"Amy, wake up!"
Amy groaned and rolled over, opening her eyes.
"Oh…Uh good morning Penny." She mumbled.
"It's your wedding day!" Penny grinned, "It's 9:30 and we have so much to do before this evening!"
"Oh I think we can afford to waste a little time at least." Amy replied, stretching.
"Maybe an hour." Penny replied, moving over to the kitchen. "How's your stomach?"
Amy frowned. "It's fine…Why?"
"So no feeling sick with nerves? No butterflies?"
Amy shook her head. "No."
"Great! Because I'm such a good friend and maid of honor, I got up early to make you these from scratch!" Penny smiled, holding out a plate of appealing-looking pastries that made Amy's mouth water.
"Wow! Thank you Penny." Amy smiled as she made her way over to the kitchen table.
"You've got raisin and apple swirls, cinnamon swirls, croissants…And, I prepared some fruit for you!" Penny replied.
"This is amazing." Amy said, shocked but grateful. "Thank you so much Penny."
"You're welcome. Dig in!"
Amy took an apple and raisin swirl and some fruit, tucking in appreciatively.
Penny selected a cinnamon swirl and paired it with some grapes and strawberries.
"This is fantastic! I had no idea you could cook so well?" Amy commented.
Penny just winked.
Once they had finished with breakfast, Penny insisted that she would clear up whilst Amy showered.
Amy stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over her, as she shampooed her hair with the professional products that Penny had brought upstairs with her.
A big grin spread across Amy's face.
I'm getting married today!
..
"Sheldon?" Leonard called out.
Sheldon stepped out from the bathroom in his normal daytime clothes, his hair wet and his entire body smelling of talc.
He had a piece of paper in his hand that he was frowning at.
"Yes?" He replied, not taking his gaze away from the paper he was consulting.
"Did you have enough for breakfast or do you want some more?" Leonard asked.
"I had enough, thank you." Sheldon replied, taking a deep breath and folding the paper, pocketing it.
"Aren't you going to style your hair?" Leonard asked.
Sheldon looked at his friend like he was insane. "Why on earth would I do that?"
"You know…Mix it up a little? Just for the day…It is your wedding day, after all."
Sheldon rolled his eyes. "My barber is not here. Therefore I'll stick to my usual style, thank you."
"I can do it for you." Leonard insisted.
Sheldon let out a snort. "Really? Do you think I'm going to let you put as much product in my hair as you do in yours?"
Leonard frowned a little, and ran a hand self-consciously through his hair.
He hadn't even touched it yet!
"I have to admit Leonard; I prefer your old hairstyle." Sheldon said. "I'll let you do my hair if you make yours the way it used to be."
"Fine." Leonard agreed with a sigh.
He wandered over to his toiletry bag and pulled out his normal razor, plugging it in to charge, and took out the accompanying hair clippers.
Leonard plugged them in and began to shave the overgrown parts of his hair, until he looked like his old self again, tousling his hair into place.
He switched the clippers off and looked expectantly at Sheldon.
Sheldon's face twitched a bit.
"Well…I did it. You have no excuse now. Come on…Let me style your hair." Leonard said, mischievously.
"Curses." Sheldon muttered. "I didn't think you'd do it."
"Suck it up Sheldon. Come on, sit here." Leonard pulled out the chair at the dresser and Sheldon gingerly sat down.
Leonard picked up his hair wax and put some onto his fingers.
"Trust me, okay?"
"Just do it." Sheldon closed his eyes.
Leonard began to run the wax through Sheldon's hair and Sheldon could feel him pulling at his short strands.
"What exactly are you doing?" He dared to ask.
"I'm done!" Leonard declared, "See for yourself."
Sheldon took a deep breath and opened his eyes to look into the mirror.
He was pleasantly shocked at his appearance.
Leonard had tousled Sheldon's hair a little, and it looked effortlessly cool.
"Not bad!" He nodded, "I look like a college kid, but I think I can pull it off as a one-off. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Leonard replied. "Don't shave by the way."
Sheldon almost had a heart attack. "W-what!?"
"You heard."
"Ohhh no, Leonard Hofstadter! I need to shave…I haven't shaved in two days! I can already feel stubble on my face!"
"You want to know something? Amy was telling Penny that she's seen you with stubble before and thought it was hot." Leonard said.
"She did?" Sheldon frowned. "Why on earth would she think facial hair was hot?"
"I don't know. She just does…Penny's the same, but stubble doesn't suit me, even though she insists it does..." Leonard replied.
"Leonard, please. I didn't ask for your life story."
"Sorry…Honestly, leave it there. Imagine how hot Amy will find you; that will get her motor running, and think of the sex you'll get tonight!"
Sheldon considered this. "Hmm…Alright, you've convinced me. I suppose it's only a tiny bit of stubble anyway. I'm shaving tomorrow regardless!"
"Fair enough." Leonard answered. "And hey…You're getting married today!" He grinned.
Sheldon smiled. "I know. Who'd have thought it?"
"Right, we have until five thirty when we need to leave, and we have to check that everything is prepared while the girls get ready!" Leonard smiled. "Come on."
..
That evening, Penny put her eyeshadow brush down, and leaned back to admire her handiwork.
She took out the mascara and brushed a few layers on Amy's long lashes, before she was finished.
"Okay, what do you think?" Penny said, spinning Amy's chair around to face the mirror.
Amy gasped. "I look beautiful…For once! Thank you Penny." She smiled.
"You always look beautiful." Penny replied, "But you're very welcome."
Amy's foundation was flawless; she had light dustings of bronzer on her face, giving her a natural glow, and a light blusher on her cheeks.
Her eyes were outlined in a smoky grey, and her eyeshadow was a beautiful shade of lilac, with black lashes. Penny had finished Amy's look with a natural coloured lipstick.
Amy's hair was curled and piled on top her head behind her tiara, with a few loose curls framing her face.
Penny had loosely curled her hair, and had on a very light pink eyeshadow with mascara and the same grey eyeliner.
"Okay, put your dress on; it's almost time!" Penny grinned, ushering Amy to the bathroom with her dress and shoes.
Penny slipped on her bridesmaid dress and shoes, and Amy walked out of the bathroom moments later in her floor-length white dress, and lifted up the dress to show Penny the shoes.
Penny's eyes welled up. "You look beautiful, Ames." She took a tissue and tried to stop herself from crying. "Oh, I almost forgot…"
Penny rummaged in the purse she had brought up with her, and took out a little box.
She opened it to reveal a pretty dainty blue starfish on a silver necklace. "This is your 'something borrowed'. And it's blue and I got it last year, so it's kind of old. Everything else you have, apart from the tiara, is new, so now you're all set."
Amy hugged her friend and picked up her bouquet, as Penny picked her own up, and the emergency purse containing a camera, two water bottles, band aids, painkillers, tissues, card keys for her own room and Amy's room, and emergency hand sanitizer for Sheldon.
Amy quickly ate a breath mint as they left the hotel room and headed for the beach.
..
Sheldon was standing underneath the archway with Leonard next to him and the minister.
Sheldon was fiddling with his tie nervously.
"Do you have the rings?" He asked Leonard.
"Yes." Leonard patted his jacket pocket that contained the ring pillow with both rings tied onto it.
Sheldon nodded. "Does this lilac-gray color even look good on me?"
"It looks great Sheldon, I promise."
"Well it works with you, but does it work with me? Should I go change?"
"Shh! They're almost here." Leonard said, as he spotted Amy and Penny in the distance, through his glasses.
"Oh God…Okay. We need to light all the candles along this boardwalk. He took the lighter that he had bought for the candles out of his pocket, and Leonard copied him as they lit the candles then stood back.
"Those smell good." Leonard commented. "Very citrus-y!"
Sheldon just nodded.
The ukulele player started playing as soon as Amy and Penny came into view.
Sheldon had requested that the ukulele player play his own version of 'The Way You Look Tonight' as Amy walked down the makeshift aisle, after remembering that Amy had wanted it played at Bernadette and Howard's wedding.
Amy's colleague, the photographer, was snapping photos of Amy and Penny walking down the candlelit boardwalk.
Sheldon smiled at her widely.
Something that Leonard and Penny had never seen, and were genuinely shocked by.
Amy reached him, and gave Penny her bouquet, as Sheldon took both of her hands.
"Dearly beloved, we gather tonight on this beautiful beach to celebrate the marriage and eternal love between Amy Farrah Fowler and Sheldon Lee Cooper.
Amy and Sheldon; I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong commitment, and a challenge to love one another more completely each and every day.
Please join hands and look into each other's eyes."
Sheldon and Amy kept their hands joined and looked into each other's eyes.
The minister continued:
"Sheldon Cooper, with this understanding, do you take Amy Fowler to be your wedded wife to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to her, so long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Sheldon said.
"Amy Fowler, with this understanding, do you take Sheldon Cooper to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to him, so long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Amy said.
"May I have the rings please?" The minister asked.
Leonard stepped forward and handed over the ring pillow.
Untying the rings, the minister continued on:
"The ring, an unbroken, never-ending circle, is a symbol of committed, unending love.
Sheldon, as you place this ring on Amy's finger, repeat these words after me: This ring, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my wife from this day forward. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you."
Sheldon repeated after him as he slid the ring onto Amy's finger.
Turning to Amy, the minister spoke.
"Amy, as you place this ring on Sheldon's finger, repeat these words after me: This ring, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my husband from this day forward. As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you."
Amy repeated after him and placed the ring on Sheldon's finger.
"Amy and Sheldon, you have committed yourselves to each other in marriage by the exchanging of vows, and by the giving of rings. With the authority vested in me by the state of Florida, and with great joy, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May you live together in blissful happiness from this day forward…YOU MAY SEAL YOUR VOWS WITH A KISS!"
Sheldon and Amy leaned in to kiss each other lovingly, as Penny, Leonard, the minister and ukulele player applauded.
The photographer snapped photos of the kiss, and then Penny handed the bouquet back to Amy as she and Sheldon held hands and led Penny and Leonard back down the candlelit boardwalk to the uke playing again.
As the group made their way to the hotel gardens, Sheldon squeezed Amy's hand, and she looked up at him.
"I hope that this is everything you wanted." Sheldon whispered.
"It's so much more." Amy replied, grinning widely, as she stood on tiptoes and kissed her husband.
"I love you Amy Cooper." He said, "You made me a better man."
..
A/N: That's it for the wedding. It's done; finito! Now for the consummation…Oh yes! ;) Hope this didn't have you all reaching for the Kleenex too much. Reviews would be greatly appreciated (but be kind please!) Thanks for reading. Chapter 28 will be along soon!