Chapter 1
The present day
“ A re you sure you want that many flowers?” Julie pointed at a picture in the magazine spread on the coffee table in front of her: some sort of socialite celebrity wedding that was drowning in a luscious white and pink jungle.
Hopefully, none of the guests had allergies. Yasmine nodded emphatically.
“Absolutely. It’s only one day in my life and I want it to be perfect.”
“You know what? You’re right. It’s your special day and I’ll support you no matter what.”
“Julie, the way you put it makes it sound much worse than it is. There’s no need to ‘support me’ because this is a great idea. If it’s good enough for Meghan Markle, it’s good enough for me.”
Julie chuckled. “Alright Meghan Markle, do you have a florist yet?”
“I was thinking that Meghan Markle’s friend could help out with one of her many contacts?” Yasmine shot a look at Julie with her brown doe eyes, batting her lashes. She knew full well that Julie could never say no to that face.
“Fine. I’ll look through my contacts, I think we should go for a florist who’s based in the region.”
“I’m pretty sure there are plenty of good florists in the Ardennes. They have so much wood and nature. Flowers are nature, right?” Yasmine vaguely gestured with her hand.
“Spoken like a true city-dweller. This is why they think all Brusselers are posh snobs who would die if they got lost in the woods for one hour, you know.” Julie put her face in her hands.
Yasmine was right though, there were plenty of good florists in the Ardennes.
It was a popular location for weddings, which made total sense, considering the number of beautiful old castles and lush forests that the Southeast of Belgium had to offer.
“What are your thoughts on catering?”
Julie snapped back to reality. “I don’t know. Good food? What are your thoughts on catering?”
“I think we should have several options, for vegetarians, allergies and whatnot. Do you think three is enough?” Yasmine tapped her finger on her cheek, looking in the distance. “I think three five-course menus will be alright.”
Julie blinked, her hand running through her short curly light brown hair. “Three menus? The cost is going to be insane.”
Yasmine gave her a smirk. “Did you forget who I’m marrying?”
“Fair enough. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it sometimes.”
A journalist for public television, Yasmine had been sent two years ago to interview a famous French musician - Adam - who had decided to base himself between Brussels and Paris.
He’d fallen in love with the Belgian capital, and by the time Yasmine’s interview was over, he was falling in love with one of its top journalists as well.
Sparks flew, a whirlwind romance followed, and now they were two months away from tying the knot. A real fairy tale.
Julie nodded. “Three menus it is, then!” She picked up her phone and went through her contacts. “What kind of atmosphere are you looking for? I certainly have some contacts that will be happy to give you a budget.”
“Put one or two names aside.” Yasmine had a smile which lit up her entire face. “I might have a famous name already, but I need confirmation. It’s going to be huge.”
“A famous name?” Julie asked. “One of your fiancé’s acquaintances?”
Yasmine chuckled mysteriously. “I’m not telling you anything yet. It’s a surprise.”
Julie didn’t like the sound of this. The more she knew about the wedding, the better.
Julie was a professional event planner by trade, and as a bridesmaid, she was more than happy to put her skills and network to good use pulling off the wedding of Yasmine’s dreams. But part of what made Julie so good was that she avoided surprises at all costs.
Surprises meant things that you couldn’t prepare for, things that could jeopardise what she had prepared for.
“How long before you get confirmation for this fancy secret caterer?” Julie asked, fear in her voice.
“I’m in the midst of negotiating with them. I should get an answer next week. Or maybe two weeks.” Yasmine stopped and thought. “Let’s say, three weeks tops. They’re really a hot commodity.”
None of this was more reassuring. But it wasn’t Julie getting married, and she had plenty of clients who’d thrown her far worse curveballs. She could take it in stride.
“Okay, you’ve piqued my curiosity now.”
“I think you’re going to think it’s a good surprise!”
Julie hoped it really would be the case.