Читать книгу STILL STANDING - M.G. Crisci - Страница 13

“A successful marriage involves falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

– Mignon McLaughlin

2003…

My ex-boyfriend Will almost ruined my wedding day.

John and I were just about to begin our life together. We had been blissfully in love for two years, and we both had careers we loved. He was a managerial executive with an international spirits company, and I was a reporter assigned to the most controversial stories. I had built a reputation for asking the tough questions and being a relentless guardian of the truth.

I wanted the traditional fairy-tale princess wedding, as did John with all our family and friends present to witness our vows. The “Big Day” was August 2, 2003. We planned a glamorous affair for 100 guests at Batch Country House with its stunning landscaped gardens, a fountain, and a bridge over the lake. It was perfect, as was my sweetheart lace Morilee dress with pearls, crystal beaded embroidery, diamantes, and a gigantic train.

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Organizing the wedding was fun, but stressful due to some large and small glitches. The trouble began with our wedding party. I had five bridesmaids; my friends Mary, Katherine, Claire, plus my sister Shelley, and John’s sister, Cara. They would wear cornflower blue dresses with pearl and diamante beads. Then, out of the blue, the bridesmaid shop went bust and closed without notice.

Fortunately, after I acted like a crazed person, the owner did agree to honor my order and promised to deliver the dresses as contracted. But she lied; I was presented with cheap copies.

“These are imitation dresses; you can still see the dressmakers’ chalk on the satin!” I screeched. “I want my money back.” I guess my ire scared the devil out of the red-faced owner; she issued a full refund.

With just a couple of weeks until getting hitched, I scoured the surrounding towns to find another bridal store. As things turned out, the gowns were even better, and they cost a bit less!

Next problem, the makeup artist decided to cancel without an explanation, which led to another last-minute save by yours truly. As the hiccups continued, and the August sunshine turned to vicious downpour, every day leading up to the wedding, my stress level rose. In the end, I calmed myself with the belief that it was better for things to go wrong before rather than after being married.