Life Without You

Chapter 81 - Ever After

Ariel stared at herself in the mirror.

She was dressed in a white coloured, sheer off-shoulder, lacy mermaid wedding gown with a train. It was a simple and elegant gown that breathed sophistication. The small boutique shop that designed her gala night dress was commissioned by Ariel to custom design her wedding dress and her low-heel ivory stilettos made of white lace and decorated with pearls.

This was the first wedding dress Ariel had ever worn in her entire life. She never thought how exciting and stressful it was to organise her own wedding during the months leading up to summer, despite hiring a wedding planner. It was nothing like her first so-called wedding at all. This felt like the real deal, her very first.

"Now you know!" Beth teased in a pretend firm tone. "At least you've got a wedding planner, thanks to your rich husband-to-be. You already have it easier than you know, trust me. Me and Theo had to plan our entire wedding ourselves!"

"Aww, don't be jealous, Beth. Ariel's fairytale wedding is well-deserved," Rita joked as she adjusted her champagne-coloured bridesmaid dress that she and the rest of the ladies were wearing. Even Imogen, who was the flower girl, was wearing the same coloured dress.

"I'm a little princess!" Imogen exclaimed after Rita placed a wreath of white flowers and green leaves over her head. Everyone laughed at her cute reaction.

"Yes, you are! And you're gonna do the prince and princess proud on their wedding day," Rita kissed her forehead.

Camila styled Ariel's hazelnut coloured hair in a twisted knot half-do halo with soft curls cascading down her back. A floral vine of small crystals, pearls and white blooms of flowers were pinned to her hair. She also did her make-up and gave her an au-natural look that accentuated her features.

"You look very pretty, mum," Andy complimented while Beth helped pin a flower over his vest suit. He was mighty excited to be the ring bearer. After all, he was the one who secretly got his mother's ring finger measurements.

"Why, thank you, Andy," Ariel beamed.

She inhaled the piney and delicate scents of her bouquet of white baby's breath, soft pink roses, and purple lavender which was her favourite flower.  Rita had personally created it for her. Her florist shop helped with all the floral decoration for the wedding including the circle-shaped floral arch wrapped with lavender and shades of pastel-coloured flowers and greenery. The arch was placed against the backdrop of the mountains, bluish lake and the coniferous forest at a lakeside wedding venue in the heart of the picturesque town not far from Leon's parents' mansion.

The venue had an open seating area with tall trees surrounding its area, and the aisle was covered with a bed of white flower petals. Hovering the entire dance and dining area was a tall, lush installation of wisteria and fairy lights dripping from the top. Rita and everyone at her florist shop took pride in one of the most prominent projects they'd ever undertaken. Yet, despite Leon's and Ariel's star status, their wedding was a small and private one. There was high security at the wedding and no paparazzi were allowed into the venue. In attendance were all the people that mattered to them - the Fujitas, Hong and Han and all the ex-colleagues from Hinata restaurant, Rita's entire family - the Johnsons who fostered Ariel and Andy, Evan, Anna, Ryan, Rico, the entire Waltz family and a close-knit of relatives and other friends. Even Ron was among those who were seated.

Ariel wore the Swarovski necklace and silk bracelet that her mother left for her, the same ones that she wore on the gala night. It was her way of bringing a part of her parents to her special day. She held the necklace in her palm, remembering the week after the engagement, she brought Leon to see her parents at the cemetery for the first time.