11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Addie
D estination weddings are really fun. What’s not fun? When your bestie's wedding planner randomly ghosts her, and that’s the reason you’re doing a destination wedding. It has been a bit stressful. In the almost month I have been with her, we have run in circles, which all ended up being for nothing because now they are having a destination wedding. Not that I can’t be excited about it, because they’re getting hitched in Hawaii, and there is no way in hell am I missing that trip this time.
Being that Liv and Tyler got married in Oahu, as well, Isla is trying to do things as different as possible. With all these family weddings happening there, they should rename it Love Island. Cal and Isla absolutely fell in love on the island, as much as they argue they did not. Them getting married there is a perfect full circle moment. At first, she didn’t want to because she didn’t want to copy Liv, but Liv insisted they were not copying her simply because their wedding is at the same location.
We’ve nailed down the ceremony time and location, as well as the reception venue. Caterers are also pretty much finished up. She’s already working on the decor vibes, and as Maid of Honor, I pretty much only have the fun stuff. Like today: wedding dress shopping. Coming along with me and Isla are Cal’s mom and Liv, and Isla’s mom will be virtually attending.
“Remind me again why we needed to take two cars to this shindig?” I ask.
Isla looks over to me in the driver’s seat, because she’s a passenger princess. And has terrible road rage. “Because Liv refused to leave early. So, I told her that she could drive herself and Anna, ‘cause I’m not missing my appointment.”
“Fair enough.” My mind wanders, thinking about the absolute shit show of a family dinner a few weeks ago. “Do you think Cal and Sam will ever get along again?”
“Sam’s a complete ass. So, probably not.” Isla rolls her eyes and looks out the window. Pine trees and rock fill the side of the highway, rushing past us as I drive.
“Is he really an ass, or is Cal’s dad an ass and everyone reacts accordingly?” I turn my head to look at her, and she immediately rejects the thought.
“Dude, he blew off his sister’s wedding. He refuses to talk to Cal. Surely, that means he’s got a bit of asshole in him. Where is this coming from?” And she’s got me there.
But it surprises me that she still thinks like this after doing the class with him, because he’s made that class pretty fun.
“I was just thinking about that dinner a couple weeks ago, I felt bad for him.” Sam’s face as his dad berated his decisions is going to be permanently burned into my brain. I’ve never had parents who aren’t proud of my every move. Even when I stumble, they’re clapping in the back row as I stand up again.
“Yeah, Michael can be a lot. He is hard-pressed on making Sam change his mind.”
“That’s too bad. I think Sam’s pretty good at what he does.” Isla turns and gives me a look. “What?”
“Your bad taste in men is showing.” She jokingly gives my shoulder a little shove and I roll my eyes at her. In her defense, I have made a handful of bad romantic decisions—staying with assholes too long and dumping the good guys before I really even give them a chance. She’s been there through it all. So, she’s earned her right to give me a hard time. Even if this time, it stings a little. A little reminder of reason 722 I am currently sucking at life.
“I’m not interested in him.” Big fat lie. “I just feel bad for him. I’m super close to my big family, and I can’t imagine being on the outs with them.”
“Cal has tried to initiate, but Sam wants nothing to do with it. Once again, asshole behavior. Oh, look! I think that’s the place.” Isla points out the window and starts dancing in her seat.
Sam can’t be that bad, can he? Maybe I should have mentioned I was slightly interested? God, I can imagine the scolding I would get from that one. Until future notice, all Sam talk is off the table with Isla.
The appointment is at nine, and since Isla is Christmas morning type of excited, we arrive early. At 8 a.m. Because, and I quote, “What if there is traffic? What if there is a snowstorm?" It’s sunny and 48 degrees, but okay. Her list of what ifs went on forever, until we all agreed to drive the one-hour drive two hours early. Even for me, a chronic planner, this is a bit much. I can’t blame Liv and Anna for not wanting any of this. I don’t want any of this, but such is the life of a dedicated best friend.
After waiting in the car and looking up wedding inspo for an hour, we step out into the parking lot. The fresh air hits my face, and I smile over at Isla. It’s still crazy to believe my best friend is getting married. She is going to be a whole-ass wife here in a couple months.
“Oh, this place looks so nice! How did you hear about it?"
The building is all white-washed brick, the name of the store, Perfectly Bridal, is painted in black. It has a cute neon pink wedding dress over the top.
“Tracie from the office went shopping here and loved it. So, I thought I would give it a try. There’s another shop about a mile or so from here that we will be going to, too!”
Liv pulls up, and Anna looks a bit pale when she steps out of the car.
“You okay?” Isla asks, walking over to greet her with a hug.
“I’ve never seen my life flash before my eyes so many times. Did you know yellow means speed up instead of slow down?” Anna glares at Liv, who just rolls her eyes.
“You’re being so dramatic. Just because you want to be a grandma doesn’t mean we all have to drive like one.”
“If I keep riding with you, I’ll never get the chance to be a real one.”
We all chat as we make our way to the front door. We are greeted by a brunette dressed in an all-black jumpsuit and the cutest hot pink kitten heels I’ve ever seen.
She smiles warmly at us. “Welcome everyone! I am Bridget. We are so happy to have you here. Just to confirm, this is for Isla with the Reynolds wedding, correct?”
Isla steps forward and shoots her hand up. “That’s me! My mom will be joining us virtually. They said you guys had, like, an iPad on a stick so we could walk her around, right?”
“Yes, we sure do! Who else do we have with us?”
Isla points to each of us as we nod our heads when it’s our turn. “My maid of honor, Addie; my future sister-in-law, Liv; and my future mother-in-law, Anna.”
“It is wonderful to meet you all. Can I get you started with the mimosa bar?”
“Mimosas and pretty dresses? Sounds like the perfect combo.” Isla smiles and we all begin to follow Bridget back to our spot. We make our way to the back of the building and sit on the plush couch.
Bridget sets up the iPad, and Isla is able to FaceTime her mom.
“Hi, baby! How are you feeling? Is that Addie over there?” Carrie asks. Gosh, it has been so long since I have seen her. Since they started traveling six years ago, I think I’ve only seen her once.
“Hi, Carrie! It is so good to see you!” I crowd Isla’s space and send her mom a smile.
“I’m feeling super excited! I hope we get the dress today!” She claps and already has tears springing to her eyes.
Bridget gets our attention. “All right, now that the gang's all here, what are we looking for today?”
“Well, I am doing a beachfront wedding at sunrise. So, nothing too fluffy, but also not so tight I can’t pop, lock, and drop it on the dance floor.” She then demonstrates what kind of movements she’s thinking of, as if the lady couldn’t pick up what she was putting down.
“All right, booty-shaking dress without too many frills, got it. I am going to go pull some suggestions. If you all want to go look around and pull some yourselves, go ahead. With how many of you are here, I would suggest no more than one or two per person, so we don’t overwhelm our bride.”
Isla walks off, dragging her mom on a stick, which shouldn’t be as amusing as it is. We all gather dresses, and I find one that is simple, with some beading that will catch the light nicely. It is slightly fitted, yet still flares out just past the hips, so that, as Isla says, she can shake her ass.
Liv completely ignored Isla’s suggestion and picked a ballgown.
“Liv, did you space out on the part where I said no ballgowns?” Isla asks, and her face does a poor job of hiding her annoyance.
“No, but I did want to see you in at least one. You have to try them all because you never know what you are going to like.”
“I can confidently say that I will not be wearing that. Ballgowns and beaches don’t really go hand in hand, but I will try it on to appease you.”
After we all get the dresses into the fitting room, the fashion show begins.
She walks out wearing the ballgown, shooting eye daggers right to Liv. “It’s going to be a no from me.” She does do a circle, and a princess wave as she steps off the pedestal. They have two of us on each side of her, with her dressing room behind us and a large mirror in front of her.
Before long, the majority of her hype squad is slightly buzzed, and our laughs fill the room. It has been a while since I have felt this much happiness around me, but that could be the champagne talking. Anna looks over at all of us, and even though she is sober, she can’t help but laugh. Isla has been nursing the same mimosa all morning so that she doesn’t let good champagne make her decision.
She’s down to her last two dresses at this shop: hers and mine. The others were great. She would look like a million bucks in a paper sack, but I agree with her that none of them are quite right yet.
She comes out wearing my choice, and it looks just like I thought it would on her. Slightly fitted, showing off her figure, but loose enough that she can still move in it.
“Well, can you shake your ass in it?” Liv asks as she brings her mimosa to her lips.
Isla puts her hands on her knees and swings her hips around. “It is booty popping approved. I love the beading. I like that it’s elegant, but still makes me feel like a million bucks. I didn’t think I would like the straps off the shoulders, but it is gorgeous.”
I hear her mom sniffle from her little pole seated next to us.
“Is this the one?” Bridget asks.
“I need to try on the other one first, but so far, this is my number one. I feel so good in it.”
She gets hers on, which is also beautiful. It is more of an A-line and is much simpler. It’s satin with a deep V and shoulder straps. It looks so timeless on her that she couldn’t go wrong in this dress. It hugs her perfectly.
“What do you think, babe?” I ask.
“I wish I could pick them both. What do you guys think?”
Carrie pipes in, “The classic look never goes out of style. It’s my vote, but I am good with whatever makes you happy.
“I think the last one suited you better, but you look great in both,” Liv says.
“We all know I am going to choose the dress I picked out,” I pipe in.
“What about you, Anna? What do you think?” Isla asks.
“You look stunning in both of them. Whichever brings you the most joy and makes you feel the most beautiful needs to be your pick. And if neither of them are it, we still have the appointment at the other location.”
“Oh, gosh, I don’t think I can handle anymore dresses.” Isla does look tired, but getting in and out of a bajillion dresses is a lot of work. So, fair.
“How about this: let’s get you back into the other dress, add a veil and a bouquet, and see if you get the feeling you’re looking for?” asks the consultant, smiling as she walks to the back.
The second Isla steps out of her dressing room with a veil and flowers in her hands, it is finally my turn to cry. Once she stands to her full height on the pedestal and looks at herself as an actual bride, she starts crying, which means, now every one of us is crying. Our girl is getting married.
“Bridget, I need the bell,” Isla says. Bridget hands it to her, and Isla rings it loud and proud.
She’s got her man, and she’s got the dress, too.