A/N: As many of you have noticed, I have another fic right now. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 is a history-fanfic mashup where Tris and some other characters from Divergent face the Great Chicago Fire, which happened 149 years ago tonight. I enjoyed learning more about that historic event and the era in which it occurred.
Great Chicago Fire and Email Hoax both have Pinterest boards, and this wedding chapter is the perfect time to check them out! - Libby
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By the time everyone left for the civil ceremony at the county hall, Tris' cheeks ached from smiling for the cameras. The three photographers had taken pictures of the bride, the groom, the bride and groom together, the bride and groom together and separately with each of their friends, with Tris' parents, and with the entire group that flew in from America. They took pictures of the couple with their attendants, and with the ring bearer and flower girl, Edon and Destiny. They took pictures on the cliff overlooking the Adriatic, where Tris and Tobias had done their engagement photos. They took pictures on the front steps of the house, by the fountain, on the terrace, and on the grand staircase in the living room. One of the photographers even used a drone to get overhead shots of the big group and of the estate.
The parade of cars from Tris' arrival party - plus a few more vehicles to accommodate those who hadn't come to the airport - drove the party to the county hall. Again the trip was filled with joyous noise as the parade slowly wound its way through the village. Car horns honked, people came out to cheer and wave, and music blasted out of each vehicle's speakers. The bride and groom were in the lead car this time, a limousine they shared with Leka and his wife Elia, and they smiled and waved at people all the way through the local village and around the next municipality before stopping at the courthouse.
At the county hall, their group of photographers was waiting, and Tris noticed that several other photographers and a crowd of interested gawkers had gathered.
"Paparazzi?" Tris asked.
"They're not too bad," Tobias assured her. "This isn't Hollywood."
Leka and Elia nodded in agreement, and Tris sighed as she resigned herself to the attention.
When the car stopped, Amar opened the door, and the Crown Prince and Princess climbed out first. Tobias gave them a minute to greet the crowd and head up the stairs before he moved to exit the vehicle.
"Just smile and wave," he encouraged his bride. "You look beautiful."
Tris followed Tobias' lead. She stepped out of the car, took his arm, and smiled up at him before engaging with the crowd. As they climbed the stairs to the main entrance, they waved and smiled at the assembled well-wishers. At their own photographer's urging, they stopped halfway up the stairs to turn and pose for a few pictures. The interaction with the press and crowd was painless, but Tris still breathed a sigh of relief when they were safely behind closed doors.
The rest of their party followed as they were dropped off car by car. The photographer caught each person, couple, or family, and snapped pictures of them on the stairs as they made their way inside.
Once they were all in the courthouse, Sasha and Amar led everyone to the room where the civil ceremony was to take place. The guests found their seats and eagerly looked around the room, noting the similarities and differences between the Albanian courtroom and chambers in their own countries.
The marriage ceremony was brief. Andrew walked his daughter to the front of the room where Tobias stood with Leka and Tori. Though Christina was Tris' maid of honor, they had opted to have Tori be the one to participate in the legal ceremony since it would be conducted in Albanian, and because she was a citizen there.
Tris was nervous. She wasn't sure if her Albanian language skills would be enough to get through the civil ceremony, or if she would need a translator. Tobias, Amar, and Rebekah had reminded her repeatedly that they would be right there to help if she needed it, but she really wanted to do it on her own. Tris and Rebekah had practiced extensively, even watching videos of Albanian weddings so Tris could hear other people saying the words and practice her responses.
At one point, Tori did have to whisper some assistance, but overall Tris handled the language very well, and was quite proud of herself. When the right words were said and papers signed by the right people, the magistrate declared them husband and wife. Tobias kissed his wife, and the room erupted in cheers and applause.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the official said in careful and heavily accented English, "Mr. Tobias Marcus Eaton the fourth and Beatrice Grace Eaton."
Tobias kissed the bride a second time, just because he wanted to and because he liked the sound of Tris' new name.
Another round of pictures and another noisy parade through the village later, they were back at the estate. "Welcome home, Mrs. Eaton," Tobias said as he helped Tris out of the limo. They waited by the fountain as everyone unloaded from the cars, then Tobias dipped his bride and kissed her deeply while their friends cheered and cat-called.
The couple ran up the stairs together, and Tobias swept Tris into his arms, enormous dress and all, and carried her into the house while she squealed with laughter and held on tight around his neck.
Everyone stayed in their formal attire for lunch and cake under the big tent in the backyard. The tent was set up with round tables, and the guests had assigned seats. Everything was stunningly beautiful. There was a solid laminate floor, and soft fabric buntings, real table linens that draped to the floor, and gold cane chairs, which made the space feel far more permanent and formal than a tent in the backyard.
Tris and Tobias sat at the head table with Natalie, Andrew, Leka, and Elia. The wedding party and their spouses or dates sat at the tables nearest them, and their other friends, family, and household staff were at the tables beyond them. A four-piece musical ensemble was set up at the far end, playing upbeat but quiet background music.
The tables were set with pure white linens and china, crystal stemware, and gold-colored flatware. There were stunning pink floral arrangements on every table - the tall and short ones Tobias had agonized over - and the most beautiful cake Tris had ever seen was on display near the head table. It had four large layers, and each was done in a different design of rose pink, champagne gold, or white. Real pink and white flowers twisted around the outside of the confection, and a gold filigree letter E sat on top.
Uniformed servers brought chilled plates of green salad with blackberry vinaigrette dressing and goat cheese medallions, then warm plates of salmon in a creamy white sauce, a rice side dish, and perfectly steamed asparagus. Bread was available on every table, and everything was fresh, well-prepared, and delicious.
"Sasha has outdone herself," Tris told her husband. "I have never been to a wedding with food this good. Last night's party, this morning's rolls, this luncheon, the cake - it's all amazing. Well, the cake looks amazing. I can't wait to taste it."
"And they were each different caterers," Tobias explained. "I asked her to hire smaller, local caterers when possible, and to spread the work around so no one would be overwhelmed by the job and several small businesses could get work. Plus, if we wanted one company to handle everything we would have needed to hire a big company from the city, and they probably would have needed to bring in trailers as a mobile kitchen or something."
"You're so wise," Tris said, kissing Tobias on the cheek.
"That's why I knew to marry you," he replied cheekily, returning the kiss. "Best decision of my life."
After lunch, the couple cut the cake and fed each other small bites, then one of the bakery staff sliced and served one of the smaller layers to the guests under the tent. The larger layers would be sliced up and served at the big evening reception, along with baklava and an assortment of other desserts and goodies.
Tris was pleased to discover that the cake was as delicious as it was beautiful. The layer they ate at the luncheon was white cake with blackberry filling and white buttercream frosting. Tobias told her that the other layers were white with lemon, white with raspberry, and the big layer was chocolate. She hoped to get a chance to taste a bite of each of them that evening.
When the luncheon was over, everyone had a short break before their next costume change. The guys congregated in the den, and the women ended up in the living room. Tris dragged Christina up to the master suite to help her out of her wedding dress. It took some doing, but Christina freed the bride from her big, heavy dress, then took it back to the staging room for the staff to take care of it properly. Tris locked the bedroom door behind her best friend, dug her noise-canceling headphones out of the bedside table, set an alarm on her phone so she wouldn't lose track of time, and filled the bathtub.
She was just about to step into the big stone tub when a sudden movement in the doorway startled her.
"Tobias!" she shrieked, ripping off the headphones as she recognized her new husband.
Tobias laughed, but sobered quickly when Tris burst into tears.
"Are you alright?" he asked as he scooped his naked, sobbing wife into his arms. She hadn't fallen or anything, but he worried that she'd banged her knee or something on the unyielding stone.
"You scared the shit out of me!" Tris exclaimed angrily.
Tobias laughed again. "It's not my fault you had your headphones on," he declared.
"I didn't expect anyone since I locked the door," she replied.
"We've only been married for a couple hours and you're already locking me out of the bedroom," Tobias fake pouted.
"A lot of good it did me," Tris teased back as she relaxed and started to giggle. "I just wanted to relax for a bit. I thought you were in the den with the guys."
"I'd rather spend my wedding day with my beautiful wife," Tobias said. "My beautiful, naked wife. Who, it just so happens, was alone behind a locked door."
"Well, how do you feel about a bath?" Tris offered. "I only have about an hour before I'm due in the salon chair again."
"I'd like to have more than an hour, but I can work with that," Tobias said in a low, sultry tone as he ran his large hands softly up and down Tris' bare back. "After all, we'll have plenty of time on our honeymoon this week."
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Tris was feeling much more relaxed when she climbed back into the stylists' chair for her next prep session and costume change. This time she would be dressing for the evening reception in a strapless, floor-length white dress with a twist and drape detail similar to the one on her groom's day cocktail dress. It was made by the same designer who created her wedding gown, and had originally included a huge fabric rose at the hip. Tris thought the rose, which was roughly the size of a pizza, was a bit much, so she'd asked the designer to amend it. He complied, replacing the giant white rose with three smaller pink ones. The dress was free of irritating sequins or fluff, and would move and breathe comfortably for the long night of dancing, hugging, and partying.
The stylists retouched Tris' updo, now sans veil, and redid her makeup. They checked her fingernail polish and helped her change clothes and jewelry.
Tobias also changed clothes. He had worn a grey suit that was formal and rather British in style for the morning pictures, ceremony, and luncheon. For the evening party he wore dark grey slacks, a white dress shirt, and a pink printed tie that matched the roses on Tris' dress - and everything else about the wedding.
Once they were ready, they posed for another round of photos. Some of their friends stayed in the same clothes, like Tris' bridesmaids, who continued to wear their strapless pink cocktail dresses but traded their heels for more comfortable shoes. Others changed, like Natalie, who traded her pink and silver filigree dress for a simpler sleeveless sheath that was pearly white on top and rose pink on the bottom. Most of the men removed their jackets and loosened their ties or abandoned them altogether.
Hundreds of people filtered in and out of the Eaton house that night. Guests congregated under the tent, where the tables had been removed in favor of a dance floor, and a local band provided the music. The bride's dowry was no longer on display in the dining room. Instead, a buffet was set up, and caterers passed between the kitchen and dining room all night, refilling the chafing dishes and platters. Other snack stations were set up in the den, where two bartenders served drinks, and beside the pool house, where a bar had been brought in for the night. There were bottled water stations scattered here and there for guests who didn't want alcohol, and servers with trays of pink champagne in glass flutes circulated through the crowd. Cake was served on the terrace, and people walked around eating and drinking throughout the house and grounds.
All throughout the house and grounds, pink and white flower arrangements were displayed. The buffet was served with clear glass plates and rose pink paper napkins embossed with a soft gold letter E. Lighted decorations and pink water lilies floated in the swimming pool.
The only areas that were off limits to guests were Tobias' private study, which was locked, and the upstairs, which was watched by a security guard who had the very easy job of sitting in a chair and only allowing the guests staying in the house to come up.
Tris clung to Tobias' arm throughout the night. They greeted everyone, posed for pictures with friends and acquaintances, and nibbled on some of the decadent food. They thanked each worker they encountered and passed along compliments and recommendations about the caterers, bakers, and help.
Eric really did wear his kilt to their wedding, and he kept it on for the reception as well. Tris saw Marlene ask him about it, then watched her blush furiously when the scotsman offered to show her what was underneath. Lauren smacked at her husband, who laughed heartily at the girls.
Tris danced with Tobias, then danced with her dad while Tobias danced with Natalie. Once the couple was out on the dance floor, it was hard for them to get away. Albanians love a good wedding dance, and Tris' American friends and other foreign visitors got into it as well. Tris grinned when she saw Jorik, the assistant groundskeeper, ask Rebekah for a dance, and wondered if there was a budding romance there.
Showering the band with cash was a traditional Albanian wedding practice, and Tris and Tobias' wedding was no exception. Tris found herself getting a bit emotional when she saw the mixture of Albanian Lek, Euros, and American Dollars littering the floor around the band. Theirs was a truly international wedding and an international life.
The couple laughed when they saw Edon and Destiny having a good time on the dance floor together. "Apparently 'Let's go' is all the English you need to get a girl to dance with you," Tobias said to his wife as he pointed them out.
The party went well into the night. Just before midnight an announcement was made that it was last call for drinks, and there would be fireworks on the back lawn at the stroke of twelve. Those who were still there grabbed glasses of champagne and hurried out to the yard to find a place. At midnight, Tobias grabbed a microphone and addressed the remaining guests.
"Tris and I want to thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us," he said in English, then repeated his greeting in Albanian. "For most of my life I didn't think I would meet a woman that I wanted to marry. One day I sent an email to a foundation in Chicago, and I got a very kind and sweet response that helped me through a difficult time in my life. When I had business in Chicago some years later, I decided to look up the woman who helped me. Amar found out where she lived, and he drove me to her house. I thought she was going to be older, but when the door opened, this beautiful young woman was there, and I fell in love."
"Don't lie," Tris said, stepping up beside him and taking the microphone. "I thought it was a joke," she said, and Tobias helped her repeat the words in Albanian. "I was wearing pajamas and my hair was in a messy bun. I looked terrible."
"You never look terrible," Tobias pulled the mic away from her to argue.
"I looked terrible," Tris repeated, pulling the microphone back. "I thought it was a joke, and I shut the door in his face."
"Fortunately I'm very stubborn," Tobias said.
"Yes," Tris agreed. "He sent me flowers and invited me to dinner."
"She agreed to have dinner with me," Tobias added, continuing to translate each line as they talked. "I have been in love with her ever since. Beatrice, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you."
"I love you too," Tris said.
"Last summer I brought Tris home to Albania," Tobias continued. "And one night, with help from Amar, George, Tori, and Jorik, we had a show of pink fireworks right here on the lawn, and I got down on one knee and asked Tris to marry me. Pink is Tris' favorite color, so we found pink fireworks, and celebrated with pink champagne. That's why we're doing the same thing tonight."
When he finished repeating his words in Albanian, Tobias put down the microphone, and the fireworks show began. The newlyweds kissed as the sky lit with pink and gold sparkles. The guests oohed and aahed, sipped their champagne, and exchanged a few kisses with their own loved ones.
When the show ended, the photographers asked the couple for a few more quick photos. They'd captured some great shots of the fireworks, and they wanted a few of Tris and Tobias in the dark so they could edit them together and have pictures of the couple standing in front of the fireworks display. Tris loved the idea and happily posed for a few more shots.
The buffet was gone after the fireworks and the bars were closed up. The band didn't start playing again, and the tent stayed dark, so the wedding guests got the hint and headed home.
Tris was dead on her feet when she and Tobias finally made their escape to the master suite. They locked the door, stripped down, took a quick shower, and passed out with smiles on their faces.