Chapter 23
Wedding Day
EPOV
"Dude, why did I ever agree to wear this?" Emmett complained as he tried to stretch his arms in the matching tuxes we were all wearing.
"You agreed to wear it because Rose would have killed you had her wedding not been perfect. If you ask me, you like looking like a sissy." Jasper replied before ducking under Emmett's right hook just in time.
"Seeing as we are all wearing the same tux, that would make you one too, Jasper." I laughed at Emmett's smug expression as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. I glanced at the clock at the wall clock and sighed impatiently. We still had 15 minutes till the wedding started was supposed to start, and even though I am usually a patient person, that 15 minutes wouldn't pass fast enough for me. I went back to studying the wall paper but a few minutes later I couldn't help but glance at the clock again.
"Dude, chill." This came from Emmett but one look at him and I could tell he was anxious as well. At that moment Charlie poked his head through the door.
"You boys ready?"
BPOV
"I think I am gonna to fall over." I put my hand on my forehead.
"Deep breaths, Bella. It'll be fine." this came from Angela, the only actual bridesmaid in the wedding since Rose Alice and I were all getting married. She stood in front of me in her simple but elegant red bridesmaid dress and tried to calm me down.
We were all just minutes away from marrying the men of our dreams, and I could barely stand. Rose and Alice however, were having no such qualms. Rose looked absolutely stunning, as usual. Her strapless dress was form fitting with sequins in the form of roses that trailed down the left hand side and gathered at the hip to flare out slightly at the bottom.
Alice's dress fit her personality just as well as Rose's did hers. It was a simple mid-calf length dress with sheer straps that were sewn into an empire waist. Both looked absolutely stunning. I still felt like a penguin next to a swan around them, but I absolutely loved my dress.
The entire front was just plain white with a red trim on the top. The back however split down the middle and the train came out from underneath, the same color as the trim on the front. The minute I saw it on the rack, I stopped looking. I knew that this was the one.
All of our bouquets were the same. 3 white roses and 2 red with babies breath sticking through and 3 green leaves. Our wedding planner, Jennifer, poked her head through the door just then.
"5 minutes girls. And I must say, you all look absolutely beautiful." She gave us a brilliant smile, full of sincerity. She may have been a professional, but she seemed genuinely happy for each of us and that helped calm me some. Dad came in at that point, and almost immediately started tearing up.
"Daddy, please don't cry." I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around him in as much of a bear hug I could manage.
"My little girls are all grown up. I missed so much of your life when I left and now that I've come back, it's like I am losing you all over again."
"Dad, you will still have us. That will never change. And it's not like we are moving overseas. It will be just like it has been except we'll have different last names." Alice tried to reassure him.
"I know, it's just hard to see both of you getting married. And you Rose." He motioned her to join in our little group hug. "I haven't even known you that long, and I feel as if I'm losing you too." By the time Jennifer came in again, we were all in tears.
"Oh, go on now, your all gonna get me started if you don't quit." We all laughed as we watched her tear up a little.
"Are you girls ready." We all nodded and swiped at our eyes, thankful that Alice insisted that we all wear waterproof makeup. We grabbed our bouquets and headed the door. The place that we were holding the wedding was a huge dance hall called The Majestic. The ceiling was held up by huge pillars lining the dance floor. The tables were set up around the room, and everything was arranged so that instead of having to set up for the reception afterwards, the guests could just go straight to the buffet table because they already had their seats at the regular tables.
Alice, Rose and I all lined and watched as Angela walked down the isle to stand to the far left of the stage. Since Rose didn't have a father to walk her down the isle and Jasper was on stage with Emmett and Edward, dad offered to walk all 3 of us down.
Dad walked Rose down first and I watched Emmett grin. He was just as grateful as Rose when dad offered to walk her down the isle. The one thing that put a damper on the wedding plans was that she didn't have anyone to walk her down the isle. She told me and Alice one night shortly after Edward proposed that she felt lonely having no one to give her away and that's when Alice and I broached the subject to dad and he agreed wholeheartedly. When we finally told Rose, she cried.
Alice went next and I had to laugh as Emmett clapped Jasper so hard on the shoulder that he staggered forward a step before catching himself. Snickers rang throughout the audience but he just grinned.
Before I knew what was happening, my dad was standing in front of me and offering his arm. I took it and smiled and we started down the isle. I tried to focus as much as possible on not tripping in the death trap of a shoe I was wearing while looking straight ahead. I looked up to see Edwards gaze on me and I knew that he knew what I was doing and trying not to laugh. He stepped forward as my dad and I made it to the front of the isle. Unfortunately, when he took my hand and turned on that crooked smile of his, I momentarily lost my concentration and stumbled into him.
"You ok?" he whispered for only me to hear. I looked into his smiling face and nodded, not caring at that moment about anything else except me and Edward. He righted me and then took my hand and led me up to the where Jasper Alice Emmett Rose and the pastor were waiting.
About the only part of the ceremony I actually remember was the end. I was in a kind of daze the whole time, and when it was time to say the vows, Edward had to squeeze my hands and nudge me slightly. I realized I had been sort of day dreaming and blushed when he gave me a reassuring smile. And then the part I had been waiting for. Granted I had kissed Edward many times before, but this was our first kiss as husband and wife and that knowledge made it so much more special.
"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Bella Cullen, Mr. and Mrs. Emmett and Rosalie Cullen and Mr. and Mrs. Jasper and Alice Hale. Boys, you may kiss your brides." I was grinning obscenely, and I knew that Rose and Alice probably were too, as Edward leaned down and kissed me gently. He pulled back and paused a moment as we held each others gaze and then he smiled and kissed me again, this time in earnest. Cheers went up in the church as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he picked me up off my feet and swung me around in a circle. We broke apart grinning and laughing and then he swept me off my feet and carried me back down the isle. I glanced behind me to see that Emmett and Jasper had Rose and Alice in similar positions.
"You planned that didn't you?" I whispered in his ear and he chuckled, know what I meant in an instant.
"Emmett was all for throwing you girls over our shoulders and running out the side door, but Jasper and I talked him around." I laughed.
"I'm glad. Although it would have been fun to see Rose's reaction to that." An expression crossed his face quickly and I instantly knew something was up.
"What else are you planning?" I asked but he just smiled and kissed me again. We reached the back of the dance hall and the girls and I went into one of the rooms to bustle our dresses so we weren't stepping on them all night. The wedding planner and her assistants were setting up the bridal party table at the front of the room on the stage so we had a few minutes. But the moment we walked back out and Jennifer gave us the ok to be seated; I was swept back off my feet and carried back up the isle by a pair of strong arms that I would never get tired of.
We were served at the table and I had to remember to thank Jennifer for recommending the caterer. Angela stood up after a while and clicked her knife on her glass to get everyone's attention. When that didn't work, she whistled as she would have if she were trying to get the horses' attention and the rest of us at the table laughed.
"What?" she said at our laughs. "The knife wasn't working." Then she turned towards the guests.
"Thank you all for coming today. I figured that since I am the only one sitting at the table that didn't get married, I had better make a heck of a toast. Wish me luck." Everyone laughed. "I have known Bella Rose and Alice for years. We went to elementary school together when we were younger and I don't think there was a more inseparable group. We did everything together. I would go into some of our more interesting adventures but I think some of you have flights to catch. I think we always knew that we would be best friends no matter what and promised that no matter what happened we would never leave each other in the dust.
"Our sophomore year is when Alice met jasper and I think we were all a little concerned that she would be consumed by her first boyfriend, but he just became another member of the posse. It was like he was always there and they have been together ever since.
"Rose, fell into the trap next. I'm pretty sure she wasn't expecting to walk into Emmett's shop and walk out with a date when she needed parts for her car. And I don't think that there is anyone out there that can handle Rose. Her and Emmett were made for each other.
"And Bella. The minute I saw you and Edward together I knew. I just knew. I know how hard you tried to make it look like he annoyed the heck out of you, but it was obvious you both fell in love the moment you set eyes on each other. It was just a matter of time.
"Most people would ask how I could lose my 3 best friends like this, but the truth is, I'm not losing anything. I am gaining 3 of the most wonderful guys in the world as would-be brothers. And to me, it just doesn't get any better than that. So this toast is to you guys." She raised her glass as I looked down the line and saw that I wasn't the only one with tears in her eyes. Even Rose was crying. All 3 of us stood up and gave her the biggest group hug ever and we were all thankful, again, that we had waterproof makeup on.
Once the waterworks stopped and everyone had eaten their fill it was time to throw the bouquets and all 3 of us girls did it at once. We counted to 3 and threw them over our heads and then turned around and laughed at the scene of girls fighting to catch them. I laughed as Angela caught Roses, and one of Edwards cousins caught Alice's. I looked around to see who had caught mine and my heart almost melted at the little girl that walked forward shyly. She was one of Barbs nieces that was visiting for a couple weeks and was absolutely adorable.
The guys threw the garters next and though they were a little less competitive than the girls, it was still funny to watch. One of Edwards friends from high school had come in a kilt and caught Jaspers. Emmett tried to throw his high enough that he could run over and catch it himself and almost bowled over the entire group but didn't get there in time and lost out to Ben, one of the dancers from Rose and Alice's class (and one of the many guys eyeballing Angela, albeit more shyly than the others). Jacob caught Edwards.
As was tradition, the guys that caught the garters danced with the bride and the girls that caught the bouquets danced with the grooms. Everyone paired up as the music started. I felt absolutely dwarfed by Jacob, even in my heels. The kid was like 6'5" and built like grizzly. Edward was only about 6'1" and when I danced with him I didn't feel like I was going to be crushed. But Jacob wouldn't hurt a fly so I wasn't to worried.
Netta, Barbs niece, had a huge grin on her face and squealed as Edward past us with her in his arms and then dipped her to the ground. Rose and Alice looked like they were having fun with their dance partners, and the expression on Emmett's face as he kept throwing glances at Ben made me laugh because his jealousy was completely misplaced. For one thing, Rose had just pledged her love and life to him just moments ago. Second, Ben was obviously smitten with Angela, and third, even if he was interested in Rose, he was about 2 inches shorter than her without her heels. Alice laughed at something kilt-man Duncan said but Jasper didn't have a temper like Emmett. He just grinned.
Since there were 3 different brides instead of 1, we decided to change things up a bit with the father daughter dance. Just for kicks, I suggested we do the hokey pokey and got gasps of horror from Alice and Rose. But we didn't stray far from that idea. Instead of dancing with all 3 of us separately, and trying to dance with all 3 of us together, we all agreed on one specific dance. So when the music started, we all lined up and got ready for the electric slide. It took forever to talk Dad into, but I knew he was having fun as people started to join us on the dance floor. Pretty soon, about two thirds of the guests were on the dance floor with us, including kids, parents and grandparents.
All of us did what is called the money dance, where people got to pay to dance with the bride or groom. I had a small purse that I had at tied around my wrist but Edward was not so lucky. He had money sticking out of ever possible place of his shirt, pockets, even his shoes. He had taken off his tux jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and it looked as if there was money sticking out of there as well. I had to laugh. Jasper and Emmett looked to be in the same positions.
The rest of the night was nothing but dancing and having fun. One of the best parts of the night had to be when Emmett Jasper and Edward all got up in the middle of the floor and lip synced along with "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, air guitar, head banging and all. Pretty soon it was time to head out so we could finish getting packed for our honeymoons. Since we had gotten married at the same time we decided to go all the way and were all honeymooning on Oahu under one condition. Each couple was staying in a different hotel. That way we could still hang out during the day, but could have some privacy and time to ourselves.
I had speculated earlier that they guys had something planned, and I was proven right. We were all lined up to go through the bird seed line, as was tradition, when all 3 guys looked at each other then grabbed us girls and threw us other their shoulders, running through the "tunnel" with us laughing and wiggling all the way. Edward set me down in the Volvo, stuffing me dress in as safely as possible so as not to damage it, and the walked around to the drivers' side and got in. We waved to everyone as he turned the key in the ignition and looked over at me. The love that I had seen in his eyes all day was so concentrated and intense in the small confines of the car that I had to take a moment to catch my breath. He flashed me that crooked smile and leaned in to kiss me lightly.
"Ready?" he asked. I grinned.
"Definitely."
The End
Haha sorry I couldn't help with the cliché "the end" because if I decide to do a sequel, it won't be "the end" will it lol. I might decide to change a few things once I reread when I am actually awake it but I think I like it the way it is. Let me know what you think and if you find any mistakes lol I'm sure there are plenty. Tear lol I love you guys!
Oh, and that air guitar "Eye of the Tiger" thing actually happened at my sisters wedding lol it was hilarious especially since the guy had a mop of curly shaggy brown hair (it wasn't the groom, he did the cowboy and at 6'5" that was entertainment in itself). It was perfect.