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There are at least forty people crowded under the bougainvillaea-draped trellis. The bride's and the groom's immediate family and friends are entering the grounds.
Bridesmaids and groomsmen stand on their respective sides of the crescent moon bracketing the altar. Among them is Harry, Mitch's best man and Tala, one of Sarah's bridesmaids. Harry holds Alex's hand, the bride's and the groom's toddler, who is dressed in an adorable custom-made tuxedo.
The wedding is taking place on a lesser-known Greek isle. The venue is a quintessential Greek-style villa with blue shutters and an old stone patio. The floral arrangements are all vibrant yellow, sunflowers and daisies and delicate sprigs of tiny wildflowers, and a white-clad string quartet plays something dreamy and romantic as guests sit dewy-eyed across the rows of satin-draped chairs.
The dress code is very loose, maybe best described as the wedding scene from Mamma Mia!. Harry is in a similar fit as Bill from the musical, in a cream-coloured suit and white dress shirt while Tala sports a pastel floral-print prairie dress.
At last, Sarah's father signals to the officiant who beams and nods, then gestures to the congregation to stand. A little orchestra plays as the bride steps forwards. Light from the setting sun behind them bathes Sarah in a soft golden glow. Her dad holds Sarah's hand to his chest and escorts her up the aisle. Friends and family smile as father and daughter walks past.
Mitch, in a baby blue suit and white open-necked shirt, smiles a crooked smile as the love of his life approaches the ark.
Everything happens as expected: Sarah is gorgeous and Mitch seems mostly sober and sincere. Rings are exchanged, vows are spoken, and there is an uncomfortably long kiss at the end.
The ceremony is short and sweet and flows into the reception party smoothly.
Alex and another boy barrel at Tala, screaming, not quite in unison, "Tala!"
"Hi, you little rascals!" she says, catching them.
Alex screeches, "We flew on the airplane!"
"You did?" She sweeps him onto her hip. "Who drove? You or your friend here?"
"Nooo." Alex shakes his head, irritated by Tala's incompetence.
The small boy accompanying Alex asks, "Do you want to play with us?"
Harry and Tala play hide-and-seek under tables. They dance with the nieces and nephews to pop songs the kids somehow know better than them. Harry is happy to chase after them, to fling himself into the floor when they knock him over, and to hoist them, cheerfully shrieking, into the air when he catches them. The kids regale the pair with tales that are either the nonsense ramblings of toddlers or a faithful retelling of a Kafka novel.
