A/N: Sorry about the wait for an update, everyone. This chapter is a bit of a filler, but I promise things will pick up more in Chapter Three. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review! :)

Chapter Two: The Planning Process

The dining room table in my house was piled high with magazines, books and photos, and there was even a list of websites buried somewhere underneath all of that. Kaoru and I were at the point when we had to figure out what we wanted to have at our wedding, so we were looking at as many resources as we could to get some ideas. We had hired a wedding planner and had set up some of the basics, but we wanted to have a clearer idea of what we wanted the details to be before discussing them with her, such how we wanted to decorate the location we'd rented for the reception.

"I never knew planning a wedding was this hard." I groaned as I flipped through one of the magazines, this one focusing on kinds of table settings.

"Neither did I." Kaoru agreed. "But at least we have the date set and know what everyone in the wedding party is going to wear."

"That's true." I smiled at him. "And I hope your mom knows just how much I appreciate her helping me with that." I wanted the bridesmaids' dresses and especially my wedding dress to be unique, but I hadn't found any in stores or online that truly stuck out to me. Kaoru had told his mother about that, and she'd called to ask me if I'd like her to personally design the dresses. Now that I knew where I was going to get my dress and that it had actually gotten finished, I was going to see Mrs. Hitachiin for a fitting that day.

Kaoru glanced at the clock that was in the living room. "Valerie, I need to leave so that I can make those appointments, and it's almost time for your dress fitting." He grinned. "Mom's been really secretive about your dress around me. She won't tell me anything about it and I'm not allowed to be alone in her workroom."

"I kind of wanted it that way." I admitted sheepishly. "It's nothing against you; I just want my dress to be a surprise."

"In that case, I can wait because I know it'll be worth it." He kissed me on the cheek. "And don't worry about us not getting everything done in time; we've got a lot done already."

As I rode to the Hitachiin mansion I thought about what Kaoru had said. We'd already set the date, had the invitations made and sent out, chosen the wedding colors and had reserved venues for the ceremony and the reception. In addition to the dress fitting, I was also meeting our wedding planner and the owner of the reception venue to discuss what I had in mind for it. Kaoru was meeting with a chef to plan out the reception dinner, and was then going to meet with a florist to order flowers. We did have a lot done already, so I didn't need to start worrying too much yet.

"Hello Valerie, it's wonderful to see you again!" Mrs. Hitachiin embraced me upon arriving before we went upstairs to her workroom. She was just as fashion-forward and over-the-top as her sons, but she was still a really sweet woman who was fantastic at what she did for a living.

"Same here, I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"Oh, don't worry about it, you were right on time." She started pulling apart a cluster of clothes racks that were to my right. "I don't know if Kaoru's told you, but he's been trying to get in here to sneak a peek of your gown. But I've made sure he won't see it until the big day."

"He failed to mention that." I laughed. "Has Hikaru seen it, by any chance?"

Mrs. Hitachiin grinned. "He has, but he's not giving Kaoru any details. He sure gets a kick out of teasing Kaoru about it." Picturing that made both of us laugh. "So, what do you think of it?"

My wedding dress was a ball gown made out of pale champagne-colored silk. While it was strapless, it featured off-the-shoulder cap sleeves. The gown's overskirt was arranged in a small bustle in the back, and in the front the skirt split in the middle and pinned up at the sides to reveal an underskirt made of multiple layers of tulle that sparkled with champagne glitter. It was exactly what I had wanted. "It's perfect! Thank you so much, Mrs. Hitachiin!" I exclaimed.

"You're very welcome." She smiled. "Go try it on!"

I went into a changing area and Mrs. Hitachiin helped me zip it up in the back. It fit perfectly, and I couldn't resist twirling around in it. The tiara and veil set she was making as well were also finished by then, so I got to try those on too. Every girl dreams of her ideal wedding dress, and she deserves to feel like a princess on her wedding day. I knew I would definitely feel like one wearing this.

"How're the bridesmaids' dresses coming along?" I asked after taking off the dress and putting on my normal clothes.

"They're almost finished, and all the girls tried them on. I just have to add one more detail and then make a couple of alterations to them. Everything will be ready on time, I promise." Hearing her reassurance helped me calm down about this whole thing, even though she didn't know exactly just how stressed I was. Still, she had probably felt the same way back when she got married. All too soon, it was time for me to leave, which I did after thanking Mrs. Hitachiin again.

The meeting to discuss the reception went so much better than I thought it would, and by the end of the day the entire reception had been planned out. I arrived back home feeling like I had accomplished two of the most difficult tasks when it came to wedding planning.

"I'm back." Kaoru called out. It was about eight at night, and I was wrapped up in a blanket on the living room couch with a cup of tea in my hands. He kissed me before joining me on the couch. "How'd things go today?"

"The dresses all fit, and everything's set for the reception." I replied. "What about the stuff you had to work out?"

"I've ordered the flowers, and the menu's all done. I made sure to get you a copy." He handed me a piece of paper, and I read it to see that it had all the food we had wanted. "I got back a bit late because I was checking up on the wedding present I'm going to give you." He smiled. "I'm not telling you what it is, but I know you'll like it a lot."

"Well, you do know how to surprise me." I laughed, but the laugh quickly turned into a yawn. "I'm sorry, I'm just so tired."

"That's perfectly understandable." Kaoru said. "Go get some sleep. You'll feel more up to it for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner tomorrow."

"Okay." I yawned. After he'd left for the night I took his advice and went to bed. I was able to just fall asleep without my worrying keeping me awake. I was starting to feel that we'd just might be able to get everything ready in time. No matter how stressed out I felt, I was still really excited about the wedding.