The Wedding Plans
The Wedding Plans
Hazel’s POV
The word fiancée still felt unfamiliar.
Not wrong.
Just new.
Sometimes I would look down at my hand, see the ring Ethan had chosen, and smile without realizing it.
A few months ago, I had entered Blackwood Corporation as an assistant who was determined to prove herself.
Now...
I was planning a future with the man who had become my closest friend.
----
The morning after the proposal, Ethan made breakfast.
Or rather...
He attempted breakfast.
I walked into the kitchen and immediately noticed something unusual.
“You look nervous.”
He glanced at the pancakes.
“I am evaluating the situation.”
“The pancakes?”
“The pancakes are unpredictable.”
I laughed.
“You’re a CEO who negotiates with investors around the world, but pancakes scare you?”
“They are a difficult opponent.”
I shook my head, smiling.
“My handsome gentleman...”
He looked up.
“I like that name.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
He placed a plate in front of me.
“Because I think I’ll be hearing it for a long time.”
----
Ethan’s POV
Planning a wedding was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
Business had rules.
Numbers had answers.
Contracts had solutions.
Wedding planning had opinions.
Many opinions.
My mother wanted a large celebration.
Hazel’s grandmother wanted something warm and personal.
Claire had a list of ideas.
Olivia had another list.
Daniel somehow became responsible for transportation arrangements despite not knowing how it happened.
Through all of it...
Hazel remained calm.
She never cared about impressing people.
She cared about meaning.
That was one of the reasons I loved her.
----
Hazel’s POV
One afternoon, we sat together surrounded by wedding magazines, notes, and coffee cups.
“This is overwhelming.”
Ethan looked at the papers.
“I agree.”
“You agree?”
He nodded seriously.
“There are too many flower options.”
I laughed.
“I never expected flowers to be a difficult decision for you.”
“I manage company budgets.”
“And?”
“I don’t choose between twenty-seven shades of roses.”
I smiled.
“Fair point.”
I leaned against his shoulder.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t need the biggest wedding.”
He turned toward me.
“I know.”
“I just want a day where everyone we love is there.”
He smiled softly.
“That’s exactly what I want too.”
----
Ethan’s POV
A week later, we visited a small countryside venue outside the city.
It wasn’t the largest.
It wasn’t the most expensive.
But it had a beautiful garden, old trees, and a quiet atmosphere.
Hazel walked through the grounds slowly.
I watched her expression change.
She wasn’t looking at the buildings.
She was looking at the possibilities.
The memories waiting to happen.
“What do you think?”
She turned toward me.
“I think this feels like us.”
That was enough.
----
Hazel’s POV
The wedding preparations brought everyone closer.
Claire helped me choose details.
Olivia made sure I remembered to enjoy the process instead of worrying about every little thing.
Even Ethan’s serious business team became surprisingly supportive.
One evening, after a long planning session, Ethan and I sat on our balcony.
The city lights surrounded us.
“Are you nervous?”
He asked quietly.
I thought about it.
“A little.”
“Me too.”
I smiled.
“You?”
He laughed softly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
“Because this matters.”
His answer was simple.
Honest.
And completely Ethan.
I reached for his hand.
“We’ll do it together.”
He squeezed my fingers.
“Together.”
And that was all either of us needed.
Because the most important part of the wedding wasn’t the flowers, the music, or the perfect photographs.
It was the promise waiting at the end of the aisle.
The promise that they would continue choosing each other.
Every day.
For the rest of their lives.
----
The Final Week
The week before the wedding passed faster than either Hazel or Ethan expected.
The apartment that had once been quiet and perfectly organized was now filled with lists, invitations, flowers, and small reminders written on colorful notes.
Hazel stood in the living room looking at everything with a smile.
“How did we collect this much paper?”
Ethan looked over the table.
“I believe half of it appeared overnight.”
She laughed.
“You’re blaming the wedding?”
“I am considering all possibilities.”
That familiar humor made her smile.
Even during the busiest moments, Ethan always found a way to make things lighter.
----
Ethan’s POV
The closer the wedding day came, the more I realized something important.
The details mattered.
The venue.
The flowers.
The music.
But they weren’t what made me excited.
It was the thought of waking up every morning knowing Hazel would be there.
The thought of building traditions together.
The thought of creating a home that was more than walls and furniture.
A life.
----
Hazel’s POV
The night before the wedding, Hazel sat with Claire and Olivia at the hotel where she would prepare for the ceremony.
“You seem calm.”
Hazel smiled.
“I am.”
“Not nervous?”
“A little.”
She looked down at her hands.
“But mostly happy.”
Claire smiled.
“I think that’s exactly how it should be.”
Olivia nodded.
“You two never rushed anything.”
“You built a friendship first.”
“And that’s why everyone knows this is real.”
Hazel looked out the window at the lights of the city.
She thought about the first day she had met Ethan.
The serious CEO who barely smiled.
The man who seemed impossible to understand.
And the person who eventually became her safest place.
----
Ethan’s POV
Across the city, Ethan stood with Daniel and his closest friends.
For once, no one was discussing business.
No contracts.
No meetings.
No deadlines.
Only tomorrow.
Daniel smiled.
“You realize you’re nervous.”
Ethan looked at him.
“I am not.”
Everyone laughed.
“You absolutely are.”
Ethan shook his head, smiling.
Maybe they were right.
But it wasn’t fear.
It was the feeling of standing at the beginning of something extraordinary.
----
The Wedding Day
The countryside venue looked exactly as Hazel had imagined.
Simple.
Elegant.
Warm.
Flowers decorated the garden paths, and sunlight passed through the trees above.
Friends and family gathered together, sharing stories and laughter as they waited.
Then the music began.
Ethan turned toward the garden entrance.
And for a moment, everything else disappeared.
Hazel walked toward him with a smile that instantly calmed every nervous thought he had carried.
She wasn’t walking toward a perfect future.
Neither of them believed in perfection.
She was walking toward a future they would create together.
When they reached each other, Ethan smiled softly.
“Ready?”
Hazel smiled back.
“Always.”
The ceremony was filled with promises, laughter, and happy tears.
Two people who had met unexpectedly were now choosing the same path.
Not because life had been simple.
Because they had learned how to face it together.
----
That evening, as the celebration continued beneath the stars, Hazel and Ethan stepped away for a quiet moment.
The music continued in the distance.
The garden lights glowed around them.
“We’re married,” Hazel said softly.
Ethan smiled.
“We are.”
She looked around at their friends, their family, and the life surrounding them.
“I think this is my favorite chapter.”
Ethan held her hand.
“I think it’s only the beginning.”
And under the warm lights of the garden, they began the next part of their story.
Not as two people searching for something they were missing.
But as two people who had already found it.