Author's note: FINALLY IT'S WEDDING TIME!
Saturday 1st of February
Today was the day. The big day. Their wedding day.
Santana was feeling nervous. Really nervous. This was the biggest day of her life so far. It was the day where she made Brittany hers forever. After years of build up, the day was finally here.
The knots in her stomach were a mixture of nerves and excitement. There was so much that could wrong: she could trip, spill something on her dress, an embarrassing speech from her maid of honour, just to name a few. But then she remembered that even if everything went wrong, Brittany would still be her wife by the end of the day. That fact alone made all the nerves worth it.
"Ready?" Quinn asked softly. She stood behind the bride in the mirror and made eye contact.
"Ready." Santana confirmed.
Quinn walked her to the top of the aisle and gave her arm to her father - Raphael Lopez. She smiled and winked at her best friend before opening the doors and taking the first step down the aisle.
"Ready?" Mike asked Brittany as the audience went silent. The doors opened and the opening violin melody of 'At Last' played.
"Ready." Brittany confirmed. She shook her hands around anxiously before settling in place at the bottom of the aisle.
As Mercedes started to sing, Quinn walked down the aisle. She was the only bridesmaid. Zoe walked down next dropping petals out of her basket.
When the two previous girls had stood by Brittany in their position, the other bride approached them.
Santana was perfect. She walked slowly towards the love of her life with the biggest smile she had ever worn. Her white dress contrasted against her tan skin. Her dark hair fell over her bare shoulders in an angelic way.
Brittany's breath was taken away. She didn't want to blink so she could appreciate every second of her bride's beauty. A small tear escaped her eye which she delicately wiped away.
Santana arrived and stood opposite her bride. They both just stood there for a minute, smiling. It was already the happiest day of their lives. They both felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
"Welcome, friends, family and loved ones." Burt Hummel began. He was chosen to officiate the ceremony. "We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Brittany and Santana. You have come here to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Brittany and Santana to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them."
"Before we get to the fun stuff are there any objections?" Burt asked. Everyone held their breath in anticipation. "Good." Burt continued after no one objected. "Will everyone please rise." Everyone stood up.
"Will you, Brittany, take this woman to be your wedded wife?" Burt asked.
"I will." Brittany replied.
"Will you, Santana, take this woman to be your wedded wife?" Burt asked again.
"I will." Santana replied.
"Will you who are present here today, surround Brittany and Santana in love, offering them the joys of your friendship and supporting them in their marriage?" He asked.
"We will." The congregation spoke in unison.
"You may be seated." Burt said. They all sat down.
"We've come to the point of your ceremony where you're going to say your vows to one another. Brittany, you may go first."
Brittany pulled out a little sheet of paper and took a deep breath. She smiled at the woman who stood opposite her before starting to speak. "Santana, the first time I saw you I knew I would marry you. You stood there in my house with your signature scowl on your face. When you made eye contact with me, your whole appearance softened, then you smiled. From the moment I saw that smile I knew I wanted to see it everyday for the rest of my life. I vow to honour and respect you for all that you are and will become, taking pride in who we are, both separately and together. I will join with you and our community in an ongoing struggle to create a world we all want to live in, where love and friendship will be recognised and celebrated in all their many forms. Above all, I will give you my love freely and unconditionally. I pledge this to you from the bottom of my heart, for all the days of our lives."
By the time Brittany finished her vows, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Santana had tears streaming down her cheeks (tears of happiness of course) and the biggest smile Brittany had ever seen.
Then Santana said her vows. "Brittany, I love you. I've always loved you and always will. Before you moved to Lima I was lost, I always knew a part of me was missing. Then I met you and I felt like a puzzle that had been completed. Not only were you the girl next door, you were my best friend, and the girl I fell in love with. Brittany, I love your laugh, your smile, your caring nature and that face you make when something is cute. As we continue to grow in our lives together, I promise to pick you up if you are down, to love you unconditionally, to lay my bare skin on you when need it most, to care for you and our families for as long as we live, to adventure with you always, to say I love you before falling asleep each night, to be the best mom I can be as we grow a family together, and to always know in the deepest part of my soul, that when challenges arise we will always find our way back to one another. I love you."
Brittany was crying too. Their words were so emotional and honest that they moved everyone.
"Thank you, that was beautiful." Burt told the brides. "May I have the rings?"
Zoe walked to Burt holding a pillow with two rings attached. The couple had chosen them together a few weeks ago.
"Thank you." Burt told the young girl with a wink. The brides picked up their rings and Zoe walked back to her seat.
"Repeat after me." Burt instructed. "I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you."
"I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you." Brittany repeated as she took Santana's hand in her own and slid the ring onto Santana's finger.
"I give you this ring, as a daily reminder of my love for you." Santana said as she put her ring on Brittany's finger. The couple smiled at each other.
"By the power of your love and commitment, and the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and wife! You may kiss each other!" Burt finished.
Brittany and Santana softly grabbed each other's faces and made their marriage official. This was a different kind of kiss. This kiss wasn't rushed. It was slow and they both appreciated the importance of it. They felt the flash of a camera on their face and broke apart. They held hands tightly and smiled at their loved ones who sat in front of them.
The wedding reception started off great. Everyone took their seats at the carefully planned arrangement and chatted with their friends and family.
On a table at the front sat Brittany, Santana, Quinn and Mike. The champagne was being poured and the atmosphere was buzzing.
Quinn stood up and tapped her champagne flute with her fork, drawing everyone's attention to her.
"I think it's time for my speech." She announced.
"For anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Quinn Fabray and I'm Santana's maid of honour." She began. "I've known Santana since we were 8 years old. We met in the school playground during recess. I ran past her and bumped her shoulder. She began to curse at me in a mixture of English and Spanish. She shouted 'I'm about to go all Lima Heights!' In my face." Quinn did an impression of a little Santana, making everyone laugh. "I just laughed. I didn't know what to do. Every other kid was scared of the tiny Latina but she made me laugh. When Santana realised I had guts, she befriended me. We ruled the school for years, hallways would part like the Red Sea when we walked down them. Then in middle school Santana told me she was gay. It took me a moment to process but it didn't change my opinion of her and we became even closer."
Santana smiled at her best friend. "Then in junior year of high school a new girl moved to Lima." Quinn continued. "Her name was Brittany and she moved next door to my best friend. I was scared that I would lose Santana and she would find a new best friend. But she didn't. She found something much better. When I saw the two together for the first time I hoped that one day I would find a love as strong as theirs. I had never seen two people so sure of their feelings for each other and that is still true today. In our senior year I discovered my own sexuality and started dating Rachel. Brittany and Santana helped me realise that this is a part of me that I should love and share with the world. I love Rachel and I know I wouldn't be here, feeling this happy if it wasn't for Brittany and Santana. So if you'll join me in a toast: to Brittany and Santana: the newlyweds."
"To Brittany and Santana!" Everyone repeated. They took a sip of their champagne.
"Thanks Q." Santana whispered as the blonde sat back down. "I love you." Quinn smiled in return.
"My turn." Mike began. "I'm Mike Chang, Brittany's best man." He introduced. "I first met Britt in high school. I was dancing in the gym which was empty. I had bunked off math to practice. I was interrupted by this tall blonde girl, I was so nervous, I thought she was going to snitch on me but instead she said 'nice moves, mind if I join?'." Everyone laughed. "I asked her why she wasn't in her class. She told me - very honestly- that she had been making out with her girlfriend in the janitors closet. I was confused and a little scared of her but then she started dancing and I knew we would be friends. We still dance together, everyday, at her studio and now I have my dream job of teaching kids to dance. Brittany is my best friend and I'm honoured to be here today. The love she has for Santana is almost unbelievable and her face lights up when the girl walks into the room. To Brittany and Santana." He toasted.
"To Brittany and Santana!" Everyone cheered again. Mike and Brittany shared a smile. The speeches were perfect.
After speeches it was time for their first dance.
"Introducing, for the first time, Mrs and Mrs Lopez-Pierce." Mike spoke into the microphone.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day." Mercedes began to sing. The couple had chosen the song 'my girl' by The Temptations for their first dance.
They held each other close and began to move around the dance floor, swaying side to side. Their dresses flowing behind them.
"I can't believe you're mine." Brittany whispered in her wife's ear.
"And you're mine." Santana added. "It's been perfect. This is the best day of my life."
"Mine too." They danced in silence, soaking up their excitement from the day. They were content being held in each other's arms.
Their song had finished and all the other couples joined them to dance. They loved being surrounded by their parents, best friends, cousins, work colleagues and many more, all celebrating love.
"Time to cut the cake." Quinn announced after a few more dances. The couple walked over to the giant cake. Santana grabbed the knife and Brittany gently placed her hand over the tanned one. Together they cut the first slice. Brittany took a bite before feeding Santana a bite. They both indulged in the chocolate orange taste that danced on their tongues.
The caterers sliced up the cake and passed out a piece to each guest.
After a couple more hours of fun, the limo arrived outside the hotel, ready to take them to JFK airport for their flight to Mexico.
The guests lined up on the sidewalk outside and threw flowers over the couple. They waved goodbye and blew kisses.
Brittany and Santana sat down in the limo. Their driver closed the door behind them.
"Are you ready to start the rest of our lives?" Brittany asked.
"I've never been more ready for anything." Santana replied.
They smiled and shared a soft kiss.
"I love you Mrs Lopez-Pierce."
"I love you too Mrs Lopez-Pierce."
Author's note: YAY! They're married!
There will be 1 more chapter which is an epilogue and then the GirlNextDoor!universe will be complete.
Thank you to everyone who has read this fic. I've loved writing it and I'm glad you guys love it too!
Thanks for joining me on this journey, I'll be starting a new fic and universe soon so look out for it.
Thank you
- mo