“You look beautiful, stop panicking,” Eve added. “You’re the most gorgeous bride I’ve ever seen.”
Tawna blushed. The delicate pink flush against her peachy skin reminded me of how she looked back at school.
“It’s time to leave, girls,” Mrs Maguire said. “There’s late and then there’s late,” she added pointedly.
Eve and I picked up our bouquets, hand-tied arrangements of lemon and peach and pink gerberas. It was like holding springtime in my hands.
“See you at the church,” I said to Tawna, the emotion of the moment causing tears to prickle against the backs of my eyes.
“Don’t cry,” she instructed. “If you cry, I’ll cry, and if I cry then I’ll look like Alice Cooper, and no one wants that on their wedding day. At least, no sane person.”
I took a deep breath to compose myself and Eve rubbed her palm in calming clockwork circles against my back.
“You’re supposed to be looking after me, not making me emotional,” Tawna scolded, but there was a tenderness in her face.
“I’m going, I’m going.” I turned away before she caught sight of the teardrops welling in my eyes.
A suited and booted man who could have doubled as the fat controller in the Thomas the Tank Engine books ushered Eve and me into the vintage car that was taking us to the church, and only when we were safely in the back of the vehicle and out of Tawna’s view did the pair of us allow the tears to freely flow, tears of happiness for the friend we’d known almost our whole lives who was about to start her most exciting chapter yet.
“You look stunning.” Max eyed me appreciatively. “Honestly, I think you might outshine the bride.”
“Don’t let Tawna hear you say that when she arrives,” I said, my voice hushed. “She’s the main attraction today, and rightly so. She’s been dreaming of her wedding day her whole life. When we were younger she used to say she wanted an enormous wedding with a princess dress, a horse and carriage, the works. I think she’d seen Cinderella one too many times.”
“This is nice though,” Max said, gazing up at the church spire. “Nothing beats a traditional wedding. Except a good party, maybe.”
“Tawna and Johnny have that covered. Parties are their forte. I can’t wait to take off these uncomfortable heels and dance the night away.”
“Save one of the smoochy slow dances for me.” He winked.
“I will.”
Johnny’s brother, Paul, interrupted, ushering everyone through the ornate doorway to take their seats ready for the service. It was reassuring to see he was taking his duties seriously.
Just me, Eve and Summer remained in the churchyard as the vintage Bentley carrying Tawna and her mum pulled up. A chauffeur dressed in the same formalwear as the driver who’d brought Eve and me to the church opened the car door for Mrs Maguire before moving to the other side of the car to unlock the door so Tawna could take her last steps as a single woman.
Eve and I hurried to her side to ensure the large skirt of her dress didn’t get dirty. The ground was dry after a rain-free week, but the stone paving slabs leading to the church were dusty.
The photographer clicked away; the sound of the camera shutter loud against the peaceful surroundings.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
“I’m ready,” Tawna replied but, as I looped my arm through hers, her arm trembled against mine.
“Do you want to take a moment?” Eve asked. “Compose yourself before you go in?”
Tawna shook her head defiantly. “No. What I want is to get in there and marry Johnny.” She smiled. “I’ve waited so long for this moment, and I don’t want to wait any longer.”
The heels of my shoes sank into the carpet in the church vestibule, and I patted my friend’s arm before standing aside.
“Enjoy every second,” I whispered, the words melting into the flecks of dust which speckled the air as the organist played the opening bars of “Air on the G String”.
Summer led the way down the aisle, leaving a trail of fresh rose petals in shades of pink in her wake.
When she reached the altar, Tawna and her mum made their way down the aisle, Eve and I checking the train of Tawna’s dress was neatly splayed out behind her before following on. The walk seemed excruciatingly slow, but I savoured the moment. It wasn’t every day someone I loved got married.
Familiar faces made up the congregation and I smiled as I walked past the pews, the bunches of flowers tied to the end of each row perfectly matching those Eve and I were carrying. Everyone admired the bride and I noticed Eve’s mum, sat alongside my parents, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. I wondered how much of this she understood. Either way, it was lovely that she’d been able to make it, and I was touched when my mum put a comforting arm around her quivering shoulders.
Johnny and Darius waited next to the vicar, resplendent in slate-grey suits and ties the same pale pink shade as the dresses Eve and I were wearing.
The sun streamed in through the stained-glass window, the colours turning and twisting like a kaleidoscope, as the vicar welcomed the guests.
I drank in the moment as the first hymn, “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, sounded out. Johnny’s loving expression was so touching, so tender, as he took in his bride. Eve’s hands were wrapped around both her bouquet and Tawna’s, as if to let them go would be a bad omen. Darius stared intently at the order of service, mumbling the words to the famous hymn, and Tawna’s mum was on the verge of tears. It must have brought back memories of her own wedding day too, and of Tawna’s dad. For all her tough exterior, she had to be particularly aware of her husband’s absence on a day centred around love. Tawna had always been a daddy’s girl, and he must have been in her thoughts as she’d exited the
