Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
What did I know about weddings? I knew they said brides were supposed to pick a dress first. They being the wedding etiquette authorities, a group as elusive and influential as the Illuminati in my mind. I was already failing.
“I haven’t picked out a dress yet,” I blurted shamefully.
“That’s okay. The bride’s gown comes after the venue is booked. That way we make sure everything is on the same level of formality.” She smiled and her sincerity instantly put me at ease as she withdrew a paper that said Wedding Party. “We’ll give him a minute while we work out minor details and logistics. Why don’t you tell me about your bridesmaids?”
“Bridesmaid. Just one. Elle. She’s my maid of honor actually.”
“So a small wedding party. Lovely. What’s her name?”
“Elle Tuttle.” I watched as she wrote down Elle’s name with perfect penmanship.
“And has Hale selected his best man?”
I nodded. “His brother, Barrett.”
“Davenport, right?”
“Yes.”
I chewed my lower lip. “Is it wrong of me not to have Hale’s sister as a bridesmaid?” I hated the thought of Seraphina feeling left out in any way.
“That’s totally up to you and Hale. She’s the only other sibling?”
“Yes.” I could hear Hale’s voice carrying down the hall. It didn’t sound like he was hanging up any time soon. “I also have a guy friend, Tyler, I wanted to include.”
“As a groomsman?”
“No, he and Hale have only met a couple of times. They’re not close. Can he be a ring bearer or something?”
She looked up from the paper and her laughter silenced when she realized I was serious. “Well, if that’s what you want, but typically ring bearers are young boys. If not a groomsman, how about an usher or a reader?”
“That would probably work.” My stomach started to cramp. I wanted Hale’s input on these decisions. “Maybe just write that in with a pencil for now.”
She laughed. “These are only preliminary forms. Nothing is written in stone.”
But she was using a very permanent gel pen.
“Sorry about that,” Hale said as he returned to the dining room.
Instant relief unraveled the tension in my shoulders. “Do you want Phina in the wedding?”
He cocked his head and grinned. “I think that would be nice.”
Good thing, because Quinn had already written down her name on the list in what might as well be a permanent marker.
“Rayne told me your brother, Barrett, will be your best man. Is there another friend or relative you’d like to have as a groomsman to escort your sister?”
It occurred to me that Barrett and Elle would be paired together and I smiled. They were already dating so that worked out perfectly.
Hale dragged a hand over the golden stubble lining the hard edge of his jaw. “I guess that would be my college roommate, Noah Wolfe.”
Noah? Noah who? This was the first time I had heard mention of a Noah. “I’ve never heard you mention him.”
“Sure you have. He lives in Philadelphia, about an hour away from New York. He was recently married. Remember, I went to their wedding just before you and I started dating?”
“Before we met? Sure. I remember it like yesterday.”
Hale chuckled at my sarcasm and turned his attention back to Quinn. “I’ll want to make sure his wife, Avery, is included in any plans as well.”
Now we were adding an Avery? “You mean as a bridesmaid?” I asked, both reluctant and confused. I really didn’t want a big wedding party.
“No, just as Noah’s plus one so she doesn’t have to sit by herself. It’s perfectly fine to add her onto the head table, right, Quinn?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh.” How did he know what was right and what wasn’t when this was his first wedding too? Maybe this was the kind of propriety stuff wealthy guys learned while escorting debutants about the town during their adolescence.
Elara began to fuss, so I preoccupied myself with finding her a binkie while Hale went over some other details with Quinn.
“Do you have a date selected for the engagement party?”
My attention returned to wedding-gate. “We’re having an engagement party?”
“It’s pretty standard for a wedding of this size, especially with so many people traveling from around the country. An engagement party establishes the tone of the event and allows guests plenty of time to plan. Plus, you, the bride and groom, get one more reason to celebrate this momentous milestone.”
I felt my mouth form a smile but it didn’t reach my eyes. “Great. Are we inviting all the wedding guests, or is this just a small, family affair?” Please say family only…
“Oh, no, you’ll want to invite everyone who you plan to include in your big day. And, just an FYI, etiquette states that you should never invite someone to the engagement party who isn’t also invited to the wedding, but you can always add last-minute guests as the wedding gets closer.