The Height Of Happiness

Chapter 12

The trees were brilliant with color as every shade of red, orange, and yellow could be seen from where Serena stood. Like a burning fire in the golden afternoon light, the warm tones stretched into the horizon. All that she could see was her domain. The orchards in the near distance now belonged to her, and were operating their first harvest for the brandy to be released in five years’ time. If she went to the other end of the large room, she could see the vines her family had tended for decades.

From this angle, Serena Beauchene felt like a queen, and today she was marrying her king.

The wide window gave an expansive view of the coming crowd. They had done their best to keep things intimate, but there will still over one hundred people coming from all across the country to see her be married. Friends from school and family from other states had traversed the miles to her little slice of heaven, and she was finally ready. Serena looked out from the bridal suite at the inn. The photographer snapped her photo, while Cassie Moreno held her bouquet.

During a long weekend in New York City, Serena had found her dress as she strolled down Fifth Avenue one snowy morning. On a whim, Edward had persuaded her to take some time off as rains kept work from progressing back home. It had only been a month since they’d gotten engaged, and every spare moment had been dedicated to planning their wedding with the utmost fervor. Her staff at Belle and Beau had things in hand, so she escaped to a quiet weekend with shopping and Central Park views. At the same time, they could redo the night that she and Edward first met.

After a night of dinner and dancing at an exclusive place tucked away in a historic building Serena had never heard of, she left Teddy to work out, and took a walk in the cold morning air. She wove through the park for a while, but inevitably went searching for a coffee and something sweet.

 It had been a part of a display that she randomly passed, which she quickly ruined with the flash of her fiancé’s credit card. It took her all of about twenty minutes. She tried on the dress, fell in love, and never looked back. It was everything she had been hunting in a wedding dress, and Serena was not even mad that she had spent days scouring the internet and magazines looking for the right garment. The ballgown she found made her too happy.

A pale blushing pink shade, the wedding dress was a draped tulle bridal ballgown with an artfully sculpted sweetheart bodice that accentuated two of her favorite assets. The off-the-shoulder embellished cap sleeves shimmered in the natural light with an adornment of gemstones hiding the clips that clasped the careful fabric of the sleeve into place. Swirling around, the full sweeping tulle skirt of the ball gown hid the glittering silver heels she spent days learning to walk in. Fortunately, the block heel kept her from tipping over as she turned around to face Cassie and her mother as she came into the suite holding her veil.

“Oh, Serena. You look like an angel!” Her mother exclaimed with tears in her eyes. “That stylist did wonders with your hair and makeup.”

It was true. She’d accentuated her few freckles with more made of gold. Her lips were a deep wine shade, and she was still getting used to the false eyelashes at the corners of her eyes. The woman had come at the crack of dawn and spent ages braiding Serena’s hair back and getting the texture of her curl to cascade down her back. It had taken an arsenal of creams and gels, but Serena never felt more divine. The stylist had even found time to get Cassie’s mane into a long romantic fishtail braid down her back.

“Thank you, Mom,” Serena said as her mother fasted her Juliet cap veil into place.

The art deco tiara wrapped around her head, and the tulle of the champagne-colored veil stretched down her back to sweep just past the hem of her full skirt.

“Your cousin Rebecca is down stairs wrangling your baby cousins. We have the two flower girls and the baby ring bearer in place, but they keep wanting to run over and try the desserts at the cocktail hour display.”

“Hey Cass, thanks again for doing those deserts. They taste divine.”

She shrugged, “Thanks for letting me leave business cards out by the cake. It may look a little tacky, but whatever.”

Winnifred Beauchene patted the young woman on the shoulder, “Oh no honey, those cards are beautiful. I love that gold foil you used too! It looks very tasteful.”

“And I did get my taste from her,” Serena added. “I’m sure it looks fine.”

“Babe, you look like a total goddess.” Cassie gushed as she handed Serena her bouquet of crisp ivory-colored roses. “I hope I look half as stunning as you when I get married next year.”

Serena stopped, “Wait, what?”

“Devin proposed! I didn’t know how to tell you, but it was a spur of the moment thing for him. We’re going to go pick out a ring next week.”

Serena stopped and opened her arms wide for her best friend to hug her. They both heard a click of the camera, and they all remembered the young female photographer was still in the corner.

“You’ll thank me later for having that moment on camera.”

The women all laughed, and they took a moment to appreciate Cassie’s maid of honor dress and how it matched Winnifred’s dress serendipitously. They were both the same shade of burgundy, but where Winnifred’s outfit was primarily lace Cassie’s was chiffon. Standing side by side, Cassie had the sister dress to Serena’s gown, and Serena was excited to see the pictures as they made their way down the hall to where Edward was waiting.