When Maria had reached the gates that separated the abbey from the church, the wedding bells had ceased only to be replaced by the blare of the massive organ chords.
The young bride paused as the Reverend Mother passed her and opened the black iron gate for her to pass through. The Reverend Mother gave an encouraging smile to Maria as she passed by her. The young woman's gaze fell on the flower girls and maid of honor who were waiting for her.
Marta and Gretl's eyes widened, as did their smiles, when they saw their new mother. Gretl wanted to ask if she were an angel, but she had been told now was not the time for talking. Marta could only smile, and look at the most beautiful lady she had ever seen. Maria gave them a smile before looking at Liesl, who's happiness had a serenity beyond her years.
As she passed through the gates, Maria reached out and Liesl handed her the bridal bouquet of white roses and edelweiss. She raised it to her face and inhaled the wonderful scent as Liesl helped get her long dress and veil all the way through the gate, so the Reverend Mother could close it.
At that thought, and the scent, Maria suddenly became very overwhelmed. For one last look, Maria turned around, looking at all of the sisters through the now closed gate. Her gaze fell on the sisters she knew, the Reverend Mother last of all, the woman who had always known her better than she knew herself. Her gaze said everything, and Maria looked at her with all of the love and gratitude she felt. Good-bye…
She would miss the Abbey, the sisters, especially the Reverend Mother, but something stronger was tugging for her to go from those gates.
Turning back around, her gaze fell on Liesl, who now stood alone by her; the little ones had already started their journey up the aisle. The two women exchanged a happy and encouraging smile before Liesl started her journey.
Maria turned herself to fully face the altar, look at her lovely bouquet one more time, then raised her head, gaining that same queen-like carriage she'd had when walking across the abbey courtyard. Ready to go from her past to her future.
When the organ began to play, Georg's attention immediately snapped to the distant gates on the opposite side of the church. The distance was so great that he could only see the people and not their faces clearly. He knew that the three white figures standing by the gate were Liesl, Marta and Gretl by their sizes. Then he saw many figures in black and white come to the gate, along with – his heart began to pound – one slim and graceful creature all in white with a veil that gave her the illusion of being an angel.
But she was. Because Georg knew only one person would wear so much white: a bride. And that was his bride. His heart soared, forcing himself to stand still and keep his expression dignified, needing to be patient as she walked up the insufferably long aisle at that pace.
As she came closer, it was as if Georg's vision was adjusting to a bright, heavenly light. With each step closer to him, he could see her more clearly, for it really was her. After what seemed like so long, she was coming back to him.
Ah, I can see her face now . . . Georg thought, and a lump rose in his throat. She was so lovely, almost floating down the aisle with such natural grace and carriage, and she was looking right at him with an expression that took his breath away.
The hundreds of wedding guests in the church were all looking at the bride walking up the aisle, some craning their necks to get a good look.
When the announcement had come in the society pages that the widower Captain was getting married again, everyone assumed that it would be to the Baroness Elsa Schraeder from Vienna. It was common knowledge he had been courting her for the better part of a year, and most had met her at the party the Captain had thrown in his home earlier in the summer.
But were they all in for a surprise. Instead, they found out the Captain was engaged to a young woman who was from a poor background, a former postulant at Nonberg Abbey, and also the governess to his seven children! People were shocked.
So, naturally, everyone assumed that the Captain had gotten the young woman pregnant. What was difficult to deduce was whether the young woman seduced him (the fact she was a postulant didn't help that) or the Captain had taken advantage of her (his sense of honor and spotless reputation didn't help that).
If the most gossiping of the ladies (the men didn't really care) wanted an answer, it was very hard to get one. When they found out the date of the wedding, they also found out that this mysterious woman was staying at her former home – the abbey – until that day. Of course, everyone agreed that was the best thing – the idea of the woman staying at the villa, even to look after the children, would be the most unwise thing to do if they wanted to be honorable. But even so, the women wanted to see how they were together; that would tell them a lot about the relationship those two had. But, apparently, this day was the first time they were seeing each other for six weeks!
Well, their curiosity would be satisfied now, and the first step was taking a look at this woman who had come from nowhere and landed in the upper-class just like that.
What they saw surprised them somewhat. Not the appearance; they had all expected a young woman, a pretty one as well. But pretty was not the right word to describe her. The only word possible was beautiful. One would think she were a princess, walking down that aisle so gracefully and with a quiet dignity, making everyone become extremely skeptical there was scandal in the situation. The final nail in the coffin was the expression on her face: her eyes were fixed ahead of her, most likely on the Captain.
Just like the only word to describe her appearance was beautiful, the only word to describe the expression in her eyes was love.
Once Georg came into focus, her heart began to beat at a rapid rate. How handsome he looked in his uniform! His face was just how she remembered – no, even more handsome, if that were possible – and his eyes seemed to pierce straight through to her soul.
Finally, she came to the steps. With her right hand she picked up her skirt a bit, so she would not trip. Her eyes never left Georg's.
He smiled that half-smile she loved so much, had dreamt of so much, and it took all of her strength not to run into his arms. As he smiled, he transferred his captain's hat from his bare right hand to his gloved left one, and reached out for her own.
Maria smiled, reached the top of the steps, dropped her skirt and with that same hand reached for his own.
Their hands joined, and a weight seemed to lift off both of their hearts. Something that had once been lost was now found, broken now fixed, two becoming one. Right where they belonged.
The bride and groom walked towards the bishop slowly, not getting enough of the sight of each other, but eventually had to turn their gazes forward, to see where they were going. Liesl walked at Maria's side, Max at Georgs.
Upon reaching the bishop, all four of them genuflected then stood up again. Maria turned to Liesl and handed her the bridal bouquet. They exchanged a smile before Maria turned back to Georg, offering her hand again. He took it right away, caressing her knuckles with his thumb before he and Maria knelt before the bishop.
After making the sign of the cross in blessing between the couple, the bishop began the mass. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in the sacrament of matrimony . . ."
Georg squeezed Maria's hand and she smiled to herself as the bishop made his opening remarks. When the priest asked the traditional question of anybody who had objections, the church remained completely silent, much to their relief. Then he asked for the two of them to stand, and they did, not letting go of the other's hand. The bishop now addressed them directly.
"My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church's minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions.
"Maria and Georg, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"
"I do," the bride and groom said simultaneously and without hesitation, causing their hearts to swell.
"Will you love and honor each other as husband and wife for the rest of your lives?"
"I will," they responded, again simultaneously and without hesitation.
With that, mass began, and Georg led Maria over to the small pew a few feet away where they would sit, in front of their family. Aware of where they were, all the couple did was sit very close to each other and keep their hands together, entwined beneath them.
Max stepped up to the podium to read the first reading. While Max was a natural joker, he thankfully read this reading with a unique display of seriousness and profoundness.
"A reading from the book of Genesis:
"The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it . . . The Lord God said: 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.' So the Lord God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a suitable partner for the man.
"So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When He brought her to the man, the man said:
'This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one had been taken.'
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.
"The Word of the Lord."
"Thanks be to God," replied the entire congregation, and Maria heard Georg's voice respond more than anyones. Thinking of the last line of the reading, her face turned red, but somehow she did not feel dread or fear. Here was proof that what she and Georg felt for each other – bodily – was sanctified by the Lord, and that comforted her greatly.
Georg had looked at Maria once the reading was done, and saw her head lowered in prayer or thought, her cheeks flushed. He desperately wanted to comfort her, to assure her that he would never cause her pain if he could help it, that he would do all in his power to make her first time as tender as possible. But that conversation would have to wait. So, for now, he squeezed her hands gently. When her gaze snapped to him again, she gave a shy smile through her red cheeks. He smiled in return.
After the psalm, Liesl came to the podium to read the second reading. She read with a gravity that belonged to someone twice her age, but reading each word lovingly and with the hope of a young woman.
"A reading from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.
"If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
"Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing . . . So faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
"The Word of the Lord."
"Thanks be to God." Maria spoke these words with tears in her eyes, struck by the beauty of that passage and the truth of it. She looked at Georg . . . If that was what love was, then that was definitely what she felt. He looked right back at her with the same expression. Without speaking, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm tenderly before standing for the gospel.
The rest of the mass passed on with the intercessions and the sacrament of the Eucharist. After the Body and Blood that remained had been placed in the tabernacle, the bishop took his original place at the head of the church.
This was their cue. Maria and Georg stood up and took standing positions before the priest and faced each other.
The bishop began. "Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and this Church."
This was the moment, and Maria placed her hand in Georg's, then looked into his eyes. He would take his vow first.
When he spoke, Georg was surprised at the small lump that rose in his throat, but then realized he shouldn't have been when he thought of the significance of this moment. So when he spoke, he spoke softly but with all of the sureness in the world as he looked into her eyes.
"I, Georg Ritter von Trapp, take you, Maria Augusta Rainer, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."
Maria's eyes filled with tears as she heard him vow himself to her. There was no hesitation in her voice when she took her own vow to him, but her voice still shook a little with emotion.
"I, Maria Augusta Rainer, take you, Georg Ritter von Trapp, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."
Now Georg got a tear in his eye, and Maria squeezed his hand as they exchanged a smile.
The bishop spoke again. "You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide."
Now Frederich and Kurt came towards the couple, each holding a small pillow with a golden ring atop it. They each took one, and smiled at the boys before they headed back to their seats.
"Lord, bless and consecrate Maria and Georg in their love for each other. May these rings be a symbol of true faith in each other, and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord."
"Amen," said the congregation.
Georg slid Maria's ring onto her right ring finger as he spoke. "Maria, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
Now Maria's turn, Maria gently slid the ring she held on Georg's corresponding finger. "Georg, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
The bishop spoke in an official tone. "Now, before God, the Church, this community and each other, you are husband and wife."
Georg smiled more radiantly than Maria had ever seen, and happy tears slid down her cheeks.
The bishop spoke to Georg and smiled. "You may kiss your bride."
Georg cupped her cheeks and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. Maria gave back that radiant smile, and Georg leaned in to kiss her lips. It was like their first kiss: gentle but very powerful.
At last, their hearts and souls were one.
The blairing sound of the organ playing joyfully caused them to pull apart. But they smiled, and Georg held out his arm for Maria to take, which she did. The new husband and wife walked down the aisle, followed by their children and Max, with the happiest expressions on their faces.
The wedding guests couldn't believe their eyes. So much gossip and rumor of scandal had followed the engagement, but looking at the Captain with his new wife on his arm, no one had ever seen the man happier. And no bride they had ever seen looked as happy as Maria. It was enough to convince everyone, with the exception of the very few most cynical, that perhaps nothing untoward had happened in this situation.
When the couple came to the end of the aisle and saw the nuns – who had watched from the other side – more grateful expressions had never been seen.
Instead of heading outside, Maria and Georg headed to a small room just near it. As had been discussed, there she would take off her veil and both would wait while everyone else came outside to throw rice and for their carriage to come.
Georg practically ran to the room with Maria by his side, and she entered the room first. When she heard the door shut, Maria turned around to finally look at her husband.
A/N: Please don't hate me for leaving it here (I believe it was Mackenzie21 who called me the "queen of cliffhangers" - thank you), and I promise I will not leave you guys hanging long.
While the order of what's done in the mass is a little out of order, the words and vows spoken by the bishop and bride and groom are in accordance with the Catholic Church. The Bible passages are accurate too: Genesis 2:15,18-24 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13.