Chapter 4
“Okay, Cindy, honey, walk me around.” Dominique Parrish had a warm voice, but she spoke rapid-fire, like Cindy imagined everyone in New York did, forcing a person to really have to concentrate to follow. “Give me the full fantasy.”
Cindy raised her phone so the camera could capture the view on the FaceTime call. This was her big chance to wow the woman who owned Aisle Files, and Cindy wanted to seize the moment.
They’d exchanged some small talk and Dominique reiterated what she was trying to accomplish with this feature, then Cindy took the phone into the Starling Room for a virtual tour.
She hoped it looked as good on a three-inch screen as it did in real life.
“I’ll start with the view because it’s second to none,” Cindy said, turning her phone toward the bank of glass to her right. “This row of French doors lines one side of the room, with tall windows above and on each end to bring in more light. Just look at those mountains!”
“Pretty.”
Pretty? That vista was breathtaking! Cindy tried to balance her phone in both hands, her own screen glowing with the cheerful, perfectly made-up face of a woman in her mid-forties with a striking appearance that the camera surely loved.
But all that mattered was that the camera loved the view, so Cindy zoomed in.
Outside, the November twilight slanted across the mountain peaks, painting the snow-dusted ridges in brushstrokes of lavender and rose. She’d timed the call to get this moment, and prayed the woman appreciated what she and MJ often called “pink mountains.”
“Are you able to see how beautiful that is?” Cindy asked.
“It looks…wintry.”
Cindy laughed. “It is now. In the spring, the snow will melt, and the summer is prettier still. But come October? The colors will blow your mind. We planned this room, and the lawn outside, for year-round weddings.”
“Let’s see the inside space,” Dominique said.
“Of course.” She began to walk the length of the room.
“The Starling Room is named for my family,” she started, remembering the little speech Nicole had helped her prepare, bringing all her marketing education to the process.
“My grandfather, Owen Starling, built this lodge when Park City began to change from a mining town to a ski and summer sport town.”
“Mmm.” Dominique frowned. “Max capacity?”
“Fifty, tops,” she said, hoping that wasn’t a ding. “My daughter’s fiancé is a firefighter, so he helped us design a space that meets code for—”
“We don’t want a big space for this feature,” the other woman interjected, clearly not the least bit interested in fire codes.
“We do a million of those three-hundred-people spaces. This piece will showcase intimate and intentional, and we want just that. Small weddings are all the rage and it’s hard to find the right spot.
What’s the configuration for ceremony and reception? ”
“This room is designed for both,” Cindy explained, scanning the space with her phone camera.
“The guests are seated here in the center area with the mountains in full view for the ceremony, with this as our aisle. When the vows are finished, guests are guided into our lodge dining space for cocktails and apps while the wedding staff flips the Starling Room for dinner and dancing.”
“Oh, I love that. Ambitious, though.”
Was it ever. “We’re going for the intimacy of a family party with the elegance of a catered, lavish wedding.”
Dominique let out a delighted squeal. “That’s what I’m talking about. So many brides are looking for this, and I love the one-stop space and seamless transitions. That is everything right now. Saves money, saves time, saves stress.”
Well, not for the owners, but relief poured through Cindy, boosting her confidence.
“That’s what we thought when we designed it.
Plus, Snowberry Weddings is meant to be turn-key.
A bride can have it all here—ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, cake, music.
One place, one vision. And we have the accommodations to sleep around thirty people in a newly renovated historic lodge with eight guest suites, plus six cabins on the property. ”
“Perfect.”
Cindy angled the phone to show the ceiling, the chandeliers, the beams above that gave rustic weight to the elegance. Dominique seemed impressed, but far more interested in florals or lighting schemes. Cindy nodded, jotting mental notes, her excitement growing with every word.
“And what about this debut event that’s happening?” Dominique asked finally. “Please tell me it’s not going to be an uptight bridezilla who can’t handle a little camera crew in her face.”
Cindy laughed, dropping down to one of the chairs and touching the screen to flip the camera to herself. “You’re looking at her.”
“You?” She looked suitably surprised.
“Yes, I’m the sixty-year-old bride.”
“Holy Golden Bachelorette! Tell me you are not lying right now.”
“I’m not lying,” Cindy assured her. “The fact is, I’m the first bride in this venue. I didn’t build it for my own wedding, but…that’s how it happened.”
“Did you meet him on the apps?” Dominique asked, sounding deeply interested.
“Actually…” Cindy gave a very self-conscious laugh. “I met him long before online dating existed. Jack and I were first married thirty years ago, then we divorced ten years . Last Christmas, my daughter convinced him to come here and help run our sleigh rides and…we fell back in love.”
Dominique stared at her through the screen, her slightly over-filled lips in a perfect O shape. Then, she said, “I. Am. Dead.”
Cindy cracked up at the reaction. “It’s been quite a story.”
“No, seriously, shut up! You had me at sleigh rides. Please tell me there’s going to be one at your wedding. You’re arriving by sleigh, Cindy, there’s just no other way.”
“I could do that,” she said.
“So, let me get this straight. You’re remarrying your husband at sixty, your daughter is the matchmaker, and you built the stinking venue on the family property? Am I missing anything else fantastic in this second-chance fairy tale?”
“Um…my husband was an Olympic skier and is quite good-looking.”
“Of course he is!” she gushed. “You, my friend, are social media gold! And I’m mining for every nugget. Yes, yes, and yes!”
A giggle of joy rose up in Cindy. “That’s awesome.”
“Oh, honey, we rode our sleigh right past awesome a while ago. My followers are going to eat this up with a fork and spoon and come back for seconds and thirds. You are the epitome of an Aisle Files bride, and I love everything about this event. And so will they!”
Cindy smiled so broadly it hurt her cheeks. “I’m so glad. I don’t want the story to be about me, though. This is about the Starling—”
“The bride is the heart of every feature I do, even the ones that are about a venue like this. I’m so excited I could cry. Hashtag secondchances, hashtag happilyeverafter, hashtag remarriedinstyle. Where will you walk the aisle? Take me through it again.”
Cindy flipped the camera down the length of the room, pacing slowly so Dominique could imagine herself in the bride’s place.
“Right here. We’ll set chairs in two blocks with this center aisle. Flowers are winter green and white, with pops of red because it will be two weeks before Christmas.”
Dominique was murmuring, “Oh, my gosh, I’m in love.”
Cindy reached the raised stage and lifted the phone, smiling with pride. “And here is where we’ll say our vows.”
There was a pause. “Wait. What is that monstrosity?”
Cindy laughed, pretty sure what Dominique meant. The trellis loomed large, weathered and worn, solid oak and handmade joints.
“It’ll look better with flowers,” Cindy assured her.
“It will look better in a bonfire.”
Cindy swayed a little at the heartless comment. She took a deep breath and a step closer, determined to defend the piece of family history.
“Well, to be perfectly honest, it’s a wedding arch, carved by my grandfather Owen in 1939 as his gift to his bride, my grandmother, Irene.
Every Starling couple since has married under it.
” Everyone except her, but she left that out.
“My fiancé, Jack, hauled it in here just last month so we could resume the tradition for our wedding.”
Dominique pursed her glossy lips. “Oh, honey. It’s gotta go.”
Cindy blinked, then laughed. “It’s not going anywhere.”
“It’s…quaint,” Dominique allowed, her tone dipped in honey but edged with steel.
“But it’s an atrocity. Even with that cute family backstory, this is not going to fly in the viral world.
You want to capture hearts and clicks? You need chic.
Symmetry. Florals that explode on Instagram.
That thing looks like it belongs in somebody’s great-grandmother’s garden. ”
This time, Cindy’s laugh grew nervous. “Well, it was in my grandmother’s garden. We brought it in.”
“Then put it back, Cindy.” Dominique softened her smile, but her head still shook. “Romance, big views, heart-tugging second chances? Yes, please. But something that looks like it was cut by Daniel Boone and nibbled by the local deer? Nope. We’ll pass.”
Pass? Her heart dropped. “You mean…you’re not coming?”
“Yes, we’re coming, but that thing is going. You can bring it back afterwards if you like, but trust me on this, brides won’t want it. Every one of them will demand you move it.”
“We’ll cover it in flowers.”
“Nostalgia is not a trend. Trust me.”
Cindy’s hand tightened on the phone. “It means something to us. To our family.”
“Of course it does,” Dominique said smoothly. “But this is business, darling. You’re launching a wedding brand, not a genealogy tour. Other than that, the room is perfection.”
Cindy forced a nod, even as her stomach turned. “All right. I…see what you mean.”
Dominique looked down at some notes, already moving on. “Perfect. Now, let’s talk logistics. My team will arrive a few days before the wedding.”
“Will you need accommodations?”
“No, we’ll take care of all that. We’ll put you out plenty, don’t worry. Let me see, what else…”