The closer the wedding became, the more nervous she was. There was a moment, briefly, if she wondered if getting married was what she really wanted. Thinking of Matthew though, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Still, as if her pre-wedding jitters weren’t enough, Catherine was calling everyday. She wanted an elaborate seating chart. Chelsea agreed, but changed the seating herself. She wanted the colors of the wedding to stay traditional, white and black. Chelsea refused politely saying she’d already picked out the colors. Everyday Catherine seemed to become more involved until she wanted to pull her hair out. Once she found out they were getting married at a venue, not a church and with a non-religious ceremony, Catherine really flipped.
Chelsea slammed her phone down on the table. “Tell your mother to butt out of our wedding! I am so sick of her adding crap. Doves, stupid songs, she might as well parade a marching band through the place!”
Matthew rubbed her shoulders, shushing her softly. “It’s our day, babe. You do whatever you want to do, I’ll back you up.”
He kissed her gently, making her relax against his chest. It was like her nightmare all over again with all of the changes being made, but this was real life. She was not going to let Catherine take control.
Two weeks before the wedding, Chelsea went to visit Sangi. She found her cuddled up with Andrew on her front porch. They both jumped when they saw her, like kids who’d been misbehaving.
“What are you doing here?” Chelsea asked him.
“I just came to visit Sangi, talk wedding stuff. Matthew wants me to be one of the grooms. I should really be going now though. Long drive back.”
They hugged before he jogged to his sleek, black car, slipping inside. Chelsea raised an eyebrow at Sangi who shrugged. She rolled her eyes.
“You two are ridiculous. Why won’t you just say you’re dating?”
“And have his mom freak out again? No thanks, I’ve learned from your example.”
“Heartwarming,” Chelsea said with a laugh. Let’s talk about my bachelorette party.”
The last week before the wedding, she and Matthew decided to live separately. He thought it was silly, but she liked the idea of keeping him in wait. That way when he saw her, he’d fall in love with her all over again. The sexless week would give them more tension she told him, tension they could relieve on the honeymoon. Matthew reluctantly agreed, kissing her deeply the day he’d packed his bags.
“I’ll see you at the alter, babe.”
Chelsea spent her last week both enjoying her last days as a single woman with her friends and frantically scrambling to complete every last detail of the wedding. She was almost glad to have the planner now. Sangi completely left off everything Andrew related to help her. The night before the wedding, she and Sangi curled up in bed together like when they were children, falling asleep to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
*****
The next morning, Chelsea was in full panic mode. She rushed around the house gathering everything she needed to take with her to the State Room. Sangi picked up after her, making sure she didn’t go insane. When Chelsea needed her clothes, Sangi handed them to her. When she lost her wedding shoes, her friend tucked them away in the car. Chelsea was almost in tears before the day started, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get through the day.
They stopped at the hotel their friends were staying in to get ready. The make up artist and stylist worked their magic. When they were done, Chelsea hardly recognized herself. Her makeup was soft tones of lilac and pink. Her hair had been pulled back, twisted into an intricate bun and a Gardenia worked into her hair. Chelsea touched her face and hair tentatively. Sangi walked over to her slowly.
“Looks like Catherine sent you a little gift,” she said holding up a black bag.
Chelsea unzipped the bag. Inside was the wedding dress she’d rejected in Nantucket. It sat there in all it’s overdone glory. Chelsea’s fists clenched at her side. Hadn’t she told Catherine she didn’t want it?
“Put it back wherever it came from. Get my dress for me please.”
Sangi helped Chelsea into the dress, zipping her into it gently. Once more Chelsea admired herself in the mirror. She really did look like a completely different person.
“Am I really doing this?” She asked herself.
“You’ll be fine, honey. You look beautiful.”
Her mom kissed her on the cheek. Once more she felt like crying. She wondered if it was normal to be this emotional, but then she brushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter if it was normal or not. It was her wedding. She could cry as much as she wanted to. Still, she dabbed at her eyes so she didn’t ruin her makeup before the ceremony.
There was a knock on the hotel door. Chelsea’s friend Jenna opened it and Catherine breezed past her. She was wearing a gray dress that would match Matthew and his friends clothes. Chelsea was distracted from her clothes, however when she saw Catherine’s face. She looked pissed.
“I just got done talking to Helen. Can you imagine what she said to me? You changed everything! You cut my guest list, rearranged seating charts, used a different caterer, you’re not even wearing the dress I brought you! This is just ungrateful, Chelsea. I paid for all of this. If you’re going to be a part of this family, you’re going to have to learn to play ball.”