12. Chapter 11
Arianna
My mother talked non-stop all the way to the caterer’s.
We were going to be doing a tasting of the wedding menu and then picking out our cake.
Thankfully, Tucker got to come with us for this portion, but I knew that didn’t really matter.
Whatever my mother wanted, my mother would get.
Apparently, this was also part of my fathers punishment for me running off with Leyla.
Originally, the menu was completely up to me and Tuck, but not anymore.
When the car finally came to a stop, I was relieved to finally be there. Getting out of the car and a little space from my mother was greatly needed. Ever since the dress debacle, I hadn’t been allowed to make any choices about my wedding, instead just being told by her what she’d decided.
I was kind of surprised that I was allowed to come to this. But again, she couldn’t very well just bring Tucker and leave me at home.
When we walked in, we were greeted by a woman that seemed to be in her fifties with her jet black hair pulled high in a bun, a few strands escaping to frame her face. “Welcome. My name is Gina, I’m the owner of Velluto Events. If you’ll follow me, we’ll get you started on today’s tastings.”
Tucker’s stomach growled at the mention of food, making me chuckle, but my mother shot us both dirty looks.
Gina led us to a small room with a table set for three.
There were tables lining the walls that held sample appetizers.
“We’ve got all of the hors d'oeuvres labeled so you know what each one is. There are note cards and pens on the table by the door for you to take notes if you want on which items you like best. My team will be in with the entreés shortly.”
“Thank you.” Gina gave my mother a bow of the head, then headed out of the room, probably to make sure everything was going well in the kitchen. “Alright. We can taste one of each of the items, but make sure to not fill up here. We have to make sure we pick the perfect entreé for your perfect day.”
Tucker picked up two miniature pizzas, handing one to me. They were bite-sized crackers in a triangle, with a little bit of pizza sauce, a miniature pepperoni, and cheese. “Damn, this is good.”
I nodded in agreement, but my mom scoffed.
“We are not having pizza of any form at this wedding reception. We have much more class than that.” It was no surprise when she went straight for the caviar canapés.
Her eyes closed when the food hit her tongue and I’m honestly surprised she didn’t moan. “These are a definite must.”
Tucker grabbed the other two, handing one to me. We both tried it, and I could tell by the look on his face that it was a no for him too.
My mother didn’t listen to much that we said, deciding on the caviar, oysters, bacon wrapped dates, and tuna tartar on toast, but agreeing to the tomato and mozzarella bruschetta to appease us.
The entreés weren’t any different. My mother decided on sea bass with lemon-caper beurre blanc and sautéed spinach, crispy-skin duck paired with a sweet-tart cherry reduction and celery root purée, and lamb served with roasted root vegetables and herbed polenta. None of which Tucker or I had liked.
“Can’t we please go with lobster ravioli in saffron cream sauce or the fettuccine alfredo al tartufo?” Those had been mine and Tucker’s favorites.
“No.” My mother dabbed the napkin at the corner of her mouth before writing down her picks for Gina.
“Isabella had lobster ravioli at her son’s wedding.
We need to make sure our selection shows we’re higher class than she is.
After all, her husband isn’t even in the top ten of your father’s lieutenants. ”
Tucker leaned in and whispered in my ear as my mother discussed her list with Gina. “Want me to pull rank? I mean, I do outrank her since she’s a woman, right?”
He did because women had no authority in our world. But after the fiasco at dinner over my tantrum about the dresses, it wasn’t worth it. “Just leave it. It’s not that big of a deal in the long run.”
Of course, the cake tasting and ordering went just about as well.
We ended up with a plain vanilla cake that neither of us wanted, in the most boring design ever.
While my mother finalized the order, I stared longingly at a four tiered cake with gold vines and gold and white flowers that I’d never have.
If I ever ended up having a daughter, she was going to have the wedding of her dreams, no matter how gaudy I thought it was.