Twirling around in front of the mirror, Gwen stared at her reflection with a nervous smile. She was excited yet nervous, unable to stop thinking about all of the things that could go wrong; what if she forgot her vows? Or tripped over her dress while walking? Or what if there was an objection? So many thoughts over what could go wrong that she could barely find the space to breathe. That, and she was finding her dress to be a little tighter than it had when she'd gone dress shopping with Aunt May.
A knock on the door brought her mind back to the room, she turned around to see May standing in the doorway and drew in a breath. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.
"Can I come in?" May asked.
"Uh- Yeah… Sure." Gwen stammered, swallowing hard.
Stepping into the room, May walked over to where Gwen was standing in front of the mirror and reached out with her hand, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Gwen smiled and turned back to her reflection in the mirror, locking her eyes on the bottom of the dress that swept the floor.
"Did I choose the wrong dress?" She wondered aloud.
"My dear, what on earth do you mean?" May questioned.
"Oh, nothing. Well… It's just that it feels a little tighter than it did two weeks ago. I'm sure it's nothing, perhaps they just mixed up the sizes, it doesn't hurt or anything so it's bearable." She explained.
"Perhaps that's it." May agreed.
"Give me your honest opinion… Does it look okay?" She asked.
"Ah, I think I see what's going on. You appear to just have a bad case of the jitters. Yes dear, it looks okay." May answered. "Beyond actually, you look stunning and in a few short moments it will be time to go out there and stun all your guests, and my nephew too." She added.
"Yeah I guess you're right." Gwen sighed, satisfied with her answer.
"Alright, now how do you feel?" May asked.
"Nervous. Excited. Happy… And a little sick, but I think that's just the anxiety." She answered honestly.
"Well, suck it up! Because it is time to begin." May informed her, checking her watch.
"Already?!" She exclaimed, a little surprised.
"Oh yeah." May confirmed.
Gwen turned back to the mirror, taking one last look at her dress; a floor length strapless pearly white gown with white netting protecting the silky layer of skirt underneath. Around her neck hung a blue lapis lazuli gemstone that had been gifted to her a few years back by her mother, and her hair was flowing loosely down her back with the sides held out of her face by a princess braid that was being held together by a headpiece embroidered with tiny diamonds and evenly spaced pearls.
She inhaled a breath. "I can do this." She told herself as she exhaled.
Turning to face the door once again, she glanced at May and took her outstretched arm, bracing herself for what came next. The most important part of the day, but also the most important day of her life. Slowly, the two exited the room and walked through the hall, out into the church garden, where everyone; all the guests, the musician and most importantly, Peter, were waiting. As soon as they aligned themselves with the aisle, the pianist began playing a smooth melody. Not the traditional music, but rather the instrumental to John Legend's song All of Me.
Gwen stared ahead at Peter, locking her eyes on his as she was led down the petal showered aisle at a steady pace by May. At last they reached the altar where May offered out Gwen's hand and Peter took it without hesitation. She stepped up the couple of steps that were in front and then turned so she was standing face to face with him, ready to move forward with the ceremony. He gave her a slightly shy smile, which she returned as her eyes lit up.
"Now then, shall we begin?" The priest asked, looking from Peter to Gwen and back again.
Peter nodded his head in approval, the smile not leaving his face as he prepared himself mentally for the commitment he was about to make. He glanced down briefly, ensuring that his standard black tuxedo suit with a red rose clipped to the jacket pocket was still intact, and refocused once he was satisfied with his appearance.
"Ah- uh… I believe Peter, you have written your own vows, is that correct?" The priest questioned.
"Yes." He answered.
"Right, well… Over to you then, Peter." The priest informed him.
Taking a deep breath, Peter exhaled slowly, rehearsing the words one last time in his head before beginning. "The first time I ever saw you; in the hallway at school, I fell in love. Not just because of those beautiful eyes or that stunning smile, but because there was something about you that drew me in. You were, and still are, different from all the rest of the mindless zombies that trudged into that place. I remember thinking at that moment how picture perfect you were, and so I put you into a photograph." He started, pausing to let his words sink in. "Aside from that, I also remember the first time we ever spoke and everything that followed. I remember you being the only person in that place to ever make me feel seen and to ask if I was okay after suffering a great loss." He continued, glancing over at an empty seat located besides his aunt May, picturing his Uncle Ben sitting there. "That was the day that I truly fell in love with you. Seeing your true self that day, I instantly knew that I had found my forever and always. So after everything that you have given to me, I wrote these vows to give something back to you; a promise… A promise to love you unconditionally, to be honest with you and loyal to you. A promise to stand by your side, no matter what crazy things life throws at us. I love you, Gwen Stacy. And I will always love you." He finished, taking another breath as he watched her bite her bottom lip as her eyes glossed over.
"Your turn, Gwen." The priest prompted.
Gwen blinked twice to allow her eyes to clear up and released her bottom lip from the grip of her teeth. "The day that we met, I thought that you were a complete goofball. You were awkwardly shy, but fun to be around. Back then you were sweet and funny, which is what drew me to you. And you still are sweet and funny. Though what I love most about you is how big your heart is. You're always putting others before yourself and making the most of even the worst situations. You've loved me when I wasn't worthy of that love, you've guided me through the most excruciating pain I've ever felt and you've taught me some valuable lessons in life, and I spent my past three weeks working on these vows, to promise you that I will love you the way you have loved me, for the rest of our lives. I will always be upfront and honest with you, even if the truth is hard to speak, and I will support you, no matter which path you take in life. It may have taken me time to fall in love with you, but now that I do, I can't stop. I don't want to. The truth is that you are my life now, Peter Parker. You've given me more than I could ever ask for, and have become my family after my own was cruelly taken. So I'm making this vow to love you, always and forever. For the rest of this life, and in the next." She declared.
"Okay, now Peter, after the following statement, you will be expected to give an answer. It is important that you answer honestly, alright?" The priest informed him.
Peter nodded.
"Do you, Peter Parker, take Gwen Stacy to be your wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"
Keeping his eyes on Gwen's and the smile on his face, he gave himself a minute to savour the moment and the happy glow of her cheeks. Never feeling more certain of anything before, he spoke. "I do."
"And do you, Gwen Stacy, take Peter Parker to be your husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do you part?"
Gwen stared back at Peter, unable to recall a time she'd seen him smile like that. She already knew her answer, there was never any hesitation as to what she would say. "I do." She choked.
"In the name of the Holy Spirit, I now solemnly declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." The priest concluded and stepped back.
Peter reached out and pulled Gwen close to him, pressing his lips against hers in a deep kiss. At that moment, time seemed to be non-existent and he couldn't be sure whether the kiss had lasted a minute or just a few seconds. He stepped back again, admiring the angelic glow she held as the pearly white dress brought out the peachy colour of her skin. He'd been waiting for this moment from the second he'd first laid eyes on her, and having his dream finally become a reality meant more to him than he could ever put into words.