Here's the next part, the day of the ceremony…

Krista awoke well before the sun rose, unable to sleep any longer. She climbed out of bed and quietly padded into the kitchen, careful not to wake any of her still-sleeping bridesmaids. She pulled a box of cereal out of the cupboard and set it on the counter, grabbing a bowl and the milk she remember to pick up on the way back from the Harbor. When she turned back to the counter, she noticed the small box that had also made the trip back with her sitting next to the cereal box. Krista smiled, picking the delicate necklace up and running a finger over it.

"That looks new," her sister-in-law said quietly, coming into the kitchen.

Krista looked up, startled. "Oh, Elizabeth, you scared me." She put the necklace back in the box.

"So…where did it come from," Elizabeth asked with a sly smile.

"Just something Rizzo gave me that I thought I'd wear today," Krista replied.

"When did he give it to you? Your birthday's in August…"

Krista blinked sleepily. "I don't remember, Elizabeth, I just wanted to wear it."

"You saw him last night, didn't you?" Elizabeth winked.

Krista smiled a little, and Elizabeth laughed quietly.

"Your brother and I did the same thing the night before our wedding," she said. "Our families were driving us nuts, so we both snuck out and went to this little park."

"I couldn't help it," Krista said, her smile broadening. "When he called, I had to go see him. The necklace is my wedding present."

Elizabeth smiled. "Your 'something new'?"

"Yeah."

The other girls began waking up slowly and taking turns in the bathroom. Eventually everyone was ready, and they set out to run the last few errands before the wedding. They began at the hair salon, sitting and sometimes wincing as hair was curled, put up, and sprayed. Krista, wearing one of Rizzo's button-down shirts, was the last to be finished. She looked in the mirror as the hairdresser pinned her veil in place.

"Not bad," she smiled.

"Rizzo's going to faint when he sees you," Liv, her former roommate, told her.

Krista laughed. "I don't even have the dress on yet!"

"Wait 'till you do…"

"Speaking of dresses, we need to pick ours up," Sandy, Krista's co-worker at the bar in Minnesota, reminded them.

"Okay, that's where we'll go next."

Since Krista had no room in her apartment, and most of her bridesmaids were from out of town, Rizzo's mother had offered to keep the dresses at their house, so the girls headed there. When Mrs. Eruzione answered the door and saw Krista in her veil, she started to tear up.

"You look so beautiful," she told Krista.

Krista smiled and hugged her. "It's too early to be crying already!"

"I know, I know…I'm just so happy for the two of you," Mrs. Eruzione sniffed.

Krista hugged her again. "I know you are, and I'm glad you're happy. I'm pretty happy, too," she winked.

Mrs. Eruzione laughed. "Good. Let me get the dresses for you…" She left the room and came back with seven bridesmaids dresses. "Here are these…" She left again and returned with Krista's wedding dress. "And here's yours, dear." She handed the dress over and dabbed at her eyes again.

Krista squeezed her shoulder. "You'll be there while we're getting ready, right?"

Rizzo's mother smiled. "Of course I will."

Krista hugged her one more time. "Okay, we've got a few more stops to make, so we'll meet you there."

Krista and the bridesmaids left the Eruzione house and piled into the car.

"Okay, it's 10:00 now," Elizabeth said. "The flower shop should be open."

When they pulled into the parking lot, the flower shop was indeed open, and had their order ready and waiting. Krista's youngest sister Maria pulled one of the bouquets from its wrapping. It was a simple arrangement of white roses that had just the faintest hint of indigo coloring, bunched together and tied with a ribbon the same shade as the dresses.

"Very nice," Maria commented. "What does yours look like?"

"I don't know, let's see…" They opened the wrapping on Krista's bouquet, and found a larger arrangement of red roses tied in the same manner with a white bow.

Gail Schneider laughed when she saw them. "Do you realize that when all seven of us are standing with you we're going to be red, white, and blue?"

Krista grinned. "They're good colors, aren't they?"

"All right," Isabel said, coming over. "We have one more stop to make before we head over to the church."

"And where is that?" Krista asked.

"We need mints," Isabel smiled. "…can't have you kissing Mikey with bad breath."

The girls all laughed, but they did stop at a supermarket before continuing on to the church, where Father O'Malley was waiting for them.

"Hello Krista," he said, hugging her gently as she came through the door.

"Hi Father," she replied, hugging him back. "Ready for this?"

He laughed. "I was just going to ask you the same thing."

"I'm ready," she smiled. "Have you seen my fiancé yet?"

"I spoke with him on the phone earlier this morning. Michael sounded very excited."

Krista smiled again. In her mind she could see his brown eyes and bright smile, and couldn't wait to meet him at the altar. "Well when he gets here, give him a kiss for me."

Father O'Malley chuckled. "I'll leave that to you, dear. In the meantime, you ladies can get ready right through here." He led the girls down the hall and into a large room. "When the gentlemen arrive, they'll be down the other hall, so you won't have to worry about seeing the groom too soon."

"Thank you, Father," Krista told him. "We'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay," Krista's oldest sister Ana said, "let's get you dressed." She sat Krista on a chair while Liv brought over various articles of makeup. The other five girls were running around getting each other ready as well, and the room became very chaotic. At the end of it, though, there were seven young women, hair and makeup done to perfection, standing in royal blue floor length dresses with flowing skirts, and one blushing bride complete with veil and red roses in her hair.

"Wow, you guys clean up pretty well" Krista said smiling. "How'd I turn out?"

Elizabeth started to get misty. "I can't believe my little sister-in-law is getting married…"

Mrs. Eruzione poked her head into the room and immediately started to weep walking over to Krista. Gail and Sandy even dabbed at their eyes, trying not to smear their makeup.

"What's with you guys?" Krista asked. "You hardly ever cry…"

"We've been waiting for this day for two years," Sandy laughed through her tears. "Since the first time Rizzo walked into the bar…"

"And now it's happening…" Gail continued.

"And you look so beautiful!" Mrs. Eruzione finished.

Krista laughed at her friends and family. "I love you guys so much!" She told them. "Come here…group hug!"

All nine women slid arms around each other and shared a giant hug.

Father O'Malley knocked on the door and poked his head in. "Ready ladies?"

The girls all looked at Krista.

She smiled broadly. "Yep."

They moved out into the lobby of the church where the groomsmen were waiting, and got themselves lined up. Mrs. Eruzione headed back to her seat, and Rizzo was already standing at the altar with his best man.

Krista's brother Tim came over and offered his arm to his little sister. "All set?"

Her hand touched her hair, her cheek, and her throat. "My necklace…"

"What?" Tim asked.

"My snowflake necklace is still in the room with our stuff. I need it!"

"I'll get it," Gail said, heading off. She returned quickly with a familiar box.

Tim helped Krista put the necklace on. "You look beautiful," he told her quietly, kissing her forehead.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"Need anything else?" Tim asked.

"Just my husband," she grinned. "Let's get this show on the road…"