Twelve
Lucy,NoelleandI,along with Sam and Alec, huddled around the dining room table the following evening to plan a schedule, as Marcus had suggested.
I’d made an executive decision to invite the men to join us, partly because I thought they might think of something we women couldn’t, and partly because, out of all of us, the men were the ones with more experience of weddings. Sam’s parents had been married several times – to different people, and Alec had actually been married.
True to Marcus’ word, and much to my surprise, he’d left a case of wine on my doorstep that morning, along with a note informing me that the credit card would arrive within a few days. Clearly the man knew what he was doing.
Lucy and Sam had brought three large pizzas from Sam’s favourite, Italian restaurant, for us to share, each with different toppings. Noelle and Alec had brought a selection of desserts. I supplied the wine. Well, technically, Marcus had. But as the case of it was in part-payment for my wedding planning services, as far as I was concerned, it was mine, and I was sharing it with my ‘team’. Oddly enough, they all raised their eyebrows when I informed them they were my team, even though they knew it was said teasingly.
‘I’ve made a list.’ I’d had it printed out from my phone and copied at the local print and photo shop in town. ‘Have I missed anything? I tried to remember everything Marcus told me last night.’
We ate and drank while they all scanned the list. I’d itemised each thing and added three columns. The first said, ‘agreed’, the second said, ‘ongoing’, and the third said, ‘completed’.
‘We can tick the agreed column for the wedding dress,’ Lucy said. ‘I’ll be designing and making that.’
‘Ah, but should we tick it now? Or should we wait until Adele has agreed your design? Ongoing will be ticked when you’re making it, and completed will be ticked when it’s finished and the bride has had the final fitting.’
‘Good point,’ she said. ‘Perhaps we need a fourth column for ‘proposed’, or supplier/provider appointed?’
‘Or we could put a half tick in the first column,’ Noelle suggested, as Sam and Alec rolled their eyes.
‘Let’s tick agreed,’ said Sam. ‘Ongoing can cover everything else.’
‘Fine,’ I said, ticking that column for the wedding dress.
‘Actually,’ said Lucy, ‘We can also tick the bridesmaids’ dresses. I’m assuming Adele will buy those from me, especially as I’ll be giving her a large discount. Same goes for the groom and the best man’s outfits. Our online business stocks all that, and Fairlight Brides also has some stock. In fact, all the stuff to do with clothing and accessories, can be supplied by me, Mum, and Tilly. We also stock a selection of wedding invitations online. We need to ask Adele and Marcus if they want to get all this from us or if they’d rather go elsewhere. I’m fairly sure I know the answer.’
‘Fantastic,’ I said, ticking the agreed column for all those items. ‘Some of these will have to wait until Adele and Marcus are back tomorrow night, like the guest list for example. But what about a photographer? Would Elliot consider the job?’
Sam nodded. ‘I’m sure he would. He knows Marcus, and he’s a good guy, so yeah. Providing he’s available that day. I’ll ask him and get back to you.’
‘Hair and make-up?’
‘I have a friend who does that,’ said Noelle. ‘I’ll check the date and confirm if she can do it. She’s top notch. She does my hair.’ Noelle swished her hair as if to prove how wonderful her friend was.
‘Tick. Florist?’
‘Got a friend for that,’ said Noelle. ‘She’s just opened her own shop in Fairlight Bay.’
‘Tick. The cake?’
‘Surely someone in Fairlight Bakes will do that, won’t they?’ said Lucy.
‘Tick, Erm. What else can we deal with now? What about table decorations?’
‘I can deal with those,’ Noelle said. ‘My own, still relatively small business, Midwinter Cottage Decorations, sells handmade decorations for all events and all seasons, including weddings, both online and on a stall I rent at the Fairlight Bay Market.’
‘Perfect. Tick. Next. Oh, wedding favours? Now Marcus wasn’t sure if couples still give these out to guests, and I haven’t got a clue. Anyone?’ I glanced around the table.
‘I can also do something for those,’ Noelle said. ‘If it’s decided to have them. But Lucy probably could too.’
Lucy tipped her head from side to side. ‘We do sell a few items of clothing, hats, and some accessories in the online store, many of them leaning towards the jokey side. But I’m not really a fan of wedding favours, are you, Noelle? Should you really need to give your friends and relatives gifts to thank them for coming to your wedding?’
Noelle shook her head. ‘Not really. I do like little things such as a packet of flower seeds that has some connection to the couple. Or those grow your own Groom, or Bride, packets of sunflower seeds. They’re amusing. Assuming guests have gardens. But personally, I’d rather spend a couple of pounds more per guest on food or drink than on a small gift that the guest might not like, or want, or from my own experience, may end up leaving on the table.’
‘Did you have them at your wedding, Alec?’ I queried. ‘If you don’t mind me asking.’
Alec shook his head. ‘I don’t mind. And no. We didn’t. But my wife’s parents did send out a biro with our names and the wedding date on, along with the invitations. The idea was that guests would use the biros to RSVP.’ He shrugged.
