."
Sookie giggled. "I thought so. You and Luke are definitely that couple."
"And what exactly is that couple?" Lorelai asked curiously.
"That couple that goes on a honeymoon and only leaves the hotel room like once or twice," Sookie explained. "That couple."
Lorelai giggled. "We're good at entertaining ourselves, what can I say?"
The door separating the kitchen from the dining room opened, and Emily walked in. "Oh, Lorelai, there you are," Emily said as she walked toward her.
"Hey, Mom," Lorelai said.
"Hi, Mrs. Gilmore," Sookie greeted her.
Emily smiled at Sookie. "Hello, Sookie. Nice to see you again." She turned to Lorelai. "What are you doing in here? Your guests are all out there."
Lorelai gestured toward Sookie. "I'm just keeping Sookie company while she finishes up. We'll be out in a minute." She checked her watch. "Did you just get here?"
Emily nodded. "Yes. Your father was on a business call, so we ran a little late, and then we got stuck in traffic, which made things even worse."
"Hm, not so fun commuting on a Friday night, is it?" Lorelai asked with a pointed smirk. "Maybe you'll be more understanding next time we're late for dinner."
"Yes, well, I'll keep that in mind," Emily replied. "I'm sorry we missed the rehearsal. How did it go?"
"It was fine. It's gonna be a fast ceremony," Lorelai said. "Bing, bang, boom – right to the point. 'I do', 'I do', 'here's your ring', 'here's your ring', 'you're married – break out the alcohol.'"
Emily rolled her eyes. "How romantic."
"Yes, well, we try."
"So, tell me, where is Luke going to be sleeping tomorrow night?" Emily asked.
Lorelai gave Emily a curious look. "Uh, I assume same place as always – on the kitchen floor."
"I'm serious," Emily said.
"Me, too," Lorelai insisted. "He sleeps on the kitchen floor because sometimes I sleepwalk, and he doesn't want me to wind up in the kitchen in the middle of the night, asleep, and accidentally fall on some knives, so he sleeps down there to prevent that. Now what other guy would do something like that? I think that's a true sign that he loves me."
Emily glanced at Sookie. "You work with her every day?"
Sookie nodded. "It's never boring."
"Can I have a serious answer now?' Emily asked. "Is he going to stay with a friend?"
"Why would he do that? He has a perfectly good bed at home," Lorelai said. "And a mighty fine sleeping companion, I might add."
"But you don't want him to see you before the wedding, Lorelai," Emily said. "It's bad luck."
"Tsk, Mom, that stupid superstition means that he's not supposed to see me getting ready," Lorelai said. "We're gonna wake up together and spend our wedding morning together doing last minute wedding stuff. . .and then he'll go to the apartment and get ready, and I'll get ready at home. He won't see me getting ready – happy?"
"Well, if that's the way you're doing it. . ." Emily said. "Though I think the superstition clearly means that he's not supposed to see you that entire day prior to the ceremony."
Sookie handed the last tray of food to one of the waiters, then announced, "Okay, done. Lemme just wash my hands and I'll be ready."
"Okay." Lorelai hopped off the counter and smoothed out her dress. Emily stared at her for a moment, and Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Something wrong, Mom?"
"How are you feeling?" Emily asked. "Nervous?"
Lorelai shrugged. "Not really. . . just excited."
Sookie walked over to them, and the three of them started walking toward the lobby.
"Well, good," Emily said. "Excited is a good thing to be feeling."
"I'll drink to that," Lorelai said, holding up her glass of wine. She brought it to her lips and finished the contents of it.
Sookie smiled. "You'll drink to anything."
Lorelai smacked her playfully on the shoulder, and Sookie giggled as she walked away from them.
Emily smiled. "Your father's excited, too."
"Oh yeah? That's nice."
"It's always a proud moment for a father to walk his daughter down the aisle," Emily said.
Lorelai froze momentarily, then slowly narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"Yes, fathers always look forward to doing that some day," Emily said. "Believe it or not, even yours."
Lorelai's eyes widened slightly and she forced a smile. "Right. . .yeah." She glanced across the room and saw Richard talking with Taylor, and she sighed softly. She turned back to Emily. "Uh, will you excuse me, Mom? I have to go. . .do something."
Lorelai walked across the dining room to where Luke was talking with his friend John. "Hey," Lorelai said.
John smiled and nodded toward her. "Hey."
"Hi," Luke said.
Lorelai put her hand on Luke's back as she looked up at him. "Um, can I steal you away for just a sec?"
"Yeah. Everything okay?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah, I just wanna talk to you real quick," Lorelai said.
"Okay. I'll be right back," Luke said to John.
Lorelai took his hand and led him across the dining room and out the back door onto the porch. Lorelai dropped his hand and began pacing back and forth in front of him.
"What's your problem?" Luke asked.
She stopped walking and turned to face him. "My dad wants to walk me down the aisle. Not only that, but he already thinks he is walking me down the aisle."
"And the problem with that is what?"
Lorelai scoffed and shook her hands at him. "Hi, the problem is that I was planning on walking down the aisle by myself."
"Ah."
"But he thinks he's giving me away, and apparently, he's been looking forward to doing it," Lorelai said.
"So, just let him do it, then," Luke said with a shrug. "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that I've spent the last seventeen years of my life being independent and strong and doing things for myself, and I was kinda looking at this walk down the aisle as . . .a representation of my life. Of me having to do things alone, me taking this big independent walk by myself," Lorelai explained, gesturing aimlessly with her hands. "Does that make any sense?"
Luke had a confused look on his face as he replied, "Kind of. . .I guess. . ."
Lorelai sighed. "You think I'm a freak, don't you?"
"Yes."
Lorelai let out a long sigh and she put her hands on his shoulders. "What should I do?"
Luke shrugged. "It's up to you."
"Come on, be a guy's guy and just tell me what to do," Lorelai begged. "It's easier that way."
"Can't do that until you're my wife," Luke said. "That's when I get to control you and order you around."
Lorelai smiled. "You're in for a rude awakening, you know that?" She leaned forward and kissed him softly.
"So. . .what're you gonna do?"
Lorelai shook her head slightly. "I guess I'll just . . . let him do it. He's looking forward to it." She sighed. "No independence walk for me."
Luke gestured toward the door. "Why don't you walk all the way back to the door by yourself and call that your independence walk? Go ahead, I'll wait here." He folded his arms across his chest.
Lorelai smirked at him and started walking backward toward the door. "Here I go. . . the walk of independence."
"You're doing good so far," Luke encouraged her.
She turned around and continued to the door, and when she reached it, she turned around and smiled. "Man, that felt good."
Luke shook his head slightly as he walked over to her. "I'm glad." She pulled open the door and he followed her back into the inn.
. . .
On Sunday morning, Lorelai was standing on the front porch, her hands shoved into the pockets of her denim cutoffs. She was watching one set of workers from the inn set up tables and chairs under the big tent that had been set up in the front yard the night before. Another set of workers was busy placing the baskets and vases of arranged flowers around the yard. The DJ had arrived and had already begun setting up his table in front of the porch, and was setting up speakers around the yard.
As she was staring out at everything, Luke and Rory walked out of the house. "Okay, Mom, I'm ready," Rory said.
Lorelai turned around. "Mmkay, let's go." Rory walked past her and headed toward the Jeep, and Lorelai walked over to Luke. He rested his hands on her waist as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "You better be gone when we get back from the hair salon. You can't see me once I've started the official 'getting-ready' stuff."
"I know, I know," Luke said, nodding. "I'm getting ready to leave soon."
Lorelai smiled and kissed him. As she slowly pulled back from him, she said, "You know, next time we kiss. . . we'll be married." She smirked and added, "Well, if you show up, of course."
"Me? Need I remind you which one of us has the bad track record for weddings?" Luke asked.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "I had that one coming, huh?"
"Yup."
"Okay." Lorelai leaned forward and hugged him. "Bye."
"Bye."
Lorelai walked over to the Jeep and climbed in, and Luke watched as they pulled away.
. . .
A few hours later, Lorelai, Rory and Sookie were upstairs in the bedroom. Rory and Sookie were already dressed and had finished their own makeup, and they were now helping Lorelai with hers. They heard a door slam outside, and Sookie walked over to the window. "Ooh, the cake's here," she announced.
Lorelai smiled and clapped. "Yay. So the day's gonna be good no matter what happens. If Luke shows up, we get married and celebrate by eating cake. If he doesn't, I wallow, then make myself feel better by eating cake. Either way, the ending's good."
"Way to stay positive," Rory commented.
"I'm gonna go check on it, make sure it doesn't need any touching up," Sookie said. She left the room, and Rory kept working on Lorelai's makeup.
They were both quiet for a few seconds before Rory said, "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you feel like right now?"
"I feel like having a piece of wedding cake," she replied. "Run down and get me a piece, will ya?"
Rory smiled. "No, really, what's it feel like to know that you're getting married in. . ." She checked the clock. "Forty-seven minutes."
Lorelai shrugged. "It feels. . .I don't know . . I can't really describe the feeling."
"But it's a good feeling, right?"
Lorelai smiled up at her. "It's a great feeling."
Rory smiled. "Good."
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Lorelai called, "Come in!"
The door opened and Emily walked in. "Hello, hello," she said cheerfully. "How are my girls?"
"Hey Grandma," Rory said.
"Hi Mom," Lorelai said. "Just get here?"
"Oh, no, we've been here a bit, but I was downstairs checking on things, making sure the setup was all complete, you know," Emily explained.
"Right."
"Everything looks beautiful. . .the yard, the decorations, the cake. . ."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "Ooh, I need cake right now! Mom, go cut me a piece of cake, pleeeeease?"
"No cake," Rory said sternly. "Sit still."
Lorelai grabbed the mascara brush out of her hand. "Here, let me do it. You'll probably end up jabbing me in the eye." She leaned toward the mirror and started applying the mascara.
Emily sat down on the edge of the bed. "So, Lorelai, do you have something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?"
Lorelai gestured to the wedding dress. "Well, the dress is new."
"What about the other three things?"
Lorelai finished with her mascara before she set it down and replied, "Well, I'm wearing this really ratty old pair of navy blue underwear that I borrowed from the woman down the street, so that should cover it."
Rory made a face. "You're so gross."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Forget I asked."
Lorelai smirked, then reached for her lipstick. She applied it, then put it away and stood up. "Okay, time for a bathroom break before I put the dress on. Be right back." Lorelai walked out of the room.
When she returned a few minutes later, Emily and Rory were both peering out the window.
"What's going on?" Lorelai asked.
Rory turned around and smiled. "The guys just got here."
Lorelai smiled. "The guys? As in. . .the guys in the wedding? As in. . . Luke?"
Rory nodded. "Looks like he didn't make a run for it, after all."
"Stupid him. He had the perfect chance." Lorelai started walking toward the window.
Rory held up her hands. "Whoa, what are you doing?"
"Move. I wanna see him," Lorelai said.
"You can't see him before the wedding, Lorelai," Emily replied, still staring out the window.
"No, he can't see me," Lorelai said. "I can see him all I want to."
Rory pushed her away from the window. "Unh uh, it works both ways."
Emily stepped back from the window. "You can't see him anymore anyway, he went under the tent."
Lorelai frowned. "Tsk, no fair."
"The moment when the bride and groom first see each other all dressed up is supposed to be a special moment," Rory said. "If you see him before that, it'll take away from the significance of the moment."
Lorelai sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not a patient person."
"I know." Rory patted her on the shoulder. "But you'll see him very soon."
Emily walked toward the door. "I'm going to go check on things downstairs, maybe mingle with the guests a little. I'll see you down there."
Lorelai nodded. "Yes, you will. I'll be the one by the cake."
Rory groaned. "Enough with the cake."
As Emily walked out of the room, Lorelai rubbed her hands together and smiled. "Okay, time for the dress."
. . .
Out in the front yard, Luke was standing under the tent talking to some of the wedding guests when he suddenly excused himself and walked over to Jess, who was sitting at one of the tables with Jill. "Time?" Luke asked.
Jess sighed. "Forty seconds after the last time you asked me. Why didn't you wear your own watch?"
"I forgot it upstairs," he replied. "And Lorelai's up there getting ready." He tapped his hands on his thighs as he glanced around the yard.
"What are you so nervous about?" Jess asked. "You think she's gonna skip out on you like she did to the last guy?"
"No, I'm not," he replied sharply. "I'm just. . .tired of waiting around, that's all."
A man with a camera walked up to Luke and one of them tapped him on the shoulder. "Luke?"
Surprised, Luke turned around. "Oh, hey Brian." He looked at Jess as he gestured to the man. "Jess, this is Brian, one of the cameramen."
"Yeah, the camera tipped me off," Jess replied. "Hey."
"Hi." Brian nodded toward him, then said to Luke, "I was hoping to get a few before shots. . .maybe with you and the groomsmen? Would that be okay?"
"Did you already take some of Lorelai?" Luke asked.
"Matt's about to go do that. He's loading up the other camera right now," Brian explained, pointing toward the porch where another cameraman was rummaging through a bag of equipment.
Luke glanced at the camera in Brian's hand, none too happy about having to pose for pictures, but he reluctantly muttered, "Yeah, all right. Just a couple."
. . .
Upstairs in the bedroom, Lorelai was now completely dressed, from her veil down to her shoes, and was staring at herself in the mirror. Rory stood behind her smiling. "It looks incredible, Mom, really," Rory said. "Luke's gonna die the minute he sees you."
"I hope not," Lorelai said. "If he dies before we're married, I won't get any of the insurance money." Lorelai turned around and smiled at Rory. "Okay, just about ready to head down there."
Rory clapped excitedly. "This is so exciting!" She reached up and hugged Lorelai. "I'm so happy for you."
"I know you are, thank you," Lorelai replied. She hugged her tighter. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Rory replied. She pulled back and smiled. "Ready to get married?"
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Let's go."
They walked out of the room and down the staircase. Sookie and Emily were standing in the living room, and they stared up at her as she walked down the steps.
Sookie gasped loudly. "Oh my God, you look amazing!" she gushed.
"Thanks, Sookie," Lorelai replied.
Emily smiled and nodded in agreement. "You look lovely, Lorelai. Simply lovely."
"Thanks, Mom."
"And you have perfect timing, too, because the cameraman's looking for you," Emily said. "He wants to take some shots of you with Sookie and Rory."
"Oh, okay. Where is he?" Lorelai asked.
"He'll be right in, he's loading the camera," Sookie said.
Lorelai nodded, and the four of them stood talking for a moment before the front door opened. They were expecting it to be the cameraman, but instead it was Richard who entered the living room. He stopped abruptly when he saw Lorelai, and his eyes widened.
"Dad, hi," Lorelai said.
"Lorelai," he replied with a nod. "Uh, you look. . .very nice."
Lorelai smiled. "Thank you."
The cameraman walked into the living room then, and Lorelai posed for pictures with her bridesmaids, with just Rory, and then with her parents, and by the time they were finished, it was time for the wedding ceremony to begin. The three of them in the wedding grabbed their bouquets, and as Emily walked outside to take her seat, Richard and the girls gathered by the front door.
Rory and Sookie both hugged Lorelai before they stepped out onto the porch. When they did, the DJ started the music, and the crowd watched as they made their way down the aisle. A red carpet directed them where to go, running across the front of the porch and down the side porch steps. It went behind half of the chairs that were set up between their house and Babette's, then turned right to go down the small aisle that separated the two sections of chairs. It ran down that aisle and stopped at the Chuppah on the side of the house, where Luke, Jess, John, and the priest were all gathered.
Inside, Lorelai glanced up at Richard, who was staring back down at her. She smiled a slightly nervous smile and said, "Hi. How's it going?"
"Just fine, thank you." Richard paused a moment, then added, "You know, you look stunning, Lorelai. Absolutely stunning."
Lorelai smiled and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you, Daddy."
Richard swallowed hard and nodded, giving her a small smile. Lorelai stared at the front door and waited for the music to pause, which was her cue to come out.
As they waited, Lorelai glanced down at her hand. "Oops, the ring." She moved her engagement ring to her right hand.
"Why are you doing that?" Richard asked.
"Well, when you wear both of them together, the wedding ring's supposed to go on your finger first," Lorelai explained. "And then you put the engagement ring on after it. So by moving it to the other hand ahead of time, I won't have to take the wedding ring off later to arrange them because it'll already be in the right spot. Understand?"
"Not really, but I'm perfectly fine with that," Richard replied.
Lorelai smiled. "Okay." She listened for a moment. "The music stopped."
"Yes, it did."
"That's our cue."
Richard reached for the door handle. "You ready?"
Lorelai nodded and linked her arm through his. Richard pulled open the doors, and they stepped onto the porch. The music started up again, and they followed the red carpet across the porch. When they reached the end of the porch, the crowd came into better view, and Lorelai saw that everyone was standing and had turned around to get a good look at her. She smiled at them as she and Richard followed the carpet down the porch steps and behind the row of chairs.
They paused when they reached the end of the aisle, and she stared straight ahead, getting her first glimpse of Luke standing across the yard under the chuppah. Lorelai smiled brightly as her heart started racing with excitement.
Luke had tried to see her as she was walking across the porch, but Richard was blocking his view, and all he saw was a flash of white. It was not until she appeared at the end of the aisle that he finally saw her.
He had thought about that moment, about what it would be like to see her in her wedding dress for the first time. He knew that she'd look beautiful – the woman looked incredible in a T-shirt and sweatpants, so he knew that there was no limit to how amazing she would look in a wedding dress.
But even realizing that ahead of time, it did not prepare him for the actual moment.
When she appeared at the end of the aisle, his eyes widened with amazement, and the anxious smile he'd had developed into a wide grin. "Oh my God," he muttered quietly to himself.
She was captivating. . .he wouldn't have been able to take his eyes off of her even if he had wanted to. Even from across the yard, she took his breath away, and as she ascended toward him down the aisle, he realized that she only became even more amazing up close.
He wasn't the only one who thought so. A murmur ran through the crowd as she walked by them, with everyone staring at her in awe.
As she approached him, standing there in his crisp black suit with his hands folded behind his back, she blocked out everyone else around her. She concentrated only on him, staring into his eyes; he stared back into hers until she was within a few feet of him. It was then that his gaze shifted from her eyes down to the dress, taking it all in, noting to himself how perfectly it accentuated her curves. As he brought his gaze back up to meet hers, she was still staring at him, smiling broadly, her arm still linked through Richard's.
They were so enamored with staring at each other that Lorelai didn't hear the words exchanged between Richard and the priest. It wasn't until Richard patted her on the arm that she realized that he had just given her away.
Lorelai shook herself out of her daze, and as she handed her bouquet to Sookie, Luke extended his hand toward her. She clasped onto it, then took a step forward and joined him under the chuppah.
Lorelai smiled at him. "Hi."
Luke was smiling back at her. "Hey."
"You clean up nice," she commented.
"Me? Look at. . ." Luke's eyes widened as he gestured to her dress. "That dress is. . . you look. . . wow. . ."
Lorelai glanced down at it and shrugged nonchalantly. "This old thing?"
The priest cleared his throat, and Lorelai and Luke both turned to face him. He began a speech about marriage. . .what it is, what it represents, how important it is. . .and while the bride and groom tried to listen, the occasional glances they kept sneaking at each other made them lose their concentration.
It wasn't until Reverend Nichols said, "And let us begin the vows," that they both realized it was probably a good time to pay attention. They turned to face each other, and they clasped both sets of their hands together.
The priest turned to Luke. "Do you Lucas, take Lorelai to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?"
Luke stared into Lorelai's eyes as he replied, "I do."
The sound of his voice sent a chill through Lorelai's body. It wasn't until she heard those two little words that the reality of the situation set in. The moment was finally there – they were only minutes away from being married. All the preparation, all the anxiety, all the anticipation. . .it was all for that moment.
As her emotions overwhelmed her, Lorelai swallowed hard as she felt tears forming in her eyes, and she quickly glanced toward the sky. She blinked a few times, trying to prevent them from running down her cheeks.
She brought her gaze back to Luke as the priest continued, "Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health?"
"I do," Luke replied.
Lorelai's lower lip quivered slightly as she smiled at him.
"And, forsaking all others, will you remain faithful only to her as long as you both shall live?
Luke smiled at her and gave her hands a squeeze. "I will."
That was all it took. A gentle squeeze of her hands was enough to make the tears begin to slowly stream down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and smiled at him as she tried to regain some control. The crowd intently watched on, and the appearance of Lorelai's tears sent many of the women reaching for their own Kleenexes.
The priest turned to Lorelai and repeated the same three questions, and smiling through her sniffles, she answered as Luke did.
The priest announced, "The rings, please."
As Luke turned around to retrieve the ring from Jess, Lorelai turned to Rory. Rory, her eyes red and her cheeks tear-stained, gave Lorelai a quick kiss on the cheek as she handed her the ring.
Lorelai and Luke turned back to each other and waited for the priest to continue.
"Lorelai, place the ring on his finger and repeat after me." The priest instructed her of what to say.
Lorelai placed the ring on Luke's finger, and repeated the priest's words exactly. "Lucas. . ." She paused momentarily to smirk at him, and Luke smiled. She continued, "I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have . . . I honor you."
After a repetition of the line from the Reverend, Luke took her hand into his. He cleared his throat and said, "Lorelai, I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you." As he pushed the ring up her finger, he smiled at her and laced his fingers through hers. Lorelai smiled at him and squeezed his hand tightly.
Reverend Nichols clasped his hands together. "Well, by the power vested in me by the state of Connecticut, I now pronounce you. . ."
Lorelai, Luke, and the rest of the guests all stared at the priest expectantly, waiting for the official declaration.
". . .husband and wife," he finished. He smiled at Luke and added, "You may kiss the bride."
Lorelai and Luke grinned at each other, then leaned forward and pressed their lips together. He pulled her into a hug, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as the crowd applauded.
Luke and Lorelai finally pulled apart from each other and shared one more kiss before they turned to face their guests. Lorelai glanced toward the rows of seats, and her eyes landed on her parents. Emily and Richard, standing in the front row, were both smiling proudly, and Emily was dabbing her eyes. Lorelai smiled to herself as Luke took her hand and led her down the aisle. As they passed the rows of seats, several people called out their congratulations and patted them on their arms.
When they reached the back of the seats, Luke and Lorelai turned around. The bridal party had been following them down the aisle, and Lorelai grinned when she saw Rory walking right toward her.
Lorelai held open her arms, and Rory walked right into them and hugged her tightly. "Congratulations, Mom," she whispered into her ear. Her voice was quivering, and it made Lorelai's tears start up again. She kissed Rory on the cheek and hugged her tighter.
When they pulled apart, Lorelai wiped her eyes. "Geez, they really need to put pockets in these things," she said, gesturing to the wedding dress. "There's nowhere to put any tissues."
Rory was wiping her own eyes as she replied, "I think you're supposed to stuff them down your bra."
Lorelai smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Right. I forgot." She glanced past her and saw Sookie waiting patiently, not wanting to interrupt the mother/daughter moment. "Sookie!"
Sookie giggled excitedly and stepped up to her. "You did it, honey!" They hugged tightly.
Lorelai pulled back and looked at Sookie's red eyes. "Oh man, you cried, too? Is there anyone here with dry eyes?"
Sookie shook her head. "Nope. I was watching the crowd, almost all of them were crying. I think I even saw Kirk fishing around his pocket for a tissue."
"Maybe he was just . . .uh, adjusting himself," Lorelai suggested. She suddenly shuddered and made a face. "Ew, did I really just say that about Kirk?"
Sookie giggled. "Yeah, make sure you don't shake his hand."
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Ew, that's so. . ." Her voice trailed off as she saw the wedding guests starting to file toward her. "Uh oh, gotta go greet the people."
She glanced over at Luke, who was a few feet away talking with Jess and John. She walked over and tapped him on the back. "Luke."
He turned around. "Yeah?"
She gestured toward the crowd. "This is where we have to stand together and smile and shake hands while people compliment us and tell us we look adorable together."
"Oh. . .right." Luke didn't look enthused by this, but he let her pull him back over to the end of the aisle. The bridal party stood a few feet away from them as part of the receiving line.
A line of guests had formed, and Miss Patty was at the front of it. She hugged both of them and gushed, "Oh my Goodness, everything was perfect! Lorelai, that dress is beautiful!"
"Thanks, Patty."
Patty patted Luke on the chest and said, "And you, my dear, should wear suits more often. They make you look yummier than usual, honey."
Luke stepped back from her and pointed toward the tent. "Okay, go find your seat and stay away from the alcohol."
Miss Patty winked at him and walked away, and the line continued. A few minutes later, Christopher and Sherry stepped up to them. Sherry politely congratulated them and moved on to talk to Rory, and Christopher stood smiling at Lorelai. "You were right – you do look great in that dress."
Lorelai smiled and glanced down at it. "See, I didn't lie."
He leaned forward and hugged her. "Congratulations, Lor."
Lorelai kissed him on the cheek as he pulled away. "Thank you. I'm glad you came."
"Yeah, me too." Christopher took a step over and uncomfortably extended a hand toward Luke. "Congratulations. . . you're a lucky guy."
Luke shook his hand. "Thanks." He glanced at Lorelai as he replied, "I know." Lorelai smiled at Luke as Christopher walked away.
Emily and Richard were next in line, and Lorelai smiled at them. "Mom, Dad, any complaints? Did the wedding meet all the regulations set forth in the Gilmore family book of wedding day standards?"
"Not even close," Emily replied, rolling her eyes slightly. She smiled and added, "But it was beautiful all the same."
"Yes, it was a very nice ceremony," Richard agreed. "And you still look stunning."
Lorelai smiled. "Thank you."
Richard shook Luke's hand. "And you don't look so bad yourself, there, Luke."
"Thank you, sir," Luke replied. "Thought it was a good occasion to dress up."
"Come on, Richard, let's keep the line moving and go see Rory," Emily said. She smiled at Lorelai. "We'll talk to you later."
Lorelai nodded, and as they walked away, she turned to Luke. "Oh, hey?"
"What?"
"I forgot to mock the fact that you're wearing a ring," Lorelai said. She pointed to it and sang, "Luke's wearing a ring, Luke's wearing a ring. . ."
Luke put his hand over her mouth. "Stop."
Lorelai pushed his hand away and smirked. "Okay, I'm done, sorry." She glanced toward the line, which was no longer a line but more like a muffled clump of people, and called, "Okay, who's next? The sooner we start eating, the sooner we'll get to the cake!"
. . .
To be continued. . .