26. Isabelle
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
isabelle
T oday was the day. My best friend was going to marry the love of her life.
The morning of the wedding was as hectic as you would expect it to be, with all of us girls getting ready in the small bridal suite at the venue.
We’d hired someone to style our hair and do Ellison’s makeup, but Erin had volunteered to do everyone else’s. All throughout college, Erin had been the one to do our makeup when we went out or had events to go to. She just had an eye for it, and I truly couldn’t believe she never wanted to be a cosmetologist or makeup artist. Even though we were all different, she was able to enhance everyone’s natural beauty—her youthful green eyes, Sloane’s flawless, bronzed skin, Caitlin’s naturally bold eyebrows, my freckles and light hair. Erin always chose the right colors to enhance our features—even the ones we thought we didn’t love—and ensure we didn’t look washed out.
The stylist we hired spun Ellison around so we could see her finished look, and a collective gasp filled the room. Her makeup was natural, but still gave her a dewy, glowing look. Her baby-blue eyes—what I knew was her favorite feature—sparkled and were brighter than they’d ever been and, in thinking about it, my eyes started to water.
“Isa, you can’t cry!” Erin stopped what she was doing and dabbed at my eyes, causing everyone to laugh.
“Just wait until the dress is on,” Ellison teased.
“I can’t wait to see you in the dress, but I also can’t wait to see Colter’s reaction,” Caitlin cooed.
Ellison and Colter had decided not to do a first look, leaving it for when Ellison walked down the aisle, and I was sure Colter would cry.
“I already know Colter’s going to cry,” she said with a laugh. “Is it horrible of me to be more excited to see Isa’s reaction and Erin’s reaction when Isa cries?”
I’d cried when we went dress shopping, probably more than Ellison and her mom did, so I knew she had a point. I was not a pretty crier.
“I’m not going to cry!” I protested as everyone laughed even harder.
When she finally put on the dress, showing us the final look, I did, in fact, cry. It was inevitable, but seeing her in her wedding dress for the last time was bittersweet. I remembered what it was like to go dress shopping with her and how big that moment truly was.
When we’d gone shopping, it took about eight dresses before Ellison found what she wanted, and I could tell she was getting discouraged. Sloane, Erin, Hanna, and I had all reassured her it was normal to go to more than one bridal shop, but the consultant convinced her to try on one last dress and the rest was history. Ellison herself even cried, and I had never known her as a crier.
The dress was different from what she’d originally envisioned, but it suited her perfectly and we all knew the moment we saw it that it was the one. It had a V-neck with thin straps and was cinched at the waist, tulle fabric billowing out in an A-line pattern with a slit coming halfway up her left thigh. Although she had wanted a plain dress, the lace wasn’t gaudy or overpowering; it added something extra to the design—a classic elegance.
“Come here, you guys.” She sniffed, seemingly trying to hold back tears herself.
We all rushed over to her, pulling her into a group hug. It was moments like this that I wanted to tuck away in my mind forever.
“Let’s get our girl married!” Sloane beamed.
We lined up in the order of how we’d walk down the aisle. It wasn’t a large wedding by any means, only about a hundred people in attendance, if that. I was sure more people would show up for the reception, though.
It was mid-July, so Ellison and Colter decided they wanted to have a tented wedding ceremony. That way they could provide some shade for their guests in the Montana summer heat. Tulle draped from the apex of the tent, providing an elegant look alongside the greenery that weaved through the fabric and cascaded down the walls. The tent wasn’t fully enclosed, either, so you still got a beautiful view of the venue. At the end of the aisle sat a wooden arch decorated with florals and a cow skull from Colter’s family ranch.
However, no one could have expected it would rain.
“Aren’t you glad you decided to have a tented ceremony?” Sloane had asked Ellison, seeming quite relieved we wouldn’t have to scramble to move everything indoors.
“I’m definitely glad the guests won’t have to deal with the rain, but to be honest, I wouldn’t have been upset about it even if we didn’t have a tent. I’m almost glad it started raining.”
We had all looked at her in confusion.
“Why?” Erin had asked.
“Because a knot tied in pouring rain is a whole lot harder to untie than a knot tied in perfect weather. Besides, rain is always a good thing, you just have to look at it in the right way.” She’d smiled, like she was stuck in a memory.
“Are you ready?” Reid looked down at me, my arm looped through his.
Ellison stood behind us, chatting with her mother.
“I don’t think I should be the one you’re asking,” I joked. “But yes, I am.”
An instrumental version of “I Cross My Heart” started playing; the cue for the wedding party to start moving down the aisle. One by one, like we rehearsed, the coupled up bridesmaids and groomsmen slowly made their way down the aisle.
I looked over my shoulder at Ellison right before Reid and I started walking, and the grin on my face deepened. We took our time moving down the aisle, and when we reached the end, I unlinked my arm from Reid’s, but not before giving his bicep a small, subtle squeeze. If he noticed, he didn’t give anything away in his expression as we proceeded to our spots.
Moments later, I heard Reid ask Colter, who had his back turned, if he was all right .
“Yeah, I’m great.” Colter laughed in response, but it was a little bit choked, like he’d already been tearing up.
“Don’t look yet,” Reid said, mumbling a few other words that I couldn’t hear from across the altar.
The music paused, and a few seconds later the opening notes of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” started to play and everyone rose from their seats, turning to catch a glimpse of the bride. That was when Aaron—the boys’ old college rodeo coach and the officiant—and Reid both told Colter to turn around.
Ellison and Hanna walked down the aisle slowly, as if soaking in every moment. Ellison smiled at Colter, who was wiping tears from his eyes with the widest grin I’d ever seen on his face.
Hanna gave away her daughter at the end of the aisle, and Colter took Ellison’s hand, leading her with him as Ellison handed off her bouquet to me.
The first part of the ceremony was quick; Aaron gave a short speech about Colter and Ellison and also shared a couple verses from the Bible.
“Ellison and Colter, you may now exchange your vows.” Aaron looked at them each individually. “Ladies first?” He offered Ellison the small journal where she had written her vows.
I craned my neck a little to try to see a glimpse of Ellison’s face as she started speaking.
The gentle pitter patter of the rain against the top of the tent provided a soft ambience, a soundtrack of its own.
“Colter, I never thought I would be lucky enough to meet someone like you. I also never believed I would fall in love with a cowboy, in fact I avoided them at all costs.” She smiled, causing the guests to laugh with her. “But I think that was just God’s way of letting me know to wait for you. That one day you would come barreling in and change my entire world.”
My eyes watered as I looked to the other side of the aisle where Reid was standing. He looked me in the eyes, and I swore his expression softened with the twinge of a smile.
“Before you came along, the best example of love I had was the one between my parents and the love they had for me. But now I know what it feels like to be loved unapologetically and unconditionally, and I promise to spend the rest of my life loving you the same way.” Ellison finished her vows as she looked to Hanna, who was wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Colter, you may proceed.” Aaron exchanged Ellison’s book for Colter’s, and all eyes turned to the groom.
Colter took a deep breath. “Ellison, they say, when you know, you know, and from our first conversation, I knew you were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. It may have taken a little bit of convincing, and it may not have come easy, but we never gave up without putting up a hell of a fight first. I promise from this day forth I’ll never stop fighting for you and that I’ll stand by your side, through the best times and the worst times, through rain, snow, or shine. And even when death—” His voice cracked as he swallowed, and a tear fell from his eye.
Ellison smiled at him before reaching out to catch it with a delicate touch.
Finding his composure, he finished his sentence. “And even when death comes knocking at my door, I promise I will continue to fight for you and that I’ll stand by you in the next life and every single one after.”
The rain stopped pouring, and as a beam of light shone down from the clouds, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the tent.
“The couple will now exchange rings as a symbol of the promises of marriage,” Aaron began as Reid handed him the rings. “I’m sure you can both feel all of the love pouring out today, not only between you two, but from everyone in attendance today. Let these rings be a reminder of that love. Colter, place the ring on Ellison’s finger and repeat after me.
“I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, my faith in our strength together, and my pledge to learn and grow with you.”
Colter repeated the statement, and then Ellison did the same, placing the ring on Colter’s finger.
“Prayed for You,” by Matt Stell started playing as a branding iron and piece of hide was brought out for the unity ceremony. After stepping out into the sunshine together, Colter and Ellison branded the hide as a symbol of their two families being brought together as one.
“Now for the best part.” Aaron winked as Colter and Ellison came back to the arch. “By the power vested in me by the State of Montana, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He looked at Colter and smiled with the pride of a father. “Colter, you may now kiss your bride.”
As my best friend kissed the love of her life, her husband , I looked over at Reid, and I could have sworn there was a look of longing in his eyes as he stared back.