L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can
Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you
Finally, Charlotte and Ian's big day arrived.
Lizzie and William, with Fitz and Brandon, drove to the hotel in Los Angeles where the wedding was going to take place.
Charlotte had been to that hotel before for a business meeting. She had seen the garden and fallen in love with it. Later, she took Ian to see it and they decided to have their ceremony and party there. Besides, it worked perfectly with their guests because they had a place to stay after the party.
Shortly after they arrived to their destination, Lizzie found her family. Lydia had returned to LA from her audition to NY, and her parents and Jane and Bing had flown from their respective homes.
After a quick lunch, Lizzie said goodbye to his fiancé and, along Jane and Lydia, she went in search of the bride.
They found Charlotte at the honeymoon suite. The best friends flailed a little bit with excitement, and then they started helping her with her hair and makeup. They finished with plenty of time, and left to get ready themselves.
"Oh my god! Oh my god!", Lydia yelled as she came bouncing into the room where her sisters and mother were getting ready.
"Lydia! What happened?!," Jane asked in surprise. Lydia was putting on her bridesmaid dress when her phone had rung and she had left to take the phone call.
"I got the part!," Lydia exclaimed, "I'm moving to New York!"
"Congratulations!," Lizzie responded and immediately hugged her sister.
"Oh, Lydia! I'm so happy for you," Jane said, and joined them.
"I can't believe it! I'm so excited!," Lydia said. They were hugging when they realized that her mother had not joined them.
"Mom, are you okay?," Jane asked.
"Mom?," Lydia said.
"I'm sorry! It's just so much to take in. My baby is going to be a star!," Fran exclaimed and jumped to hug her younger daughter.
"I am very happy for you, for all of you. You have followed your dreams and have been successful. I couldn't be happier," Fran added with tears on her eyes.
The younger Bennets tried not to cry but it was hard after the words of their mothers. It took them a while to remember that they had to be ready for the ceremony.
"Come in," Charlotte said on the other side of the door and Lizzie entered the room.
"Hello again," Lizzie said and greeted Charlotte's mother and sister Maria.
"You look so pretty," Lizzie said, admiring her friend.
When they had gone dress shopping, Charlotte knew that she wanted a short dress, and she had soon found the perfect one for her. It had cap sleeves and an A-Line tulle skirt. When her mother and sister had seen on the dress, they had started to cry and she took that as a good sign.
"You as well. I knew that dress would look good in you."
For the bridesmaids and maid of honor, Charlotte had suggested a red dress, and Lizzie had found hers right after her best friend had bought her dress.
"Thank you," Lizzie responded, "so… I checked with the event coordinator and everything is ready."
"Wow, this is it. I'm getting married," Charlotte said.
"Yes, you are and we are just waiting for you, especially Ian," Lizzie replied.
"Okay," Charlotte said, letting out a breath, "I am ready."
Lizzie quickly hugged her friend and they all left the room, and walked to the garden.
For the second time in her life, Lizzie fulfilled her duties as the maid of honor. She stood under the gazebo, next to Charlotte and tears appeared on her eyes when she listened to her best friend exchanged vows and rings with Ian.
Right after that moment, her eyes drifted to William, and he was looking directly at her. A smile appeared on her face and he responded. She could not wait to be on the aisle, right next to him and become his wife.
"Sweetheart," Will called her as soon as the ceremony was over.
"What did you think of my performance?," Lizzie asked, taking his hand.
"Best maid of honor I've ever seen," he replied.
"Thank you, I did my best."
"Well, there is another role that I can't wait to see you in," he added, and pulled her for a quick kiss.
"I know, and it won't be long before you do," she replied, with a smile on her face. They walked to the reception, ready to enjoy the party.
Charlotte's mom had insisted on having the traditional "things" during the party, and so, while her daughter and son-in-law danced the first time as a married couple, the other couples were invited to join them.
"Do you realize this is the third wedding we have attended together?,"Lizzie suddenly asked, while she and William moved slowly to the music.
"Yes, there must be something on the air,"he replied and she chuckled.
"It must be,"Lizzie replied, "First, Kate. Then, Fitz. And now, Charlotte."
"And finally, it will be our turn. The next time we dance like this, it would be at our wedding,"he said.
"Can't wait," she responded and put her head against his shoulder.
The rest of the evening was very fun. It was in the very early hours of the morning that the party finished, and everyone went to their rooms.
The next day, Lizzie returned with her family to San Francisco. Since they were a few days before the engagement party, they were going to stay with her until that.
Three days after the wedding, Lizzie was in her office when Lydia called her at her cellphone.
"Hello sis! We are going dress shopping today," Lydia said on the other side of the line.
"Lydia… I wish I could, but the party is two days away, and there is too much to do here and there, and…"
"Everything is under control, Lizzie. You have an expert working on that," Georgiana's voice suddenly sounded, startling Lizzie.
"Oh God! Gigi! What are you doing here?," she said as she looked up and gasped once more when she saw her mother, two sisters, best friend and future sister-in-law in front of her.
"And Charlotte!," Lizzie exclaimed, "Shouldn't you be enjoying the pleasures of married life?"
"I have for the past three days, and I have the rest of my life for that. But for now, we have to find you a wedding dress," Charlotte replied.
"And what better opportunity to find it that when your whole family is in town?," Lydia asked.
"Besides, William told me that you were worrying a lot about the party, so we decided to surprise you," Jane added.
"But Charlotte just got married, and I did not want to distract her. We will have time later to do that," Lizzie said.
"Oh, no, Lizzie. Do you know how long it takes to order a dress? You need all the time you can get," Jane noted.
"But I am working right now," Lizzie added.
"I talked with the secretary and she's just cleared your day. And those reports are going to be here tomorrow," Gigi said, pointing at the desk.
Lizzie looked at them again. She knew she would not want to get her wedding dress without them and was touched that they were there for her.
"Allright, let's go," Lizzie said, gathered her things and left with them.
Gigi had made an appointment in one of San Francisco's top bridal salon. They were received by a girl name Gwen, who presented herself as her bridal consultant.
She asked Lizzie if she had any idea of the kind of dress she wanted. She had thought about it, and decided that she wanted something elegant, not over-the-top and comfortable. And it had to have lace.
Gwen led the group to the rack and dressing room area. She showed Lizzie her some dresses, while the rest of the girls spread and started looking at dresses they wanted to see Lizzie in. Thankfully for Lizzie, they kept in mind her preferences and did not choose puffy and big dresses.
When they had a good selection, Lizzie started to try on the different dresses. Some of them got ovations, and others were booed.
A while after, Lizzie felt like she had tried on the lace dresses available on the store and she was not close to get what she wanted. She felt pretty in some of the dresses but she could not see herself getting married on any of them.
She was starting to feel frustrated and was close to give up, when her mother knocked on the dressing room door.
"Hi Liz, how are you feeling?," Fran asked.
"A little tired," Lizzie replied, "I did not expect this to be so hard. Charlotte found her dress very easily."
"It is different for everyone," Fran said, "We can go if that's what you want."
Lizzie thanked her for understanding, but she still felt like she needed to try on more dresses that day that everyone was with her.
"I saw one dress, that I liked a lot. It's not exactly what you asked for, but… maybe… trying in a different style might help?," Fran suggested.
"Ok, let's give it a try," Lizzie replied.
"Great. I'll tell Gwen to bring it and I'll see you out there with the others," Fran said smiling, and left.
Soon after that, there was another knock on the door and the bridal consultant entered with the dress on her arm.
Lizzie looked at the dress. It had the silhouette she wanted, but had some intricate details on the bodice and on the skirt, and it definitely had no lace.
"It's… very pretty," Lizzie acknowledged.
"It is, and I think you'll look great on it," Gwen said, "Let me help you."
She helped Lizzie get into the gown and when she finished, she let Lizzie look herself at the mirror.
And Lizzie gasped in awe. She had definitely not expected to have that reaction to the dress. It made her feel like a bride and she could see herself walking the aisle to William.
"Are you ready?," Gwen asked and Lizzie could only nod.
They stepped out of the dressing room, and as soon as Fran saw her daughter, she tore up.
"Mom…," Lizzie sighed.
"Oh my god! Lizzie, you look so amazing," Lydia exclaimed.
"You look perfect," Jane said with her face on her hands.
"Bestie! Your face says it all," Charlotte noted, "You really like that dress."
"William is going to love it," Gigi said, "You are so beautiful in it."
"That is your dress," Fran finally said.
"It is," Lizzie replied, still amazed that a piece of clothing could have such an effect on her and other people.
"Congratulations!," Gwen said and everyone started to laugh.
"Oh! I think I have an idea!," Jane suddenly said as she stood up quickly, "Don't take off the dress!"
"Okay," Lizzie replied and saw her sister leave. She felt so good on the dress that she was in not hurry to take it off.
"Lizzie, turn around. I want to send some pictures to Dad," Lydia said.
"Good idea. He'll like it, I'm sure," Fran added.
William and Lizzie had agreed to split the cost of their wedding and honeymoon. However, her parents wanted to contribute to her daughter's wedding, and had decided to buy Lizzie's dress.
"I really wanted to wear lace," Lizzie said, looking again at the mirror, "for William. But this is perfect."
"Lizzie, there are other lace things that you can wear. Underneath the dress, especially for him," Fran said and winked at her daughter.
"Ugh, mom!," Lydia yelled.
"A little too much information, Mrs. Bennett," Charlotte added.
"Yeah, I did not want that image in my head," Gigi said, shaking her head and making Lizzie laugh.
"What did I miss?," Jane asked as she returned to the group.
"Just Mom making some uncomfortable comments," Lydia explained.
"Oh, okay," Jane said, "So, Lizzie, what do you think of this?"
Jane walked to her sister with a hairpiece. Lizzie looked at it and her eyes brightened.
"I think it fits perfectly with the style you want," Jane explained.
With her experience, Jane pulled Lizzie's hair on a bun at the back of her hair and placed the hairpiece.
"So?," Jane asked again.
"I'm so happy to have a sister in the fashion business. I really, really like it," Lizzie said.
"Good, because you look great," Jane replied.
Shortly after that, Gwen took Lizzie back to the dressing room so they could get her measurements and put an order for the dress.
"Let's go eat! I'm famished," Lydia said, and the six of them went for lunch. They discussed the upcoming engagement party and the dresses for the maids, which they also wanted to get now that they were all together.
Again, thanks to Lizzie's vision and Jane's expertise, they found the perfect dress in the perfect color for the maid of honor and the bridesmaids.
By the time, Lizzie and her family returned to the house, they were all exhausted but happy. She barely had the energy to say hello to William, Thomas and Bing, who had spent the afternoon together.
"How was your time with my dad and Bing?," Lizzie asked, when she was with William inside their bedroom.
"Fine, I'd say we had some bonding time," he responded.
"That's great, my dad likes you both very much."
"I like him too," William said, "especially when he almost showed me the pictures of your dress."
"What? He didn't, did he?," Lizzie asked worried.
"No, he didn't. He discovered how to see them on his phone. I figured I could get that information in… another way."
"No way, mister! You'll just have to wait until our wedding day," Lizzie answered as she climbed on the bed next to him.
"Really? Are you sure?," he asked and pulled her next to him.
"Yes, I'm sure. You'll see it when I walk down the aisle to you," she replied, her voice filled with sleep.
"Mmm, okay. I love you, Lizzie," he said.
"I love you too," she replied as she settled her head in the crook of his arm.
William sighed, content. The image of Lizzie, in white, walking towards him, was a sight that he could not wait to see. He gave Lizzie a kiss on the forehead, and then he fell asleep.
"Oh, god! Gigi! This is so pretty," Lizzie exclaimed.
"I know, right?," Gigi replied, "I mean, thank you."
"You were right when you told me that I had an expert working on this," Lizzie added.
"I'm very glad you like it. And you, William? What do you think?," Georgiana asked her brother.
"I agree with Lizzie. You are very good at this, little sister. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, big brother," Gigi said, "Keep all of this in mind for your wedding."
"Georgiana, how did you manage to arrange all this, especially when you were in Sanditon?," Thomas asked.
"Oh, Mr. Bennet, I had a lot of resources, and with the project wrapping up…," Gigi's voice died as she led Lizzie parents' to their seats.
Lizzie looked around once more the greenhouse garden at the Darcy Memorial Hall. She had decided to have the party at that location because she had fallen in love with that place in her first visit to Pemberley.
Gigi had done marvelous things with the place. With the flowers and plants, and the (careful placed) candles, the atmosphere was very intimate; exactly what William and Lizzie wanted.
Since they did not have a lot of guests, Gigi had placed small tables at the garden with a buffet. There was also a DJ, a friend of Fitz, who was playing some soft music.
"Do you like it?," William asked.
"Yes, it's beautiful," Lizzie replied.
"Not as beautiful as you."
"Thank you, William," Lizzie answered, "You look very handsome yourself."
"I like the color of your dress," he added, making her smile. She had bought that dress, because it reminded her of the color of his eyes.
"Oh, I see Kate and James. Shall we?," William asked.
"Of course," his fiancé said back, and they joined their guests.
Lizzie and William ate delicious food, danced and enjoyed the company of their loved ones. At some point during the night, Lydia took a picture of William hugging Lizzie, who had a great smile on her face.
When Lizzie looked at it, she made it her wallpaper. It showed how happy she was, by just being with William, and she could not wait to spend the rest of her life with him.
L.O.V.E. - Nat King Cole
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