The Wedding

UNEDITED! SERIOUSLY UNEDITED!!!

Jeez, Louise, this took hours to write! It's 8,400 words, apparently!

If you asked to be a character, you'll find your names in bold throughout the story. I hope you're happy with the way I wrote you all. Too late now, if you didn't.

If you see that I missed you out, add a comment at the end when prompted!

Also, like I said, LOTS of multimedia in this chapter! Enjoy.

Sarah, xx

~*~*~ Sophie ~*~*~

I always thought that I was the crazy one out of my sisters and me. I had a temper and I was easily wound up, so naturally, I would be the first to throw a tantrum. Yet, today, I was serenely calm while Charlotte ran around like a headless chicken and Mum was spoon feeding Emma champagne to calm her nerves.

The chaos in the bridal suite at The Delaney was unbelievable. Hairdressers and makeup artists were frantically trying to fix Charlotte's makeup, while the wedding planner and her countless assistants were trying to figure out where the bridal party bouquets were. Aishwarya D'Souza, the mother of the groom, had arrived to check on her soon-to-be daughter-in-law and had been giving Emma some 'helpful' tips in preparation for her walk up the aisle. I know the woman meant well, but she had well and truly spooked Emma.

(Aishwarya D'Souza's Mother of the Groom outfit)

And let's not even mention the grandmother.

Blending cultures is never easy and having an interfaith wedding was always going to be a challenge, but Jayalakshmi Chandra really took the biscuit for all the traditions and rituals she was insisting that be a part of the wedding. Even Adam thought his grandmother was going a little overboard and had to navigate the waters carefully so as not to offend anyone.

The Irish-French-Indian-American wedding was an eclectic mix of traditions and some of what Jayalakshmi had wanted had to be sacrificed in order for Emma and Adam to have the wedding that they wanted. Our grandmothers had graciously accepted that some Celtic and French traditions just weren't going to be included, but the word 'no' did not appear in this formidable woman's vocabulary.

Still, with a lot of effort, Adam and Emma had managed to include two traditions from each culture into the day. However, at the rate that Jayalakshmi was offending everyone in the room with her domineering personality, the rituals she campaigned heavily in favour of would soon be banned from the ceremony.

"You can love the person," Erika, one of Emma's best friends, said as soon as she ushered every member of the groom's family out the door. Erika Torres was always the life and soul of the party and was quick to make a joke of everything, but right now, she was being serious as she spoke. "But you don't have to love the family."

Emma sighed heavily, taking another sip from her champagne flute. "I should have eloped," she announces, shaking her head delicately so that her hair doesn't come loose from the intricate design that took the hairstylist the better part of an hour to put together. Draining the rest of the alcohol, she holds out the glass for my mother to refill. "This," she waves her free hand around. "Is not a wedding. It a political minefield. You can't do this because it'll offend someone, but you can't do that either because it'll offend someone else. Girls, take it from me, don't get married. Not worth the hassle."

"I don't know why you're preaching at me," Charlotte said from the makeup chair. Earlier, after a prolonged battle with the zip of her bridesmaid dress, Charlotte made the mistake of wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, smudging her makeup. It wasn't that big of a deal, except that it was. Having to re-do Charlotte's makeup meant that we're not forty-five minutes behind schedule. Shutting her eyes so that the makeup artist could paint on some eyeliner, Charlotte continues to speak. "It's not like I'll be getting married anytime soon. Sophie's the next bride, not me."

Suddenly, all eyes turned to me. Emma's jaw was almost on the floor and Erika was eagerly waiting for me to make some sort of announcement. Instead, I held up my bare left hand and wiggled my fingers, showing the room that I didn't have a ring.

"You might not have the bling yet," Charlotte commented, cracking one eye open so that she could stare at me. "But that doesn't mean you won't be getting it. You and Daniel are perfect together. I mean, did you not notice how that man doted on you on Thursday night? He couldn't take his eyes off you."

I didn't dare tell them that the reason Daniel's gaze followed me everywhere was because he was trying to figure out if I was or was not wearing any underwear. I'd told him as we left the house that I was sans culotte but Daniel can never quite tell when I'm being serious or just pulling his leg. It wasn't until we'd gotten home and he undid the zip of my dress, letting it fall and pool at my feet, that he knew for certain that I had indeed been very serious.

I digress, however. "Are you sure that you and Brogan aren't serious?" I asked Charlotte, turning the tables back onto her. Smirking, I can't help but tease her a little more. Payback. "You know there were rumours that he's gay, don't you? Are you his beard, Charlotte?"

Flipping the middle finger at me, my younger sister ignores my question, instead sitting patiently for her makeup to be reapplied. Erika and Emma laugh at her reaction because we all know that Brogan is not gay. At least, after the noises coming from Emma's suite last night, we highly doubt that he's gay.

Having stayed at the hotel last night, I hadn't seen Daniel since yesterday afternoon and I had to admit that I missed him. I knew that it was stupid but I couldn't help how my heart ached for him when he wasn't at my side. Even now, knowing that he's only a few rooms away, I still felt as if a piece of me was missing. I loved and loathed the feeling in equal measures and I couldn't shake the feeling of dread that weighed heavily in my heart at the thought that Daniel would be leaving on Monday.

We hadn't talked about what would happen after this week. Yes, we're dating and it's official, but what would happen once an ocean was separating us? We'd still talk on the phone and we'd still Skype, but I wasn't due back in the UK until October. That was four months away. Could I fit a few trips home into my schedule? Could he fit a few trips into his? Could we make this work?

Shaking my head, I mentally scorn myself for thinking that we couldn't make it work. Of course we can. We love each other and we want to make it work, so we will.

"Chérie?" My mother addresses me. I look up to see her watching me carefully, worry in her eyes that I hadn't seen in years. Not since the whole Liam O'Keefe thing. "Ça va? Tu es très pâle."

I forced a smile. "You always say I look pale," I tell her, ignoring her question. When she continues to stare at me, I feel my shoulders sag. "Je l'aime. Sa présence me manqué. Chais pas. C'est comme si... Il me manque tellement quand il n'est pas là."

(I love him. I miss his presence. I dunno. It's like... I miss him so much when he's not around.)

"Sophie," Mum sighs, leaning down to kiss my forehead, just like she would when I was a child and she would comfort me. "Es-tu content? Avec lui?"

(Are you happy? With him?)

"Je suis aux oiseaux, maman," I say, unable to keep the smile from my face. "Je l'aime de tout mon coeur."

(I'm very happy, Mum. I love him with all my heart.)

Once again, my mother kisses my forehead and smiles at me. I know she's not Daniel's biggest fan after that blip between us, but we were over that bump in the road. Finally, Daniel and I were back on track and stronger than we'd been before. Even though I worry about where our relationship is heading, I know that he and I are capable of making it work.

"Ok, I'm done," Charlotte announces as she stands from the makeup chair. "No, let's get the bride dressed."

Emma being Emma, had decided that one of the cultural traditions she wanted to adhere to was that, centuries ago, Irish brides would wear blue. In fact, it wasn't until the 19th Century that brides began to wear white gowns for their weddings. Before that, coloured dresses were en vogue, with blue being the colour of choice in the Delaney family.

Emma's dress was in contrast to the rose gold coloured sequin dresses that Charlotte and I wore. Her dress had a textured skirt and an embellished top that skimmed over her shoulders and had delicate sleeves that covered three-quarters of her arms. Around her waist was a thin belt.

(The Bride!)

I held the dress for Emma as she took off her silk robe and stepped into the dress. Between Charlotte, Erika and I, we lifted the dress so that Emma could place her arms through the sleeves without damaging the fabric, before Mum stepped forward, zipped up the dress and did up the buttons that hid the zip. Mum hovered around, making sure that the dress sat perfectly on Emma, poofing up the skirt so that the silhouette was perfect. Erika raced to get the white heels and helped Emma guide her feet into them. Charlotte and I helped fasten the rose gold horseshoe necklace before handing over Emma's infinity shaped earrings.

When Emma twirled, giving us a three-hundred and sixty-degree view, Mum burst into tears. Éblouissant, she kept repeating. Stunning was a rather fitting description for Emma looked like a princess in her dress. When she first told us that she didn't want a white dress, Charlotte and I thought that she was completely mental. Even Mum found it difficult to comprehend. The only member of the family that understood was Grandma Harlow and that was only because she was the one who gave Emma the idea in the first place.

"Shall we get her in here?" Erika asks, referring to Grandma Harlow.

When Emma nods, Erika takes her leave. The bedroom area of the bridal suite is closed off, hiding the makeup artists and the hairstylists, and Charlotte, Mum and I move into the entrance hall of the suite. Lining up, we nervously wait for Grandma's arrival. We didn't have a long wait as she bounded around the corner, rather sprightly for her advancing age, in mere minutes.

She gasped as she saw us, her eyes casting over each of us in our turn. Her eyes welled up immediately, but she composed herself enough to tell us that we looked beautiful. Grandma reached out to hug us, one by one, as she neared the door that led into the main area of the bridal suite. We followed her, remembering how to pose ourselves for the photo Emma wanted.

When Grandma entered the room, she gasped once more. "Oh, Emma!" She beamed, throwing her hands out and waiting for Emma to walk to her. When she was within grasping distance, Grandma enveloped her in a hug and promptly burst into tears. "You look wonderful, darling. Simply stunning. Adam is a very lucky man."

The photographer kept snapping pictures of us all as we laughed and cried and laughed a little more. The wedding planner arrived then, a small army behind her carrying our bouquets. This was our ShowTime signal, meaning that we were finally about to make our way down for the ceremony. Everyone left the room, apart from Grandma, Mum and my sisters and me. Emma had asked us all to stay and give her a final pep talk before she would become Mrs Adam D'Souza.

"Any advice?" She asked, nerves making her words come out shaky.

"Never take each other for granted," Grandma says, a wistful look fleeting across her features. "And always start the day with 'I love you."

Giving Emma a kiss, Grandma leaves, allowing Mum to step forward. "La surprise doit perdurer," she says before following Harlow out the door.

(Continue to surprise each other.)

"Talk about sex without embarrassment," Charlotte offers with a wink. "And remember to keep with fighting clean and the sex dirty."

"Ignore her," I say once Charlotte is out of earshot. Looking at my baby sister, I feel my eyes beginning to well up. "I'm the worst person for advice, you know that. Anyway, I guess you just have to remember why you fell in love and grow old together, because-"

"The best is yet to come," Emma says, cutting me off by finishing our grandfather's well-versed advice. "Same goes for you, you know. I'm glad you found Daniel."

Giving her a hug, I leave the bridal suite, walking down the hall until I reach the lift where one of Adam's friends waits to escort me down to the ceremony. He smiles at me as he offers his arm but neither of us spoke for the twenty seconds it takes for us to reach the ground floor. The walk from the lift to the room where the ceremony will be held is rather short and up ahead I can see my father and Lucas stood with Mum, Grandma and Charlotte, as well as Charlotte's escort.

Dad smiles when he sees me approaching, and he nods his approval. Lucas gives me wolf whistle, which took up his entire energy. He coughs and splutters, inhaling deeply through his oxygen pipe, before recovering enough that the man with the walkie-talkie at the door speaks into the device. He gives someone the signal inside and soon enough, processional music begins to play.

(Processional Music- Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud.)

With Mum on one arm and Grandma Harlow on the other, Lucas escorts both through the doors before disappearing through layers and layers of tulle fabric. Next up is Charlotte and her escort. Finally, my escort and I step forward. Taking a deep breath, we wait for the nod that tells us we can go.

As we walk through the fabric, I take a deep breath and try to remember to pace myself. Don't walk too slow. Don't walk too fast. I rely heavily on the man whose arm steadies me to guide me to my place at the front of the room, under the carre. Finally turning in my place, I get a glimpse of the rest of the room, but my mind is solely on finding Daniel.

Sat next to Lucas in the front row, Daniel's face breaks out into a large smile. His green eyes are alive as he lets his gaze travel all over me, banking everything to his memory. I can't help but blush as I feel his eyes roam across my face and I force myself to look away from him and let my eyes watch for Emma's arrival.

(The Wedding March.)

The wedding march begins to play and there's a collective, 'aw' as Emma, on the arm of my father, makes her entry. While everyone is busy watching Emma glide serenely down the aisle, I turn to watch Adam.

In his light grey suit and pale blue tie, he looks like a man in love. Biting down on his lower lip, he can't fight the urge to smile. Tears pool in the corner of his eye, a groomsman handing a tissue to him so he can blot away the moisture. Adam takes in a deep breath, holding a hand over his chest as Emma and Dad climb the steps into the carre.

(The Groom.)

As both men meet, my father places Emma's hands in Adam's. Adam takes her right hand in his right hand, while taking the left in the left, their wrists crossing. The wedding official binds their hands with a blue silk scarf in a handfasting, the first of the two traditions Jayalakshmi Chandra insisted on having in the ceremony beginning. Kanyadaan.

Adam's uncle steps forward and pronounces the kama-sutka as the handfasting continues. Once the kama-sutka is pronounced, Dad steps forward and says, "I give you my daughter in marriage, promise to be moderate in observance of Dharma, Artha and Kama."

As the ritual takes place, I can't help but look at Adam's religious grandmother to see if she's happy with the ceremony so far. From the way her face scrunches up, I can't help but feel that she doesn't truly appreciate the compromise that's been made. From what I'd heard, she wasn't too keen on Adam having a love match in the first place, preferring for her grandson to have an arranged marriage instead. I don't think it was the merging of two faiths that put her off this match, as her daughter had married outside of her religion, but it had more to do with the fact that Emma wasn't wealthy or successful in a way that could help the family benefit from a marriage.

Aishwarya- Adam's mother- had been matched with his father, Anthony, because of money and power, not love. Although, from the way the two are together, I'm sure that they love each other, too.

Feeling someone's hand on my elbow, I snap back into reality just in time to see the bride and groom take their seats on the red velvet cushioned chairs that were under the carre. This was mine and Charlotte's signal to take our seats to the side of the canopy as Emma and Adam made their vows. With an exchange of, 'I do' the official was ready to pronounce them man and wife, but there was one other ritual to be observed first. Saptapadi.

Adam explained this to us as taking seven steps, with him and Emma making a vow with each step they took. Traditionally done in Sanskrit, the seven steps that Adam and Emma take differ slightly from the traditional septapadi. Traditionally, there's a fire, but thanks to health and safety concerns, we weren't allowed a fire in the ceremonial room. Or in any room, for that matter.

As you'd imagine, Adam's grandmother almost popped the vein in her forehead when Adam explained it to her, but the matter was settled when it was agreed that there'd be candles instead. Adam's cousins stepped forward to light the candles, seven on each side or the bride and groom, and an uncle from Adam's family stepped forward to officiate septapadi.

At the first step, Emma said, "With the promise to nourish each other, I take this first step with you." Adam, meanwhile, went traditional and made his vows in Sanskrit. Together they took a step forward. "With determination to grown together in strength physical, mental and spiritual, I take this second step with you." Another step forward. "With the promise to preserve our wealth and prosperity, I take this third step with you." Step. "With the vow to serve you with happiness and harmony, I take this fourth step with you." Step. "With the promise to care for our healthy long lived children, I take this fifth step with you." Step. "With the vow to be together forever in all responsibilities, I take this sixth step with you." Step. "With the promise of everlasting friendship and true companionship, I take this seventh step with you."

Cheers erupted from Adam's side of the family as he and Emma took the final step, with even Jayalakshmi Chandra cracking a smile. To my surprise, her face didn't even crack. When the cheers died down, partly due to Adam shushing them, Emma and Adam were finally pronounced man and wife.

"You may kiss the bride."

(Saptapadi.)

~*~*~ Daniel ~*~*~

With the ceremony finally over, pictures out of the way and an announcement for everyone to make their way to the bar area for aperitifs, I was finally able to wrap my arms around Sophie and steal a kiss from her.

Ever since I saw her walk down the aisle in her pink dress, looking absolutely stunning, all I've wanted to do is steal her away from everyone so I can enjoy her for myself. Unfortunately, I don't think it would have gone down very well if I had jumped up from my seat and pulled Sophie out of her sister's wedding.

Instead, I had to sit between Lucas and Brogan and bide my time until I could finally be with my girlfriend.

I enjoyed the wedding, with all its traditions and rituals, and the seven vows the bride and groom made at the end was beautiful. The smiles on their faces when they were pronounced man and wife showed just how much in love they were. Of course, I knew that anyway, but it never hurt to see it reaffirmed.

"The ceremony was amazing," I say when Sophie guides me to where most of her family are stood. My comment was met with a beaming smile from Jimmy Delaney, who look proud as punch. Rightfully so. "And may I just say, ladies, you all look breath-taking."

Having seen what they all wore, I can finally understand why there was so much secrecy about dresses. Emma had forgone the traditional white and opted for a blue dress which, although untraditional, was actually very apt for the ceremony. Charlotte and Sophie, as the bridesmaids, wore pink sequined dresses, although I think the correct shade is described as rose gold.

(Sophie and Charlotte's Bridesmaids outfits.)

Camille Clément, the mother of the bride, wore a white dress with sleeves that reached just under her elbows and was adorned with embellishments at the hem. The same embellishments were on four other parts of the dress, making it look as if the dress had breast pockets as well as pockets on the hip. There was a button detail on the front of the dress as well as a bow belt on the waist. Camille looked elegant and refined, and I couldn't help but wonder if that's how Sophie would look in thirty years' time.

(Camille Clément's Mother of the Bride outfit.)

"What time are we sitting for dinner?" Charlotte asked impatiently. "I'm famished."

The aperitifs and champagne had been an ideal place to meet other guests but you could clearly see the divide in families. The Irish stuck together. The French stuck together. The Americans stuck together. The Indians stuck together. The only ones that flit between groups were Emma's siblings and Adam's siblings.

"Dinner isn't for another hour," Sophie says, sending Charlotte an apologetic smile. Grasping my hand in hers, Sophie announces, "I'm going to introduce Daniel to everyone."

Guiding me through the crowd, Sophie pulled me to a group of people who were speaking animatedly in rushed tones that sounded like Irish played at three times normal speed. She introduced me to three men- Niall, Oscar and Killian- first. They were her cousins from her uncle Peter's marriage to Moira. Niall was two years younger than Sophie, at twenty-seven, while Oscar was twenty-three and Killian was nineteen.

"Where's Keira?" Sophie asks, a slight frown between her eyes.

"Keira?" Niall laughed, shaking his head in a patronising way. "Dinchya hear? She won't answer to t'a name any more. She prefers the name Echo."

As if on cue, Echo appeared, a scowl on her face. "I hate weddings," she said. When she caught me staring at her, she growled at me. Growled. "Watchya staring at?"

Well, interestingly enough, that was the question I was about to ask myself. What exactly am I staring at? She looks like a punk-alien, not a human. Green hair that was cut short and was spiked up at the top, Echo had bright blue contacts in her eyes and several piercings on her face. And what were those holes in her ears?!

When someone accidentally bumped into Echo, she flinched. "Ew, humans," she declared, wiping the area of her clothes where she'd come into contact with the human. "I'd love to stay and chat but a friend of mine has..." She pauses to think of an excuse as to why she had to leave, and I must say, I was rather intrigued about where this was heading. "...Has explosive diarrhoea? Yes! It's momentarily blinded them and I must walk them to the bathroom. So... I bid thee farewell, people of Earth."

Niall, Oscar and Killian looked equal amounts furious and embarrassed by their little sister's antics, but I couldn't help but laugh, announcing, "I like her."

After meeting one set of Irish cousins, Sophie dragged me to meet the other set, who were relatively normal in comparison to Echo. I tried not to be disappointed with how normal Noelle, Griffin and Oliver were, but deep down inside I was.

Sophie soon moved us on to the French side of the family. No, if I thought the Irish spoke fast, that was nothing compared to the French. The first person I was introduced to was Olivier Renault, who was stood at the bar, chatting up one of Adam's sisters. Sophie quickly caught on to the fact that Olivier didn't want to be disturbed and made our excuses, saying that she just had to take me to meet someone named Stéphane.

Stéphane Clément is a renowned chef and was in the process of opening a restaurant in London. He was also the son of a Michelin starred chef- Michael Clément- and the father-son duo were the ones that had agreed to cater the Courtenay Foundation charity event that was scheduled for later this year. As Stéphane and I spoke, we were joined by another cousin, this one named Aurélien. He was tall and scrawny with a strong jaw and angled nose. He had a firm handshake and was very polite as he spoke to Sophie and I. I quickly learnt that all they all spoke fluent English without the slightest hint of an accent.

"We all attended the British School of Paris," a tall, slender woman announced. From the dark hair and bright eyes, I could tell that she was part of the Clément family. "I'm Ghislaine Clément. You must be Sophie's fiancé. We've heard about you."

"All good things, I hope," I comment, not bothering to correct Ghislaine on the fact that Sophie and I aren't engaged. It's always nice to test out how it sounds, and I must admit, it sounds fucking fantastic.

We spoke to Stéphane, Aurélien and Ghislaine for a little while longer before Sophie excused us. "Off to meet Louis and Laure," she said. I'm not sure who Louis and Laure are but from the apologetic looks Sophie's cousins sent me, I was guessing that whoever they were, weren't all that popular. Walking across the room, Sophie whispered up at me, "Louis and Laure are my cousins. They're the eldest and quite frankly, they are boring as hell. Especially Louis. We're going to say a quick hello and then we're socialising with Adam's family. They look more fun than mine."

Just as Sophie had said, Louis and Laure were extremely boring. And their respective spouses were equally boring. And the fact that they insisted on speaking French, even after I explained to them that I was learning, was rather rude. I tried to add to the conversation but it always felt as if I was hitting a brick wall, so I simply grabbed a champagne glass and chugged it down.

"Anyway," Sophie finally said, switching back to English. "It was lovely seeing you all again. Do keep in touch." She gave them all the typical French kiss on both cheeks and swiftly pulled from the situation. When we were far enough away from them, Sophie sighed. "I'm sorry that they were rude to you. They're very... up themselves."

"S'ok," I tell her, bending down to kiss her cheek. Under my touch, I feel her cheeks burn. "Where to next?"

"Adam's sisters," Sophie says, seamlessly guiding us to where a crowd of girls were gathered. "Hey, Summer!"

Summer D'Souza is Adam's eldest sister and was roughly Sophie's age. The girls greeted each other like old friends and I was soon introduced to Summer, Chloe, Ellie and Leah D'Souza. The girls, dressed in white saree with mehndi applied to their hands and forearms, all smiled politely and asked if we had enjoyed the wedding.

"It was amazing," I said truthfully. "I thought the way they incorporated traditions from each culture was great. Handfasting from Ireland, the carre from France, the vows from India... the only thing I haven't seen yet is anything American."

One of the eldest girls- Chloe, I believe- laughed. "There was a lot of American elements but they're just so mainstream now that people don't notice," she explains. Stepping forward, she lowers her voice conspiratorially. "Just a word of warning, don't mention the tradition and ritual thing within earshot of our grandmother. She's still bitter that it wasn't a full Hindu wedding."

"Noted," I laugh.

The conversation between us all flowed naturally until it was time for us to make our way into the reception room. The ballroom was magnificent, carrying on the rose gold theme. The walls of the room had floral backdrops made up of pastel coloured flowers that were mainly roses. Round tabled were dotted around the large room, twelve seats to each table. There was a table for two placed near where a large wedding cake had been set up, and I quickly guessed that that's where Adam and Emma would sit.

(Grand Entrance music - Natalie Cole's This Will Be an Everlasting Love.)

Even though Sophie knew where we were supposed to sit, she still checked the seating plan, curious to know who else would be on our table. Our table was a mix of families, with some of Emma and Adam's relatives sitting with us.

As we reached our table, I made an effort to read each place card, so that I was relatively familiar with names before I was introduced.

Lucas Delaney, Millicent Reece Abbott, Rita Nader, Taylor Hack, Jordan D'Souza, Sullivan West, Madiha Patel, Divya Patel, Keira Delaney, Killian Delaney, Sophie Clément, Daniel Whitaker.

"Do you know many of these people?" I asked Sophie as I pulled out her chair for her. Once she was sat, I took my place next to her.

"I know Lucas, Milli, Keira and Killian," she answered. "Milli is Lucas' friend, although if you ask me, they need to be more than that. Keira... sorry, Echo, and Killian you met earlier. Now, if I'm right, Rita is Emma's co-worker and Taylor is her plus-one. Jordan is Adam's cousins, if the name is anything to go by. Sullivan is her plus-one. Madiha and Divya are Adam's cousins, I believe."

As Sophie spoke, I reached over to the two name cards that were to my right, switching Keira- Echo- and Killian's around. After my encounter with Echo earlier, she was certainly a character. As least if conversation became stunted during dinner, I'd have Echo as a source of entertainment.

The table quickly filled as people took their seats. Jordan, with wild curly hair, was extremely outgoing and was talking non-stop to Lucas something that no one else at the table understood. Millicent, or Milli, as she preferred was a short girl with large blue/green eyes that complimented her short auburn hair and freckles. She was Lucas' friend, although, from the way she would shoot Jordan daggers, I think she wanted to be something more than just friends with Lucas.

Sullivan and Taylor seemed as if they knew each other from before the wedding, and if I understood correctly, they worked in the same field. They drank their beers and spoke to each other while Taylor's girlfriend, Rita, was getting along famously with Madiha, who wore a blood red shade of lipstick. Both women were clearly intelligent and spoke in depth about a book I'd never heard of. At one point, while gesticulating, Rita accidentally tipped over her glass of water. She apologised profusely, even going so far as to call herself a klutz.

Divya, a sulky teen who looked like she'd have more fun at a morgue, was impervious to the advances Killian was trying to make on her. Whenever Killian asked her a question, Divya would simply shoot him a withering look and change the conversation onto something random outside of Killian's comfort zone. At the moment, he was being schooled on Assassin's Creed by the girl with the bob cut hair, dark eyes and tattooed wrist.

Sophie was deep in conversation with Milli, although I think she was secretly fishing for information about the status of Milli and Lucas' friendship/relationship. While everyone was talking with other people, I turned to Echo, smiling at her.

"You look like a serial killer," she told me, her face voice of any sort of emotion.

"So, where did the name Echo come from?" I ask, picking up my champagne glass to take a sip. "It seems like an odd choice of nickname."

"Why are you talking to me, person of Earth?" Her voice sounded bored as she spoke.

"Because it'll be fun," I say, trying to sound happier than I really was.

Echo shifted her pale blue eyes onto me, lifting a pierced eyebrow. "The only way this would be fun is if you die," she tells me.

"Or we could make it into a game," I suggest. From the way Echo frowned, I could see that she was confused by what I'd said. "Let's see how many times we can slip song titles into a conversation."

"Conversation?" She scrunched up her nose at me. "You actually want me to talk to the earthlings?"

Tapping Sophie on the shoulder, I apologise to Milli for taking her away before I smile at her. "You Look Wonderful Tonight," I say, getting in an old school Eric Clapton song as my first reference in the game.

"Thank you," Sophie smiles as she leans in and gives me a kiss on the lips. "You look handsome too."

(Daniel.)

"Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder," Echo smirks, telling me that she's succeeded in adding a song reference. When Sophie glares at her cousin, Echo simply shrugs. "Sad but Ture."

"Don't listen to her, Soph," I console my girlfriend. "I love you Just the Way You Are and I definitely want to Marry You."

"Because you're One in a Million," Echo says, giving me a pointed look. What bloody song is that? "Until he runs off with Lola Montez."

Sophie narrows her eyes. "Who is Lola Montez?"

"Prostitute," Echo answers. When Sophie looks ready to kill someone, Echo sighs and turns to look at me. "It's a Long Hard Road Out of Hell."

Sensing that something was amiss, Sophie looks between Echo and I. "What are you two up to? What game are you playing?"

"We're trying to see who can name drop the most songs into conversation," Echo explains. "It was his idea. By the way, I kicked your arse. You got a measly three song references in while I got six. Honestly, earthlings are so stupid."

With Echo turning back to people watching, I was left to explain myself to Sophie, who looked thoroughly unimpressed with the game we'd been playing. Folding her arms over her chest, she stares at me while her lips were twisting in annoyance. Knowing I needed a way out of the mess I'd created, I lean forward and capture her mouth with mine. Slowly, I feel her relax into the kiss, bringing her hands up to the back of my neck and kissing me with wild abandon.

Until someone cleared their throat.

Looking up, Sophie and I came face to face with a woman who looked slightly put out at mine and Sophie's display of affection. "Sophie Evangeline Clément," the woman addressed Sophie. From the way she used her middle name, I guessed that this woman knew Sophie pretty well. In her eighties and with pure white hair, her blue eyes quickly gave away who she was. Jacqueline Clément, Sophie's grandmother from the French side. "Arrête ça immédiatement!"

(Stop that immediately.)

"Je suis desolée, mémé," Sophie says sorry, bowing her head. To anyone else, this would look like an apologetic gesture from Sophie, but I know here better and I can see the way she's trying to hide a school girl grin. Once she's been dismissed by her grandmother, Sophie spins back in her chair and grins. "So, that's Jacqueline. Don't cross her."

Smiling, I tune into the conversation Milli and Lucas are having, laughing along with the jokes they make. Sophie joins in, too, sharing stories about Lucas from when he was a baby. In retaliation, Lucas was more than happy to provide countless embarrassing stories about his sister too. Whenever Sophie tried to stop Lucas, I placed my hand over her mouth to silence her.

It wasn't long until the food was cleared and the front man of the band that had been hired to play at the reception was calling for everyone's attention. The speeches were made, starting with the Best Man. Adam's college roommate and best friend, Jason Kohler, was quick witted and wasn't afraid to make fun of Adam. His speech lasted about five minutes and had everyone laughing. Next up was the Maid of Honour. One of the staff brought the microphone to our table, but instead of handing it off to Sophie, the microphone went to Lucas. He stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Good evening," Lucas managed to say in one breath. "As you can see..." Deep breath. "I'm not the..." Deep breath. "Maid of honour..." Deep breath. "Instead..." Deep breath. "I'm the brother of the bride." Deep breath. "First of all..." Deep breath. "I'd just like to thank Emma..." Deep breath. "For giving me the honour..." Deep breath. "Of giving the maid of honour speech..." Deep breath. "Clearly, she hates me..." Deep breath. "And wants me dead..." Deep breath. "Otherwise, why else would you give..." Deep breath. "The bloke with CF the challenge..." Deep breath. "Of speaking in front of..." Deep breath. "Hundreds of people?"

The crowd laughs. The pause in his speech give Lucas time to take a deep breath. "I won't keep you long..." Deep breath. "But I want to say..." Deep breath. "A big congratulations..." Deep breath. "To Emma for getting married..." Deep breath. "And a massive 'Good Luck!' to Adam..." Deep breath. "Because he married my sister..." Deep breath. "I know we don't always..." Deep breath. "Get along and at times..." Deep breath. "It seems like you really do want to kill me..." Deep breath. "But you are my sister, Emma..." Deep breath. "My readymade..." Deep breath. "Best friend."

I heard someone from my side sniffling, and knowing that it wouldn't be Echo in a billion years, I hand over my breast pocket tissue to Sophie, who subtly dabs her eyes. I reach out my hand to hold her, giving it a reassuring squeeze. I know how much she worries about Lucas, so seeing him give his speech must be a proud moment for Sophie. If the way that Charlotte, Emma, Camille and jimmy all look misty eyed too, they're equally proud of Lucas.

"Emma..." Deep breath. "I would like to say that..." Deep breath. "You're lucky to have married Adam..." Deep breath. "But that would be a lie..." Deep breath. "It's Adam who is lucky to have..." Deep breath. "Married you..." Deep breath. "You're smart, beautiful and funny..." Deep breath. "And I would never have..." Deep breath. "Let you marry someone who..." Deep breath. "Couldn't appreciate or love that..." Deep breath. "About you..." Deep breath. "So, while I'm devastated..." Deep breath. "That I'm losing my sister..." Deep breath. "My best friend..." Deep breath. "It's ok, because I'm..." Deep breath. "Gaining a brother..." Deep breath. "At last."

Lucas reaches for his glass of water and raises it in the direction of the bride and groom. "Congratulations on your wedding, Emma."

A massive round of applause went up through the room as Lucas retook his seat next to Milli. After Lucas' speech came the Father of the Bride. Jimmy must have been at the microphone for at least ten minutes before Camille rushed him to end the speech, stating that we didn't have all year to hear him recount every tiny detail of Emma's existence. He swiftly finished the speech with a toast to the Bride and Groom and asked them to take to the dance floor for the first dance.

(First Dance - Ben Folds' The Luckiest.)

Emma and Adam danced to The Luckiest by Ben Folds. Together, they moved as one, and everyone couldn't take their eyes off the couple. As the song continued, I felt Sophie snuggle into my side, her head resting on my shoulder as I draped my arm across the back of her chair, letting my chin rest on the top of her head.

When the first dance was over, Jimmy and Emma took to the floor, dancing to Frank Sinatra's The Way You Look Tonight. Adam and his mother then danced together to 93 Million Miles by Jason Mraz. As their song came to an end, the dance floor opened up for the guests. Just as I was about to ask for Sophie's hand, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

"Hi," a shy woman said to me. "I'm Charlize, Jordan's sister. I, uh, was wondering if you'd like to... dance with me?"

Looking at Sophie for an answer, she nodded at me to accept, kissing my cheek before I stood and headed to the dance floor with Charlize. I must admit, she was a great dancer, although slightly too wild for my tastes, still it was fun. SO much so, that when another woman came up and asked to dance, I couldn't say no.

Aafreen, a cousin of Adam's, was very talkative and everything she said made me laugh. Together, we were a disastrous dancing duo, but that was half the fun in the end. We had a slight dance off to see who could pull the most outlandish moves. I think I won. Cutting in after my dance with Aafreen was another of Adam's cousins, Ujvala. As we danced, I learnt a lot about her, including the fact that she'd just been honoured with an award for her ground-breaking work in medicine.

"Oh, gosh," she blushed after telling me the news. "That sounds like I'm bragging. I'm not! I, uh... thank you for the dance, but I think I best go now."

I nodded and thanked her for the dance, telling her congratulations once again for her amazing achievement. As I turned to make my way back to the table, I bumped into a woman who looked slightly lost on the dance floor. After I balanced her so that she didn't fall to the floor, I took one of her hands in mine and spun her, much to the shock of the woman she had been dancing with.

"I'm Daniel," I say, introducing myself to her. "And you are?"

"Haritha," she answers, her brown eyes moving to the floor as she tried to shrug off the stares some of the other women were throwing her. "You don't have to dance with me, you know."

"Ah, but I want to," I say, smiling at her. "Plus, you're a far superior dancer than I am."

As Haritha and I danced, she began to talk more and I got a glimpse of her bubbly personality. She was self-deprecating and would genuinely laugh at my terrible jokes. In turn, I laughed at her jokes because they were really funny. As we danced, a man approached, awkwardly tapping my shoulder.

"Excuse me, but may I cut in?" He asked, looking nervously at Haritha to see if she was happy with it. She shyly nodded and I bowed my head at her, before turning to the man and allowing him to slip into my spot. AS I walked away, I heard the man say, "Thank you, I've been waiting all night to ask you to dance."

I tried to find Sophie amongst the guests but I couldn't see her anywhere, despite the fact that she was wearing a sequined dress. Going to the bar, I spotted her sitting in a chair, talking to one of the guests that I hadn't yet met. The way they spoke was friendly and a little overfamiliar if the way the man touched Sophie's hand was any indication.

"You never did give me a chance, Sophie," the man said, shaking his head as he pretended to be devastated.

"A chance?" Sophie laughed. "Jesus, Owen, you're five years younger than me and my little sister's best friend. Why on God's green Earth would I have wanted to give you a chance? Furthermore, I am ridiculously happy and in love with my boyfriend, o you're shit out of luck."

The man- Owen- laughed. "That's a shame," he says. He throws back the contents of his tumbler and sets it down, getting to his feet. He leans down to give Sophie a polite kiss on the cheek. "Fare the well, Sophie. But just know that you're seriously missing out on this."

"This?" Sophie scoffs playfully. "Please, you're nothing special Owen Davies. Now, run along, little boy."

As Owen passes me, he gives me a slight acknowledgement before disappearing into the crowd. I pay him no mind, however, as I approach Sophie and give her a hug from behind. When she realises who it is, her body relaxes, almost crumpling into mine.

"You're back," she says, turning in our embrace so that she is now facing me. "Did you have fun dancing with everyone who wasn't me?"

"Jealous?" I tease her.

"Pft, no," she waves her hand through the air. "As long as I get the last dance with you."

"Deal."

Sophie and I make it back to the ballroom in time to see Adam and Emma cut the cake. Everyone cooed when they fed each other pieces of the cake and we all clapped when Adam beheaded a bottle of champagne with a knife. According to Sophie, this was a French custom, although I wasn't too sure that it was.

There was more dancing, this time with me dancing with every member of Sophie's family, including her scary grandmother, Jacqueline, and her slightly less scary grandmother, Harlow. Eventually, I ended up dancing with Camille Clément, too, but there was something different about her. She wasn't as cold towards me as she had been on Thursday night at the family dinner and while I wanted to question her sudden change, I wasn't about to burst the bubble.

As the night wore on, people began to tire of the party and they were all more than glad when an announcement came that it was time for the Bride and Groom to depart. But first, it was time for the Last Dance.

I looked at Sophie and nodded at her. She had been dancing with her father, and as we swapped partners, Camille going to Jimmy and Sophie coming to me, I waited to see what the song choice would be.

"Whatever this next song is," I say, looping my hands around her waist. "It'll be our song."

Sophie grimaced. "I hope it's not a terrible song, then."

(Last Song/ Danphie's Song - The Drifters' Save the Last Dance for Me.)

Thankfully, it wasn't. It was Save the Last Dance for Me by The Drifters. We both laughed as we finally had our first and last dance of the night together. I spun her on the dancefloor as we made the most of the song, before converging in the middle of the dancefloor with Emma and Adam, Charlotte and Brogan, Lucas and Milli, Jimmy and Camille as well as Adam's family. We all laughed as some of Adam's friends came to tease him and Emma about their wedding night, finding amusement in the way they both blushed.

After their send off, people began to disperse from the ballroom, calling it a night. The only ones left in the bar were the French and Irish contingency. The French were all up for going out and hitting some bars but the Irish just smiled like they knew something that the rest of us didn't.

"Why are you all smiling like that?" I ask curiously, looking from Sophie t Charlotte and then to Lucas. "What are you up to?"

"Oh, you know..." Lucas says as he stops to take a deep breath. He slips his hand into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and produces a key card, holding it up for us all to see. "Nothing."

The Irish all laughed, even Harlow.

"I don't get it," I shake my head as the meaning behind the key card doesn't become clearer.

"There's this tradition," Niall Delaney begins.

"On the wedding night," Griffin Cooper, Sophie's cousin by her aunt Helen, speaks next. "The wedding party have to go an interrupt the Bride and Groom."

"Interrupt, how?" Brogan asked, suddenly sitting upright in his chair, clearly intrigued by what was going on.

"Ah, t'is tradition," Oscar Delaney said, the grin on his face getting wider. "On the wedding night, the groomsmen try to delay the groom as much as possible by pulling some pranks."

I look at Sophie for confirmation. "It's true," she says mischievously before looking back at her cousins. "So, are we ready?"

If I was expecting an adult, an adultier adult, to intervene, I was sadly mistaken because all the men, including the French who just wanted to mess with the newlyweds, stood up while Charlotte lifted a bag onto the table. Hands dipped inside and began to pull out the randomest items in the world. Someone was brandishing a foghorn, another a bell and I'm pretty sure that Killian Delaney was holding a set of pots and pans. Sophie, meanwhile, had some cymbals in her hands.

"Are you coming?" Sophie asked over her shoulder as she walked through the bar with the rest of her family. Nodding, I looked inside the bag and saw a foghorn that no one had claimed. Taking it out, I jogged to catch up with the others. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The ride up to the floor that Adam and Emma was staying on was the longest of my life, but eventually we made it up. Most of Sophie's family were waiting for us, all quiet as the grave. Everyone looked to Lucas who, with a simple nod of his head, commanded that we all follow him up the hall. When we reached the suite door, he motioned for us all to spread out, giving hand gestures to each of us. Like a ninja, Lucas then opened the door with the spare key card he had. Pushing it open an inch, he looked at us with a sinister grin on his face. Much like The Joker.

"Ready?" He asked. We all nodded. "Steady." He pauses before shouting, "Go!"

(Just for kicks, this is Neck - Irish Punk Band- Always Upsettin' Someone.)

~*~*~

A/N

So that's the wedding over with!

Hod'd it go?

Did I get the Hindu tradtions almost right? There's probably a mistake, but I tried to cover it up by saying that Adam had tweaked some of it to fit his and Emma's wedding style.

Did I miss anyone out? If I did, complain here!

If I missed you out, I'll add you in tomorrow's chapter to make up for it!

Sarah, xx