AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the delay. I had writer's block and could only think of stories in Diana's timeline. I mean, hey, she's getting married. It's hard not to think about her wedding story. But anyway, over 200 views in this whole collection in June? To me, that's incredible! Thank you so much for reading all of these stories! And now, here's a little wedding planning. Oh! And we have a special guest!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," I only own Diana and Justine.

STORY #13: Red and Purple

STORIES OF REFERENCE: Pride and Justice (Ch. 3); Her Heart's Calling (Ch. 12)

NARRATOR: Tallulah

NOVEMBER 27, 2066 – TODAYLAND, NORTH MONTANA, USA

I heard my phone ringing after changing into a navy blue dress. I walked over to my dresser to find that my goddaughter was calling me, and I picked up the phone.

"Diana, hello!"

"Hi, Auntie Tallie!"

"How is Todayland's beautiful bride doing?"

"Auntie Tallie!" Diana exclaimed with laughter. "I'm not a bride yet! It's funny you mentioned that though, because that's why I'm calling you."

"You need me to make your dress?"

"I asked you that last summer."

"You did?" I asked, scratching my head.

"Auntie Tallie, I'm coming to Todayland for Christmas. At least tell me you have a design."

"I do, I do! It's back at the shop."

"Well, Berethor just graduated from the academy and is a pledged police officer."

"Well, good for him!" I replied excitedly. "Which district is he working in?"

"Jazz Town. He just started looking for an apartment there, and when we get married, I'll be moving in with him. IF I can, I mean."

"What do you mean?" I asked with worry.

"I'll be attending the academy after graduating high school, which could mean we'd spend the first five months of our marriage being away from each other. Maybe I should postpone our wedding—"

"Don't, Diana. You two should get married when you want to get married. And you both should follow your passions. How does Berethor feel about this?"

"He's always been encouraging me to go after what I want to do, just as I've encouraged him."

"Maybe you both can try to convince your leaders to have you stay with Berethor since you would be newlyweds," I suggested. "But enough about that. You said you called because you wanted to talk about your wedding. Talk away!"

"Well, we've come up with the color theme: red and purple," Diana explained. "Red represents Berethor's birthstone, the ruby, while purple represents mine: the amethyst. But, since my favorite color is red, we were thinking of having the bridesmaids and groomsmen wear red attire and the decorations can be purple. What do you think?"

"Do you remember that necklace your dad gave you? He gave you the necklace that has purple and red charms because of your birthstone and your favorite color. None of us knew that your future husband's birthstone was the ruby. You could wear that necklace to your wedding."

"I'm just now realizing this too after you said that!" Diana exclaimed. "Maybe it was foreshadowing?"

"Diana, no one knew what was going to happen," I assured her. "Your dad gave you the necklace with you in mind. Not Caleb, and certainly not Berethor since none of us knew him yet. But now that the necklace has even more meaning—"

"I'll take you up on that."

"Now, what were we talking about?"

"The bridesmaids' and groomsmen's suits."

"Oh! Right! What designs did you have in mind?"

"You'd have to ask Berethor about the groomsmen. Or you could ask Wesley since he's one of the groomsmen. As for the bridesmaids, I was thinking about designing the dresses like evening gowns, but one shoulder is strapless while the other shoulder will have a wide strap, kind of like those sashes in a beauty pageant."

"I think I understand what you're talking about. Are you and Berethor planning on getting married in the evening?"

"No! The reception maybe, but definitely not the wedding."

"Is there any way you can give me the names of the bridal party as well? Not only for my sake, but your mom's as well. Did you know your mom designed her own wedding invitations?"

"I didn't! That's a good idea! Alright, well, let me know when you're ready."

It didn't take me long to find my laptop, and I quickly opened it up to a blank document. I typed in Diana and Berethor's Wedding Party before pushing the enter button.

"I'm ready!"

"My maid of honor is Emma. My bridesmaids are Maria, Myra, Jade, Amy, and Amelia. All I know about Berethor's groomsmen is that his best man is Greg."

"You do you think his groomsmen will be?" I asked with curiosity.

"Well, I introduced him to some of my Westport friends who have attended Hollywood University about half an hour away from here, so maybe Ajay, Michael, and Rory will be part of that party? And I already mentioned Wesley."

"Oh, that's right! Let me write him down. At least I already have his measurements. Wait a minute, how did you manage to introduce Berethor to your friends?"

"Like normal people do, Auntie Tallie. Plus, I'm part of a band, remember? Ajay's our band manager while Michael and Rory are part of the band. Whenever we perform, there's always an afterparty in Pacific Bay, which I encourage Berethor to attend."

"Did you make money doing these concerts?"

"Yes, actually! Plus, with my working at Starbucks and Berethor working at Target and now the police department in Jazz Town, we're set with finances for our wedding."

"Will you still get the band together even after your wedding?"

"Of course! Until we can't do it anymore. All I know is that Rory and Amy plan to move to the big screen, but they're starting small with Broadway productions, so they might move back to New York… or they might stay here. Michael is doing an internship with a filming company, and he might be one of their videographers after that's over. We're all going to be busy after Amy graduates college."

"Especially you, I bet. Have you and Berethor talked about a family?"

"We both want a family, but Berethor is more enthusiastic about it than I am. Berethor's always wanted to be a dad. I haven't thought much about it after Caleb died, but I'm more open to motherhood now that I dreamed about my future daughter."

"Ooh, a daughter! Do you know what she looks like?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Diana answered with a laugh. "In my dream, she was a baby and she was so happy in her daddy's arms."

"Do you two have a name already?" I asked with amusement.

"Actually, when we played The Third Age a year ago, I really liked the name Idrial. Now, I don't know what it means, but while getting to know her character, she is mostly attuned to water, she is fierce with a sword, and she is gentle."

"That is a pretty name. Fierce but gentle. That sounds like someone I know."

"Who? Grandma Franny?"

"Actually, I was thinking about you. But yeah, your grandma does fit that description too. And so does your mom. It must run in the family."

I heard Diana laugh on the other line.

"I guess it does. Oh! Before I go, I should let you know: the whole wedding party will be coming to Todayland after Christmas so that they can try on their suits."

"I'll let the family know."

"What all do we know?" my twin brother Laszlo asked as we sat together in the living room.

"The big day for Diana and Berethor is June 11," Franny answered.

"The wedding will take place at my ranch," Justine Pride, Wilbur's friend from college, chimed in.

"And Justine, Diana and Berethor decided on a red and purple theme," I replied. "I'm sure you and Laszlo can come up with a setting with those two colors. Diana wanted the decorations to be purple since her wedding party's gowns will be red."

"Did Diana tell you she wanted her dress to be cowgirl-themed?" Justine asked.

"Yes, she did, and I have a design back at the shop."

"Don't tell her, but I have a white cowgirl hat that she can borrow."

"Oh my goodness, she'll love it!"

"Meanwhile, the reception will take place at Robinson Industries," Cornelius chimed in. "Justine, we could reuse those vases your dad made for my son's wedding."

"I have them, actually! My dad gave them to me for safekeeping."

"Are we thinking of a red and purple theme for the reception, too?" Laszlo asked.

"That's what Diana told me," I answered.

"So, who's the wedding planner?" Franny asked. "Maybe we should ask them what they think?"

"Ask your granddaughter," Cornelius answered. "Diana's planning the whole thing."

"I hope she's getting help!" Franny replied with surprise.

"From what she told me, Emma is her maid of honor," I explained. "And if I remember correctly, Maria helped her with planning high school dances before. Diana will be fine. Oh! And the entire wedding party is coming to Todayland to try on their gowns at my shop."

"How many people is that?" Art asked.

"How many bridesmaids and groomsmen will there be?" Cornelius asked.

"Six pairs," I answered.

"So that's fourteen people, including the bride and groom," Gaston said. "And there's Karena, Wilbur, and Wesley, too."

"Gaston, Wesley's part of the twelve people," I corrected him.

"So pretty much just Karena and Wilbur left," Franny replied. "So sixteen people are coming here."

"Twenty-two people in this house!" Gaston exclaimed. "How are we going to accommodate twenty-two people?"

"The biggest number we've had in this house is sixteen!" Art exclaimed after his brother.

"That's not true," Franny corrected them. "Remember Wilbur and Karena's wedding? We've housed more people in this house than we ever had, and that was about one hundred people! We'll make it work for twenty-two people. I know we can. So, what should we do?"

"We could host their bachelor and bachelorette parties while they're here," I suggested.

"No, that's too far away," Cornelius replied. "Karena and Wilbur had their parties at the perfect time because their wedding was under four months away. Diana and Berethor's wouldn't be for another six months."

"I think I have an idea," Franny chimed in. "Why don't Diana and her bridesmaids have their party here while Berethor and his groomsmen have their party in Westport? Wesley's still in high school, after all."

"Wait, I don't think that's a good idea," I replied. "One of Diana's bridesmaids is the groom's sister. How are we going to get her here from Pacific Bay?"

"Have her go with Diana?" Gaston suggested. "Diana's in Pacific Bay, too."

"And Amy is thirty minutes away from both of them," Carl finally chimed in.

"Why don't we pay for the girls to come here?" Franny suggested. "From both California and New York? We are hosting the reception after all."

"I like that, but what about the men?" I asked. "And we're talking about just having them try on their gowns, not the parties. Let's not worry about the parties until spring break, whenever that happens to be for Wesley, Diana, and Amelia."

"I think I have an idea for the parties," Carl chimed in, and we all looked at him. "On Diana's spring break, she can take Amelia and Amy with her to Westport and have their party there. And then on Wesley's spring break, he can fly to Pacific Bay and the guys can have their party over there."

"You'd have to ask Berethor and Greg when they're here," I replied. "But that's not bad. I'm sure Diana and Emma would approve your idea for them."

"Why don't we just book a hotel for the whole wedding party when they come in December?" Cornelius suggested, and we all agreed.

After Diana and Berethor sent me emails containing the measurements from the entire wedding party, I got right to work on the dresses and suits, and I also worked on Diana's dress and Berethor's suit. Emma had given me a call and expressed her desire to have her dress be similar to Diana's wedding dress, and I agreed. I also decided to make the two mothers their dresses, as well as Wilbur's gown.

Remembering my lesson from when I made dresses for Karena's wedding, I made customized hangers with everyone's names on them. It made my life as a middle-aged adult so much easier so that I could remember whose gown I was making.

Then, I looked around for some red chiffon fabric to start the girls' dresses. I made five bridesmaids dresses, each dress having a strap over the left shoulder, and the skirt went down to the ankles. I had made one dress a day.

The next week, I spent all week on Diana's wedding dress. Diana had expressed wanting an illusion neckline and wanting her dress to be cowgirl-themed. I had worked on a design before then with Justine's help, but then I thought of something better.

I created Diana's dress with an illusion neckline, and I added belt loops around the waist so that Diana could wear a silver belt or something of her choosing. I added some butterfly designs on the dress using rhinestones since I remembered her loving butterflies as a child. Her dress would just barely touch the ground, and her train would not be very long. But there was going to be flaring in her A-line dress whenever she danced so that her white cowboy boots would be seen.

The next week, I made Emma's dress. It was similar to Diana's dress because of the illusion neckline, but it was more similar to the bridesmaids' dresses because the dress was red. Then I got to work on the dresses for the two mothers: Karena and Sarah. Knowing Karena for almost thirty years, she was very much like her mother-in-law Franny. She loved to show her shoulders, but at the same time, she was stylish. I made her red tea dress and also made a red jacket in case she would choose to wear it. Berethor had explained to me that his mother had red hair, so I had to be smart in making her dress. I had wanted the groom to stand out, so I immediately thought of him wearing a purple vest instead of a red one. Because of that, I made his mother a purple dress in the same style as Karena's.

Then, I designed Berethor's gown. I decided to design his gown with the colors purple and white or silver. But I had trouble deciding how to design it, so I went home for the day. I spent the rest of the day watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy to get inspiration from the clothing every race had: the hobbits, elves, men, and even wizards. I paid close attention to the clothing that Merry, Aragorn, and Boromir wore throughout the trilogy, but I took note of Faramir's clothing as well.

I was able to make Berethor's gown the next day using purple as the primary color. I had combined the four characters' clothing inspirations to create the gown, and I was able to make Greg's gown, but with purple and red colors instead of the purple and silver I used on Berethor's. For the rest of the groomsmen, I designed their vests like Merry's, and they were also purple with red on them. Berethor's father did not need a gown, for he going to be the pastor leading the wedding. So my focus turned to Wilbur, Diana's father. I knew Wilbur hated wearing a suit because he always got hot wearing one. Then I remembered the day Wilbur got married, and he wore a green vest.

"Maybe I can get away with making him a red one," I thought out loud.

I designed Wilbur's red vest exactly the same way I designed his green one, and it did not take me long to make it.

By the time Christmas came around, I had finished all of the dresses and gowns while Laszlo finished drawing a design of what the venues for the ceremony and reception would look like. Franny and Cornelius went to the airport to pick up Diana from Pacific Bay and then Wilbur, Karena, and Wesley from Connecticut. The rest of the wedding party would join us later.

"Diana, come with me," I told her, and I led her to my flying car.

We flew out of the garage and into downtown Todayland before landing at my dress shop.

"Did you make my dress?" Diana asked with an excited smile on her face.

"I did! I get to show you something new today."

I led her through the shop and to the backroom where I had every single dress and gown hanging on the racks.

"I didn't know this was here!" Diana gasped in awe.

I watched her smile as she gazed around the room.

"This is where you, Berethor, and the party will try on their gowns, but since you're the bride, you get to try on your dress first. Unless you want to wait for your bridesmaids?"

"No, no! Please, let me try it on."

I searched for Diana's dress and followed her to the bathroom. She took off her pink dress and slipped her wedding dress on, and I helped her button the back of it.

"Are you ready to see yourself?" I asked, and Diana eagerly nodded.

I took her hands and led her out of the bathroom and onto the big round platform that was surrounded by mirrors on all the walls. I heard my goddaughter gasp as she twirled around, her dress having a ballroom effect.

"It's heavy, but it's so beautiful!" Diana said with a big smile on her face. "I love it!"

"Does it feel too tight or too light?" I asked.

"Maybe just a little loose. But otherwise, it's perfect."

"Do you want to see the bridesmaid dresses?"

"Please!"

I led Diana off the platform and showed her the dresses.

"This one here is Emma's," I showed her, touching the dress with the illusion neckline. "And then these are the other bridesmaid dresses."

"Auntie Tallie, as always, you've come through for us. I love them!"

"I've made the groomsmen gowns as well… and I've made Berethor's suit. I think you'll like what I did with them."

"Well, don't show me Berethor's. I want that to be a surprise. But I wouldn't mind seeing the others."

I led Diana to the other side of the room where the suits were hanging, and I showed her Greg's gown.

"Oh my goodness! This is… very interesting clothing."

"I had Berethor's interest in mind, but I had trouble coming up with a design, so I marathoned the Lord of the Rings trilogy for inspiration. At first, Merry's vest came to mind."

"The texture feels like what Merry's vest looked like," Diana replied in awe.

"Then Aragorn and Boromir came to mind. Aragorn has rough clothing on until The Return of the King while Boromir dies in The Fellowship of the Ring. So then I paid close attention to Faramir. I just absolutely loved his outfit when he comforts Eowyn in Minas Tirith. So that is what you see."

"Berethor will love it, because I certainly do," Diana said with a big smile on her face.

"I'm glad!" I replied enthusiastically. "I hope you're right about Berethor. Merry Christmas, Diana Robinson. Man, this is your last Christmas as a Robinson."

"Auntie Tallie, I was born a Robinson," Diana explained. "I will always be a Robinson at heart. Merry Christmas, Auntie Tallie."

We gave each other a hug, and we walked out of the shop while holding onto each other like we were best friends.