“Really? Who’s getting married?”
“Not you, with that attitude.”
“OK, I’m up. I’m up!” he laughed, jumping out of bed and kissing me on the cheek.
“Good. Now get a shower, get your stuff, and get out of our house!”
“That doesn’t seem conducive to getting me to the wedding,” he said, feigning hurt feelings.
“You are getting dressed at your father’s house. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. Everyone knows that.”
“Fine, Bridezilla. I’m going,” he laughed, running away as I pretended to smack his backside.
“I’ll show you Bridezilla,” I taunted as he disappeared into the bathroom.
I gathered my things and waited for him to leave before getting my own shower. I had a full morning with Beverly Canton coming over to do my hair and makeup. She was the closest thing to a profession makeup artist Muskrat Creek had, usually doing up the local girls for pageants and prom. By the time she was done with me, Becky had arrived to get hers done as well.
“How are you doing?” she asked as Beverly worked on her hair, leaving mine in hot rollers. She would take it down and comb it out shortly before it was time to leave, pulling up the back into loose curls and leaving soft tendrils down to frame my face. Rather than a veil, I had opted for an understated pearl tiara with springs of baby’s breath tucked into the curls and held in place by small pearl corkscrew pins.
One touch I had not told Jon about was his cats. I had arranged for them to be carried down the aisle by Donnie and Becky, which I hoped would not backfire in my face. Since it was an open venue, all it would take was one wayward dog to send them flying out of their arms to wreak havoc. It was risky, but I knew it would make him smile.
“All right, we’re all done here,” Beverly said as Becky stood and turned to look at me.
“Wow, you look amazing,” I told her. “If you don’t make some guy’s eyes pop out of his head at this thing, there is no hope for a single woman in this town.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. There’s slim pickings around here, especially since you snatched up the most eligible bachelor in town.”
I laughed and sat down in Beverly’s chair for her to finish my hair. I could feel a bit of nervousness setting in as the time to leave was getting closer. How much of it was about things running smoothly and how much was about actually getting married was beyond me. I didn’t want anything to go wrong. Today was to be my perfect day, even if it would be considered a “redneck” wedding by a lot of people outside our town. Once Beverly was finished with me, she held up a mirror at different angles so I could see my hair from all around.
“It’s perfect, Beverly. Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. I aim to please. Just pay the bill on time!” she quipped, gathering up her stuff to go.
Becky saw her out and then helped me get into my dress. She was already wearing hers, an off-the-shoulder knee-length lace gown with a cream-colored sash running around the waistline and tying in a back bow. My dress was the opposite, a cream-colored lace dress with an asymmetrical hemline that was just below the knees in the front and almost ankle length in the back. The gentle outward slope of the material hid the fact that I was expecting, though it wasn’t really a secret from anyone with Jon running around town telling anyone who would listen that he was going to be a father.
The finishing touches were the peach ribbon matching the color of Becky’s dress running around my waist and along the bottom hemline. A mixture of the same color ribbons were included in the small bouquet of peach-colored roses she carried and the larger bouquet of peach and white roses with a spray of baby’s breath that made up my own. Nothing I had chosen was extravagant, but it was all very tasteful. Jon, his father, and Donnie would all be dressed in tuxedos with peach cummerbunds and matching corsages. The only thing outside my control was the venue itself, which Derrick had insisted on taking care of for me. He had swatches of my colors and knew what flowers I was using, so it would be up to him how it looked.
“Here you go,” Becky said, pulling a velvet bag from her own and handing it to me once I was in my gown and looking at it in the mirror.
I opened it to find a lovely blue satin-and-lace garter inside. It was absolutely gorgeous.
“The lace is old. It’s from your mother’s wedding dress. I know you said you didn’t want to wear it, but I thought you’d like to have a part of it with you, so I had Jon help me find it in the things he put in the shed and stripped a piece out from an underfold where it won’t be missed. The blue satin is from a pillowcase your grandmother made that was damaged, but I salvaged some of the material from the center. The ribbon around the center is new, and I’ve pinned a small love charm in the center. You have to give that back, as it’s only borrowed.”