Milkshake Hearts

Chapter 77: Outfits

Their venue selection is helpful in a lot of ways: it makes a lot of their other vendor selections – caterers, florists, bar and music – fairly simple, given those recommended by the venue are also recommended by Jessie and all fit clearly and easily into their theming and their plans.

Outfits are the next big choice to make.

"I don't know how you went months without telling me about the engagement ring, baby, I'm annoyed I have to keep everything about my dress secret from you already and I haven't even started looking yet," Courtney complains, flicking through Netflix options on the TV screen in front of them on a Wednesday evening.

"You've started looking at ideas online though, right?" He queries.

"Yeah. I'm not one of those people that has had a Pinterest board of wedding ideas forever but- I got ideas. And I am not going to say anymore or I will start talking too much," she sighs, Shayne laughing lightly in response.

"It was a challenge to keep the ring secret from you, yeah. It was easier when I got to talk to Damien about it at least though – maybe you'll be more okay with it tomorrow when you're actually looking? You've got all the girls joining you, yeah?" he asks.

"Yeah, Kari, Liv, Rachel and Hannah all got tomorrow afternoon off work for it which is great. No idea if I'll find it tomorrow, and we're planning to look at bridesmaid dresses then too, so it'll be a big afternoon but... hey. Kinda excited," she admits, grinning, "when you gonna start looking for suits, huh?"

"I mean, suits are kinda easier but- probably soon, I can't get everyone together for groomsmen's suit fittings or anything anyway because everyone is all over the place but I think Dames and I might go looking next weekend or something," he nods.

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Courtney has a noticeable lightness in her step, grinning and laughing with Olivia as they step out of the office just before lunch the next day. Sam had given Olivia a lift to work so she could just get a ride with Courtney after, and the two of them meet up with Kari, and Courtney's other bridesmaids Hannah and Rachel, at a small café down the street from a bunch of bridal stores.

"So, Court, do you have an idea what you're going for?" Kari asks, cutting through the casual conversations happening between the five girls over their lunch. All eyes immediately turn to Courtney, and it makes her feel mildly uncomfortable. She makes a mental note that she'll have to get used to that for this whole wedding thing.

"I'm not set on a particular idea of a whole dress, but I have a few ideas, I think? I definitely do not want anything big and princess-y, I'm much more thinking something fairly fitted through the body and a little more flowy down around the legs? My random googling tells me I'm looking for A-Line or mermaid shapes," Courtney explains.

"Gotta show off the ass," Olivia jumps in, the other four laughing.

"Look, yes, I wouldn't hate that," Courtney grins.

"Sleeves?" Rachel queries.

"I'm not entirely sure. I don't think I want to go entirely sleeveless because I don't trust my boobs to hold up a wedding dress without a painful amount of tape, but I don't really want to go heavy on the sleeves. Maybe thinking an off the shoulder something?" Courtney muses.

"You know, I've seen a thing around recently of like, a standard sleeveless cleavage-showing neckline but then a sheer top section up to a fairly high neckline and maybe sleeves like that too? That could be interesting and would avoid the tape issue," Hannah suggests, Courtney nodding.

"I like sheers, might be worth considering," Courtney nods, taking the suggestion on board.

The first place they visit doesn't really hit anything special, although it helps refine her preferences. The sales assistant picks out one dress based on her vague description, and the five girls work together to pick out another couple, all of them a little bit different. One is an A-line with a deep V neckline and long sleeves in a plain white fabric. It isn't a bad dress, but it's definitely not her, so she quickly nixes it. Another with slightly more volume in the skirt confirms that she does want something fairly fitted, and although most of it doesn't suit her taste, another with a sheer high neckline above a full sweetheart neckline piques her interest in that particular style.