Unforeseen

Chapter XXIII

Gabriele was determined for us to be wed long before a year's time. He had made that intent clear to me soon after he had placed the engagement ring on my finger. He attempted to negotiate as soon as three months but I insisted upon at least six. It was going to be a lot to plan for in such a short amount of time as it was. Location, decoration, dress, food, invitations. In the end, it was decided that we would have the wedding at the manor. It would be enough space to comfortably fit all the guests that would be invited and for us to carry on with all of our festivities for the evening. 

Gabriele's mother, who I still had not yet met,had offered the services of a popular dressmakerback in Illinois, a close friend of hers I suspected.From what I gathered by his mother's letter the dressmaker's fee sounded quite expensive but worth every bit of money spent, and Gabriele had insisted we spare no expense on any detail of the wedding as he continued to assure me this would be the first and last time either of us ever got married. I had to admit up until now I hadn't thought twice about Chicago.

Funny how something or some place that was once of such importance to you can even fade away with time. I guess one day, without noticing, I must have locked those memories away. Hidden deep within a drawer in the back of my mind consumedin a pit of darkness. Like a box full of old objectsand photos tossed away in some corner of a dusty attic, never to be laid eyes on again until when one day a new owner buys the house and gets left cleaning up after everything you left behind. At that moment it came to light, just like that I had thrown away the key and moved on because it wassomething too painful to carry with me through the rest of my days. It was easier to just...forget about to move forward in life.

Gabriele took care of ensuring all the appropriate guests were invited to the wedding once I had decided how the invitations should look. I had chosen to go with classic white invitation cards but I put my own spin on the decorativeness of it. Around the edges of the card was a thin layer of designer lace, with white beads every inch or so apart, placed gently upon that.

I had befriended one of the women who visited the manor frequently to drop off various items throughout the week. I had recalled once her having a very steady hand in drawing detailed pictures. It was her that I asked to help draft up a copy of my wedding dress for the dressmaker. In my mind I knew the look of it, so with my instruction and her abilities we were able to create a perfect drawing to be able to mail off, being sure to enclose the sizes.

I had gone with a tea-length style cut for the wedding dress made up of satin and velvet. The top of the dress which ran from my chest down to my waist I had wanted to be velvet with a dropped neckline. A small waist band could be seen aroundthe middle made of satin, acting as a dividerbetween the two fabrics. The bottom of the dress would be made entirely of satin running down from my waist to just above the ankles. The back consisted of silk buttons lining from the top of the dress down to the bottom of where my spine ended.

Crowning my head would be a Juliet cap veil.Flowering embroidery would shower over the lace veil with the edge of it being the thickest. Shimmering pearl beads were spread evenly across the lace to make the flowers stand out even more. I wanted to keep my accessories simple since I was hoping that the dress would speak volumes and be the main focus. I would layer long pearl necklaces that I already owned. I planned to go with a bouquet of long-stemmed white calla lilies which were the wedding flower of choice. Hearing back from the dressmaker it would take every bit of six months to prepare the wedding dress of my dreams. For this, I was glad to hear so that I could tell Gabriele that we, or rather I was correct for pushing the wedding date out. We had selected one of the very spaciousgardens, with only flowering bushes lining the outskirts, to be the perfect spot for our special day and for guest seating.

The days before the wedding felt like a mad rush. Many people came and went almost every hour some bringing decorations, some bringing food, some tables, and chairs. There were even some that arrived that didn't leave, they were just a part of the wedding party and had come early on their own accord. I was thankful for all the helping hands though it was because of this I was able to tell everyone what went where and how to do what. With everyone pitching in those days it was a blessing in itself and lifted a lot of stress off my shoulders.