Title: Ceremony

Author: meggers102290

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Almost all of them

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

Summary: Part 3. Finally, the wedding ceremony.

Credit: My Best friend, Janelle - for the selection of the wedding dress.

I felt suddenly dizzy,

"Bella?" Alice sounded concerned. "Are you okay?"

I nodded weakly, too afraid to open my mouth for fear that the butterflies would escape. Even from Alice's bedroom, I could hear the joyous and beautiful piano music that Alice had selected mixed with the vague chatter of a mingling crowd. Were they talking about me? I gulped.

A knock sounded at the door, or maybe it was just the sound of my teeth clicking together as I began to tremble violently. Esme opened the door and Jasper smiled wide and nodded at Alice. He threw a glance at me and must have caught the panicked expression on my face.

"Woops, sorry Bella, I must have lost my focus." He apologized. I suddenly felt warm and calm. All traces of butterflies vanished. I smiled at Jasper, more grateful now for his subtle talent than ever before.

Alice squeezed my shoulders and led me out into the hallway. I knew if it weren't for Jasper, my heart would have burst clear out of my chest. My emotions were under control, but my thoughts were still going a mile-a-minute. The images in my mind jumped from Edward's perfection - waiting calmly to be bound to my ordinariness for eternity, to Charlie and Renee, to my friends.

Alice drew a sharp breath as we descended the stairs and I glanced over at her confused face.

"What do you see?" I pressed.

"Nothing." She was serious.

"Jacob." I understood aloud. Jacob must have decided to come after all.

"It must have been a last minute decision," She confirmed, "otherwise I wouldn't have been able to see the wedding before just now."

I was unsure how to react to Jacob's presence, but Jasper didn't really give me a choice in emotion. I was grateful for that as well.

I was shocked to discover myself at the bottom of the stairs already. Even more shocking was that Charlie was waiting for me, dressed in a suit, smiling widely, waiting to embrace me.

"You look beautiful, Bella." He smiled as he hugged me tight. Wow, I realized, not only was he actually coming to the wedding, he was going to walk me down the aisle and give me away, also. Aside from myself and Edward, the only other people actually standing in the wedding were Alice and Jasper. Alice was my maid of honor and Jasper was Edward's best man. We had decided on a small wedding party. Emmet played his role as the priest also, having just received his license from an online course.

Alice grabbed my hand and squeezed it encouragingly as she led through the house to the back patio doors.

"Alright," she grinned, "Jasper and I are going to walk down the aisle first, and then when you hear the music change -" she gestured to Charlie and I, "you guys can start walking."

She surveyed our small group momentarily before frowning slightly

"Charlie, where's Renee?" I could feel my eyes bulge as she said it.

"Here!" The answer came from across the room where Renee had just entered.

I was shocked again. I knew Renee was coming - but I also knew that she was very skeptical about my young marriage. She had taken the news better than Charlie, but it was apparent at the same time that she did not approve. As if her willingness to walk me down the aisle wasn't enough of a surprise, she also looked genuinely excited for me.

Almost as if she had read my mind, she excused her late arrival with a breathless - "Sorry, Alice. I was talking to your brother." So that was it. Edward had worked his magic on my mom, too. If it was possible for me to love him more, that moment would have made it happen.

My mother's eyes fell upon me and she smiled.

"Bella, you look stunning."

"Hi, mom." was my only response as I fell into her loving and greatly missed embrace. With tears in her eyes, she whispered "I'm really happy for you. He loved you so much." in my ear.

I grabbed her hands. "I know mom, thanks."

Jasper hesitantly interrupted. "Its time, Bella."

On cue, the joyous music switched over to a slower waltz.

"You have no reason to be nervous." Jasper winked at me.

I mouthed my thanks to him as we all fell behind Alice and stepped out into the yard.

The set-up was breathtaking. Everything was covered in brilliant white silk. There were purple lilacs and other beautiful flowers placed everywhere among the lace and ribbons. Just feet in front of me were the chairs. Easily one hundred of them, all covered in silk. In these chairs sat my biggest fears My friends, and my family. In the front row was the Cullen family, all smiling at me. Next to them, across the aisle was an awkward looking Phil, sitting between the only two open seats which were reserved for Charlie and Renee, I guessed. Behind the Cullens were an unfamiliar and painfully beautiful family that I recognized as the Denali clan. Out of them, Tanya was easily distinguishable by the sour and unhappy facial expression she possessed. No doubt she would have taken my place in an instant if the opportunity presented its self. I fleetingly hoped that she kept her mouth shut during the objection part. I scanned the rest of the crowd, picking out my friends, some fully uniformed police officers that I assumed were Charlie's co-workers, and then….. Jacob. He was out of the ordinary. Even sitting down, he still towered above the rest, and instead of stating at me like everyone else, he was examining his black, shiny shoes very carefully. I only allowed myself to linger on Jacob for a moment though. I raised my gaze finally to rest on Edward He looked like an angel. Every other face on the out-skirts of my vision disappeared. I could only see him. Edward and his surreal beauty and perfection stood gracefully on the other end of the white silk path. His eyes held minr and I had to strongly resist the urge to just run into his arms and scream "I do."

Alice jolted me from my trance-like state as she hugged me once and gave me a thumbs up in encouragement. She gracefully linked arms with Jasper and began their slow march up the aisle. Renee and Charlie both took a position at either side of me and grasped my arms. The music transitioned into a soft melody that I immediately recognized as the lullaby that Edward wrote for me.

If I had any control over my emotions at that point, I would have been fighting back tears. I could tell that Renee was already clearly sobbing, and Charlie looked like he was close.

We stepped out onto the pathway to my eternity and began out slow and deliberate walk towards my fiancé. Fiancé. I still wasn't used to it. I guess it really didn't matter. In a few moments, husband would become the appropriate title. And I had the rest of my life and then some to get used to that.

As we walked, I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but the only eyes that mattered were the topaz ones that belonged to Edward. I held his gaze, only focusing on him and on not tripping or fainting. I could see the overpowering happiness in his eyes, and judging from his small half smile, I guessed that he could see the same emotion in my eyes too. After a long moment, we reached the end of the aisle. I turned to hug Charlie and Renee, and then took Edward's ice-cold hand. Edward and I stared intently at each other as Emmet welcomed everyone and began the ceremony with the proper speeches. I was so lost in Edward's gaze that I didn't catch hardly any of what Emmet was saying. I tuned in briefly to monitor the silence after the objection opportunity had been presented, and it wasn't until then when I realized how much time had passed.

Vows, already? I gulped. This was the part I had been most worried about. Edward had insisted that we make up the vows for each other in the heat of the moment. It would have been much more preferable if I could have rehearsed the vows, but I was confident that I would find something to say. Emmet nodded in my direction, signifying that he expected me to begin. I trembled slightly as I started….

"Edward Anthony Cullen," He smiled. "I love you with every fiber of my being. I never want to live a fay of my life without you. I want to be your wife more than anything . I want to belong to you and only you for all of eternity." I put a special stress on the word 'eternity'. "Do you take me to be your wife?" I finished.

The crowd emitted a small sigh and I exhaled, not realizing that I had been holding my breath. Edward closed his eyes and put on my favorite half-smile.

"I do." His voice was as smooth as glass.

"Isabella Marie Swan," He opened his eyes. "I promise to love you for every minute of forever. And even long after both of our hearts are silent and un-beating, I will still love you." I caught the serious flicker in his eye as he made a subtle reference to our future. "I promise to stay by your side in every moment of sickness and health, in pain and suffering, I will always be there, and I will never leave you. You are my life, my world, and my purpose. I will take care of you and protect you every minute of every day." His voice caught and he faltered. He gave Emmet a quick glance and he jumped in.

"Do you, Bella, take Edward to be your lawful wedded husband?"

This was it. The moment that would begin the rest of my life. I was ready.

"I do."

Edwards joy was unmistakable. He had swept me up into his arms and secured my face to his in the sweetest kiss of all time before Emmet had even finished - "You may kiss the bride." The crowd emitted another soft sigh and applauded generously. Edward set me back on the ground and hugged me tightly. We linked hands and he led me back down the silken path. The first steps we would take as husband and wife. Alice called out from the chattering crowd behind us.

"Don't be too long Edward!"

I was confused. Wasn't the reception supposed to start now?

"Edward?" I hinted. His only response was a very large grin. I gave in and just let him lead me where he wanted. The location didn't matter, just as long as I was with him, I was content. I walked with him around the house and towards the sound of the river. A beautiful wooden swing had been set up for the occasion. He sat down noiselessly and pulled me into his lap. His arms tightened around me.

"I just wanted some time alone with you before I'm forced to share you with our guests." he spoke into my hair.

It was reason enough for me. I took advantage of the privacy and pressed my lips to his.

"Thank you for talking to Renee."

He smiled. "She was the one who sought me out for the chat." He admitted. "It didn't take me long to secure her blessing. Charlie had already talked to her."

"Thank you for talking to Charlie." I edited.

"Your welcome."

He stared into my eyes for the longest moment before whispering "I love you Isabella Cullen."

I blushed, surprised at the enjoyment it gave me to hear his last name connected to my first name. I suddenly felt like a young school girl writing in a journal. I briefly imagined a page full of scribbled words- Mrs. Edward Cullen, Bella Cullen, Isabella Cullen.

"I love you too, Edward."

He rocked back and forth and held me for as long as he could get away with.

"Alice is calling for us." He sighed. "The guests are asking about us."

He pacified my efforts to stand properly in my wedding dress by standing with me still tightly secured in his arms and standing me upright himself. He took my hand and walked at my pace back towards the house. Jasper was not focusing on me anymore, but I was no longer nervous. The house full of guests held no fear for me. Edward would be there, next to me. I could face anything.