Chapter Nineteen #2
Then, spending weeks to find the right lace, her soon to be sisters-in-law came together to find the perfect veil, an Irish lace dream. It needed to be settled before Cheyenne lost her mind.
“I found it. I found it,” yelled Alesha over the phone when Cheyenne answered right after losing the weight for the wedding dress found in September.
“Found what? Do you know what time it is? Only ranchers are up at this hour,” Cheyenne yawned into the phone.
“The lace, I found the perfect lace. And for your information, ranchers and mothers are up at this hour.”
“Another reason to not get pregnant for a good while,” groaned Cheyenne.
It was an Irish lace mantilla, but edged and embellished with hand stitching on the lace edges.
Caoimhe worked hard to create the hand stitching on the lace and then the veil with the help of supportive sisters who took up the slack when she needed it to give her uninterrupted time to create not only the veil but Bailey and Eiren’s dresses as the only little girls in the family.
Every time Cheyenne looked at it, she cried.
She loved the lace so much that she had ordered each of her sisters-in-law to be and her two mothers an Irish linen and lace handkerchief made of the same lace.
The groomsmen were more difficult, and then she found cufflinks with the perfect-knotted design taken out of the Book of Kells. She excitedly showed it to Quinn, who quickly ordered one for each groomsman and his father.
“Quinn, are you sure you want to do that? The cost seems prohibitive. I’m sure there is something that you might get for less money. Just get one for Da. I’ll find something else for the groomsman that’s similar.”
Quinn laughed. “This will mean something. Besides, we only marry once. We won’t do much for Christmas this year.”
“Christmas? Oh Lord, I’d forgotten all about Christmas with this large family!” Quinn just laughed as he reached over and kissed her soundly.
“You’ll get used to it. I promise. This year I have it all figured out so you won’t have to worry.
The wedding video and all of the photos will go onto a memory card and placed in one of those digital photo frames.
Then they can add their other pictures later.
Believe me, it will be the best Christmas present we could give them. ”
Quinn reached over and kissed Cheyenne as a mischievous look appeared on his face.
“That’s unless we want to give them a new O’Connor coming their way. Now we don’t have enough time to make that happen before Christmas, but we certainly could give it a try if you like.”
Cheyenne quickly shook her head. She had already given her earliest timeline to add to the O’Connor family, and that was another year before she would even begin to consider it.
Quinn had easily agreed, so both knew that this was simply a joke, a tease.
Laughing again, he leaned down and kissed her a second time, thanked her for the great gift idea, and went out to do whatever Quinlan did when she was working on the wedding.
Cheyenne sighed and prayed it would always be this way
She knew the “tying the knot” would take on special meaning when she had her brother-in-law Ciarán take the silk cord and tying the two newlyweds together to symbolize agreement to be together for always in the traditional way.
It was just another little tradition that she would identify in the program. They all held meaning.
While all would identify this binding quaint, Quinlan would attach their own special meaning to the ropes, and Cheyenne liked that.
Cheyenne wished that Quinn would bind her to him in another significant and personal way.
She was looking for him to give her some symbol, such as a collar, and they disagreed about the timing.
She was ready now. He didn’t think she was.
But if marrying him wasn’t enough, then what was?
Quinn wanted to ring the bell of good tidings after they were pronounced man and wife and the kiss was complete. He wanted to herald the new era, but privately. The bell would bring good luck, warding off evil. His mother was not as keen on that idea but didn’t speak against it.
“It doesn’t sound completely Christian, but it is tradition,” she said.
Quinn told Cheyenne, “It’s to announce to the world at large that the dye was cast, and you are mine forever.”
“Or until you irritate me, anyway,” she said cheekily.
“I’m using that bell later as a reminder of who you belong to and as a warning might be a better deterrent that the threat of those spankings you’re beginning to like too often.”
“Hmm, I might like that new tradition.”
He winked at his lovely lady. “Nah, I’ll simply change the implement. Up the anti—if you will. I enjoy reddening that bottom too much to trade it for something else.”
Her horseshoe ornament was in the bridal bouquet to bring them good luck. The tiny bells were strung for good luck, warding off evil in the reception venue.
The dresses were simple but complimentary to each bridesmaid’s body shape and were shades of the bouquets.
Her flowers and the bridesmaids’ flowers would be Heather for Northern Ireland and peaceful solitude, Bells of Ireland for luck and Forget-me-nots for true love.
Herbs were for fidelity, lavender for love and devotion and a few wildflowers plus all the flowers throughout the church were a riot of assorted colors and types that flowed over into the reception.
She also had the meanings of the flowers in her program.
Her dress included the Irish lace and the satin underneath with beautiful embroidery.
Her hair would be done with flowers and ivy amongst the familiar thick twist braid that Quinn often did for her when they played.
Her braid would be embellished with jewel pins, helping keep it out of her face when the dancing began as well as bringing an extra touch of luck with a different rope braid.
The lacy white mantilla brought out the gold in her blond hair.
She would lower it to her shoulders as a shawl during the reception.
During the seating of the guests, they would not have the piano but the harp playing.
Cheyenne chose it because she thought it was one of the most soothing sounds and the harp was the most recognized symbol of Ireland.
But mostly because she loved the music that floated from its strings.
Finally, coming into the reception, they would all be greeted by the pipes while the wedding party finished the pictures and the guests socialized and had hors d’oeuvres.
Then the pipes would herald the newlyweds into the room.
The groomsmen would be in kilts with their tartan of blues, greens, and gold, and the tartan she learned represented Ireland for those who needed an identity, like Andrew. Da would wear the O’Connor tartan, in full regal style.
Parker would wear his own Scots/Irish tartan, newly researched and purchased, made of blues, reds, and blacks. They made quite a colorful men’s representation of the Irish heritage they were so proud of.
The wedding cake would have the bride and groom, in a kilt of course, but standing in the midst of a horseshoe for luck on the top layer of cake, that they would save for the first year, surrounded by a frosted Claddagh ring.
Each layer would also be encircled with a Claddagh design and ivy with some Celtic knot embellishments.
The drawing of the design was exquisite.
She prayed that the drawing and the actual piece matched.
The groom’s cake was the traditional honeyed cake with the ever-present Irish whiskey-soaked fruit enclosed, simply frosted, and banned from the children.
Cian wanted to know if he should keep Molly from it as well and the men decided their women could have a taste of theirs but otherwise, should stick with the wedding cake and stay away from the Groom’s cake.