“You’re the bride!” Amy cried when Meg handed her a breakfast sandwich. “This is your day! We’re supposed to be catering to you!”
“Yes, but I wanted a guilt-free sausage-and-cheese biscuit,” she explained, “and this way, I have earned it because I am doing something nice.”
“The fact that you aren’t showing up hangry and irritable from a lemon-water-and-cayenne diet is good enough for us,” Amy joked.
Meg wrinkled her nose. “I’m going to have to deal with all of Hunter’s family, all of my family, and the entire town. I am not facing all of that on an empty stomach!”
Brea raced into the room. “Hair-and-makeup team is here,” she said, sliding to a stop in front of Meg and Amy. “Amy, you need to put on your dress and do something with your hair. Sebastian, go corral all the groomsmen and make sure they are all dressed and sober. Amy will bring over the accessories in a little bit.”
“It’s nine in the morning!” I exclaimed.
“You poor, naïve wedding helper,” Amy said. “I could tell you some horror stories of weddings delayed. We start prep as early as possible.”
Hunter didn’t seem jittery at all when I arrived in the groom’s suite. It was like any other day, with him barking at his younger brothers.
“You will not wear a hat,” he scolded one of his younger brothers, who was wearing a too-large fedora in the Harrogate colors.
“But it’s a special occasion!”
“No hats!”
Hunter turned to me and raised a questioning eyebrow.
“I’m here to make sure everyone is dressed and sober,” I explained.
Hunter’s bemusement turned into a death glare. “Which one of you has been drinking?” he yelled at his brothers, sweeping through the room as they all scattered.
I helped the little kids get dressed in their three-piece gray suits. I was tying my tenth bow tie when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see Amy standing there in her cream-colored bridesmaid dress, holding a box of boutonnieres.
“I made them a bit masculine,” Amy said in excitement as she practically bounced into the room. “With a little rosemary, some juniper, and craspedia.” She clapped. “It’s going to look chef’s kiss with your suits.”
She tilted her head as Hunter’s younger brothers crowded around her. “I think you all need hats with those dashing outfits!”
“No hats,” Hunter said.
Amy blinked at him. “But Brea had hats made.”
Amy skipped out into the hallway and came back in, lugging a big box on a cart.
“Freshly steamed. They all have names. Sebastian, can you get them all in their boutonnieres and top hats?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding.
Amy narrowed her eyes. “You say yes, but your eyes say, ‘Help me, Amy. I’m confused and bewildered!’”
“It’s just a lot of children,” I said, opening the hatbox.
While Amy deftly pinned boutonnieres to each child then the adults, I passed out hats.
“Do not lose those hats,” Hunter threatened them. “We’re going to take nice photos, and if there’s one hat missing, so help me, you will spend all of summer vacation cleaning the house.”
55
Amy
Idid one last check of the flowers and then had a quick chat with my fellow wedding planners.
“Food’s in the warmers. Flowers look great,” Ivy said, checking her list. “Bride is ready. All the groomsmen and bridesmaids are lined up. I think we’re ready to throw a wedding!”
