It's Wedding Time! Usual thanks to CoppertopJ. I'll let you get to it. Enjoy!
My head felt a little groggy the next morning as I rolled over searching for Edward, before I realised that he wasn't there. I moaned into the pillow, missing him greatly, having not been apart from him for this long since the horrible incident with Victoria. I pried my eyes open, spotting a glass of water and a couple of headache tablets on the bedside table. Sometimes having a psychic for a sister wasn't all bad.
I gulped down the tablets, finishing the whole glass of water in one go, before realising that there was also a letter on the table. I smiled as I glanced down at the envelope, the handwriting instantly transporting me back to the day I had received his letters in the post. I quickly sat up in the bed, ripping open the envelope, desperate for any sort of contact with him.
My Beautiful Bride,
I can't believe this day is finally here. I have always dreamed of being married, even before I ever met you. When I was human, I was more focused on joining the army, but I never doubted that it was something I wanted in life. Then, I spent over one hundred years alone and I had truly begun to believe that I was destined to always be alone. I never thought luck would smile upon me as it has, and bless me with an angel such as you.
From the moment our eyes met that first fateful day, I've known deep down that I couldn't live without you. As much as your scent called to me, your entire being called to me more. That's what got me through that day, pushed me past the very essence of what I am, and allowed me to love you
I've always thought myself a monster, a demon from the very depths of hell, cursed to walk this earth for all eternity. But you have never seen that in me or any of my family. From the very beginning, you accepted me for who and what I am, without question, and because of that, I am beginning to accept that I am more than that. For an angel such as you to love me, then I cannot be the soulless monster I once believed.
I know that our journey has not been an easy one and I will never be able to make up for my lack of faith in us, but I intend to spend the rest of eternity trying. Thank you for always having faith in us, for fighting for us.
I have never been more confident in life than I am right now. Today, I make the world's most beautiful woman my wife, and I know that I am the luckiest man in the world right now. I cannot wait to see you walk down the aisle.
Until we say I do,
Edward
P.S. I'll love you forever.
Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finished reading the letter, and just as I had when I'd received the letters that had eventually led me to him all those months ago, I read it again and again, just taking in every single word. I could feel his love for me flowing off the page and I wanted nothing more than to run off looking for him.
"Don't even think about it!" Alice shouted from the floor below. Two seconds had barely passed before she was walking into the room, "Besides, he's too far away. He left that with me with strict instructions that it be there when you woke up."
"Can I even just call him?" I pleaded, "How am I supposed to read that and not even speak to him?"
"You can send him one text message," she conceded.
"Fine," I grumbled, knowing that was probably the best I was going to get, "Though, somehow I feel more like a prisoner than a bride." Alice chuckled, rolling her eyes at my dramatics, before handing me my cell phone from the table across the room.
B: Thank you so much for the letter. It was so sweet. The tyrannical pixie is only allowing me this one message so I will simply say I love you too and can't wait to be your wife x
His reply was instant, as though he had been waiting for me to wake and contact him.
E: Every single word of it is true, my love. Call on Esme if the pixie tries to torture you too much. I love you, I miss you, and I'll see you at the end of the aisle x
I had literally just finished reading the last word, a smile on my face, when the phone disappeared from my hands. I looked up, my smile turning to a look of shock, as Alice smirked at me.
"I saw you trying to sneak another text, so I'm keeping this for now," she said, putting my phone into her pocket, "Besides, you need to get up. There's lots to do today." I stuck my tongue out at her before jumping up out of bed and heading towards the bathroom to take a shower.
Despite the nerves that were still lingering, I was actually quite excited. I couldn't believe I was actually getting married! Marriage was never something that I had spent a lot of time thinking about. I know other little girls dreamed of their wedding day, but for me, it was never something I saw myself doing. My parents' marriage wasn't exactly a shining example, although my mom was very happy now with Phil, and I just never really thought it was something I needed to do in my life.
That was until the moment I saw Edward on one knee in our meadow. The very second I saw him with the ring in his hand, I knew that I wanted to marry him. Not just because I knew it was something that was important to him, especially being from the era he was from, but for myself. I wanted to tie myself to Edward in every way physically possible. I wanted to be his mate, his wife, forever.
I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water ease the tension in my muscles and allowing some of the nerves to dissipate. Once I felt more relaxed, I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I rolled my eyes as I dressed in the 'bride-to-be' pyjamas that Alice had left on the bed and pulled a brush through my hair. I left it wet, knowing that Alice would want to dry it herself for whatever hairstyle she had planned for me, and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen for some breakfast.
Esme had, of course, cooked up a storm and almost every surface was filled with every breakfast food imaginable. Thankfully, my mom, dad, Phil, Leah, and Seth would be arriving soon to help me eat it as there was no way one person could consume that much food. I grabbed some deliciously fluffy pancakes, topped them with fruit and honey, and sat down at the table, just as Esme set a cup of coffee down in front of me.
"How are you this morning, dear?" Esme asked, sitting down at the table with me.
"A little nervous," I admitted, "Though not as bad as I expected to be honest. Don't get me wrong. I can't wait to marry Edward. I'm just not one for being the centre of attention and I know it's a really small wedding but I just hate when everyone is looking at me."
"Trust me," Esme said, "As soon as you see Edward at the end of the aisle, you'll forget that there's anyone else there." I smiled at her, thinking that usually happened anytime I saw Edward, so she was probably right.
As soon as I finished my breakfast, Alice appeared at my side, ready to whisk me upstairs so she could start the ultimate Bella Barbie session. This time, however, I didn't really mind. I sat down in the chair at her dressing table and just let her do her thing. I sat with my eyes closed as she primped and preened, massaging many lotions into my skin and blow-drying my hair. Rosalie appeared after a while, asking if Alice needed any help. Alice showed her what she wanted done with my hair and soon Rose's hands were quickly braiding and curling my hair, while Alice started on my makeup.
After sitting for what seemed like ages, Alice stood me up and both she and Rose helped me into my dress and attached my veil, before standing me in front of the full-length mirror, my eyes closed.
"Open your eyes," Alice whispered.
When my glance fell upon the stunning woman in front of me, I gasped realising that it was my own reflection. I never thought I was beautiful. I was fairly average in every way. However, now, I actually felt like I was beautiful. My mahogany hair was piled up on my head, intricate braids flowing through it and a few loose curls framing my face. Alice had done an amazing job with my makeup. I looked stunning, but with the appearance of very little makeup. My cheeks had the perfect amount of pinkness, my eyes slightly smokey, but subtly so, and my rosy lips looked fuller than usual.
My dress was made from beautiful, ivory, floral lace that hugged my figure perfectly, falling softly over my hips and down my long legs, flaring out just below my knees into a beautiful train.
Sleeves made of the same lace hung off my shoulders, showing some of my skin and the perfect sweetheart neckline of the dress. My plain veil hung from the back of my head, still showing off my hairstyle, and came right down to the floor.
I had just stepped into the gorgeous, but dangerous, shoes that Alice had promised I only had to wear for the ceremony, already looking forward to swapping them for the simple, cream flats I had for later, when there was a light knock at the door. Rose opened the door to my mom, dad, and Leah.
"Oh, Bella," my mom gushed, tears already streaming down her face, "You look so beautiful!"
"Yeah, Bells," my dad mumbled, "You, um, look..." My dad was never one with words and I could see that he was struggling with his emotions, so I just leaned over and gave him a hug. "Beautiful and grown up," he whispered in my ear, "I love you, kid."
"Love you too, Dad," I whispered back, swallowing hard and blinking my eyes to try to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"Boom chicka wow wow," Leah sang, diffusing some of the emotions in the room and making everyone laugh, "Seriously though, Bella, you look stunning!" I put my arms around her, hugging her tightly to me, thinking about just how much she had changed my life, picking me up during the absolute worst time of my life and now, she was here during the best day of my life.
"You don't scrub up too bad yourself," I told her, pulling back to look at her.
Her pale blue dress contrasted beautifully with her russet skin, covering one shoulder and it cinched in just under her breasts, flowing out into a billowy chiffon material that came down to the ground. Alice and Rosalie's dresses were the same colour and material, but in different styles. Alice's had thin straps which criss-crossed over her back, while Rosalie's was completely strapless, showing off her impressive chest. They all looked amazing.
"Charlie, where is it?" my mom said, almost bouncing up and down with excitement. My dad rummaged in his pockets for a minute and then produced a small box, which he handed to my mom. She lifted the lid and held it out to me. Inside were two beautiful silver hair combs with dark blue sapphires clustered into intricate floral shapes atop the teeth.
"They are your something old and something blue," my dad said, "They were your Grandma Swan's. We had a jeweller change the stones to sapphires."
"Wow," I whispered, struggling to speak past the lump in my throat, "They are amazing. Thank you."
Alice held out her hand and I placed the box in it. She swiftly slid the combs into my hair, alongside some of the braids. They stood out against the darkness of my hair, sparkling in the light.
"So, that's something old and blue. Your dress is new. That just leaves something borrowed," Alice said, with a wicked glint in her eye, "Here. I want this back." She flicked something small and white at me, which I caught before realising what it was. I looked down at the garter in my hand, blushing as I watched my dad avert his gaze, a blush appearing on his face too. My mom just grinned, before grabbing the garter and quickly sliding it up my leg into place.
"There. All sorted," she said, "Now, I'd better go get myself seated. I'll see you down there, baby." She kissed me lightly on the cheek, before heading out of the room.
A few moments later, I heard music coming from downstairs, some of Edward's compositions he had recorded for the occasion, meaning no one was stuck sitting at the piano.
"That's our cue," Alice said, turning to face Rosalie and Leah, "When the music changes, you and Charlie follow."
I watched the three of them walk out of the room and down the stairs, before taking a deep breath and looking towards my dad. I was so happy that I was able to have my parents here for this special day. I didn't even want to think about having to do this without my dad to walk me down the aisle.
I heard the music switch to my lullaby that Edward had composed for me back in Forks when we had first met and I hooked my arm into my dad's.
"Ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be," I replied, "Just don't let me fall."
"Never," he whispered, tears filling his eyes, as we began to walk down the stairs.
Everyone had clearly been busy while Alice had played Bella Barbie, because the whole downstairs had been transformed. The living room furniture had all been pushed back, a dance floor created in the middle, and DJ equipment and disco lights were set up at the side. White flowers, pale blue ribbons, and millions of fairy lights decorated the walls. A small table to the side covered with a white tablecloth held a beautiful, but simple, wedding cake topped with flowers.
We made our way outside to the garden where an aisle had been created, white rose petals scattered along the grass. On either side of it, there were benches made from logs with white and pale blue ribbons decorating them. A large wooden arch sat at the end of the aisle, pale blue, billowy material draped over it with white flowers and fairy lights adorning it. It looked like something from a fairytale and as I glanced up, I saw my Prince Charming waiting at the end of the aisle for me.
Just as Esme had said, everything and everyone else faded away when I saw him standing with his back to me. As he heard the guests begin to stir, he turned, instantly catching my gaze. His golden eyes lit up the second he saw me, trailing down my body taking everything in, just as I was doing to him. He was dressed in an impeccable navy suit, that I'm sure cost just as much as my dress, a pale blue tie sitting in a perfect knot at his neck. His bronze hair looked like he had tried to tame it, but it still sat in perfect disarray.
Keeping my eyes firmly locked on his, I walked down the aisle towards him, every fibre in my being needing to be near him. When I finally reached him, after what felt like the longest walk of my life, he reached out his hand and my father placed my hand in his as a symbol of 'giving me away', though that notion was rather antiquated. As soon as our hands touched, I felt complete, as though when he was away, I was missing something.
"Wow," he whispered, "There are no words to describe how beautiful you look."
I blushed, looking down at our joined hands.
"And that just adds to the beauty," he said, a chuckle in his voice as he reached his hand up to lightly brush his fingers across my cheek.
We both turned towards the minister, eager to get started. We kept the traditional vows, just removing the word obey and changing 'till death do us part' to 'as long as we both shall live'. I stared into his eyes as I vowed to love, honour, and cherish him forever and as he vowed the same to me, I could see all his love for me right there in his eyes. When the time finally came for us to say 'I do', it was easily the single best moment in my whole life. We exchanged rings, mine fitting perfectly alongside my engagement ring. The look in Edward's eyes as I placed his ring on his finger was one of pure awe and I couldn't help but smile.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife!" the minister announced, as the whole garden erupted into cheers, "You may now kiss the bride."
The second Edward's lips touched mine everything and everyone around us disappeared. It was as though we were the only two people in the world and nothing mattered more than this perfect moment. His arms wound around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he deepened the kiss for just a moment, before pulling back and turning us to face our family and friends.