"Can I come in?" Ivey opened the door to Carrie's room.
"Hey." Carrie smiled, setting her phone down on the nightstand. She was still laying in bed.
"How's the bride?" Ivey sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Freaking out." Carrie chuckled.
"Understandable."
"I'm so nervous, my stomach is in so many knots Ivey. Why am I so nervous? It's just Mike, it's the day I've been waiting for forever." Carrie fretted, running her fingers through her hair.
"Hey, hey. Calm down. It's okay. Everyone gets nervous on their wedding day. It's a big day, you want everything to go perfect. I get it." Ivey softly smiled at her best friend, putting her hand on top of Carrie's.
"Just don't think about anything else. Focus on the man standing at the end of the isle because he's probably just as nervous as you are right now. If you feel like you're going to cry, just recite the pledge of allegiance in your head." Ivey said, making Carrie laugh.
"I'm serious! Or you can also look at me, I'll make funny faces at you from the alter so you won't cry." Ivey laughed.
"No! People will see you!" Carrie squealed, hitting her arm.
"I can assure you that no one in their right mind is going to be looking at me when you're walking down that isle Carrie. Just don't look at anyone in the pews. They're all going to be crying and it'll make you cry. Focus on Mike. Or your crazy maid of honor." Ivey and Carrie both laughed. They continued to talk about the events of the day until Carole and Melissa came in so Carrie could start getting ready.
"I can't believe I'm getting married today." Carrie sighed. Melissa was finishing up her hair into the up do they'd picked out.
Tears filled Carole's eyes as she and Ivey sat watching them.
"Mommmmm" Carrie sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're not aloud to cry yet."
They'd already shared a cry once this morning and now that her makeup was finished, Carrie refused to cry again.
"Come in" Carrie said when there was a knock on the door. Her hair and makeup was finished and Melissa was lacing up the last bit of her dress.
"Delivery for Mrs. Underwood." A woman said, handing Carole a small white box.
"What?" Carrie looked around confused as her mother handed her the box. Ivey and Carole both shrugged their shoulders.
Carrie carefully opened the box to reveal a little white note.
"For my princess -M" Carrie read aloud, moving the small note to reveal a beautiful diamond tiara.
"Oh my goodness." Carrie's hand covered her mouth as she gasped, tears in her eyes. She truly felt like the luckiest girl in the entire world.
"How did I ever get to be so lucky?" Carrie squeaked, her voice cracking as she spoke.
"May I?" Melissa offered her hand out to take the tiara. Carrie nodded and Melissa carefully placed the tiara into Carrie's hair.
"Carrie, you look stunning" Ivey said, mouth agape.
Carrie smiled, looking at herself in the full size mirror in front of her. It was so surreal now. She was getting married to the love of her life in a matter of hours.
"My baby's all grown up" Carole started to cry, hugging her youngest daughter.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry, I got it, no crying." She laughed, fanning her face. "You look beautiful sweetie."
"Thank you mom." Carrie smiled widely.
"We have something for you, come on." Ivey said, taking Carrie's hand. "Close your eyes."
"Close my eyes? What? What's going on?" Carrie looked around at everyone confused.
"Just close them and come on! I won't let you fall." Ivey guided Carrie out of her room and to the designated place they'd set up.
Carrie cluelessly followed her, clinging to her and walking carefully so she didn't fall.
"Okay. So as your maid of honor, with the help of a few people, we arranged something we thought you and Mike might like right before you get married." Ivey explained.
"What do you mean?" Carrie asked confused.
"We thought it would be cool if we gave you one last moment together before you got married. To pray and just have a moment together, without seeing each other. So I'm going to walk you over a couple more steps and you'll be back to back with Mike so neither of you can see each other." She said, taking Carrie's hand and leading her the last few steps. She stopped her right up against Mike.
"Okay, I'm gonna put your hands together and then I'll leave you two alone." Ivey said with a smile. She connected their hands and then backed away.
"Mike?" Carrie whispered.
"This is crazy Carrie. We're about to get married in less than an hour." Mike said, squeezing her hand.
"I know." Carrie choked on my words, feeling tears fill her eyes.
"I can't believe this is happening." She added with a sniffle. She rested her head against his back.
"Let's pray." Mike said.
"You do it, I don't think I can make it without crying." Carrie said, laughing through the tears in her eyes.
"Lord, I can't thank you enough for bringing Carrie and I together. Today wouldn't be happening if it weren't for you and we are forever grateful to you for that. Be with us today as we make a lifetime commitment to ourselves and to you, and help that commitment to be fulfilled until the day we die. Help everything that we do be for you and we pray that you guide us in our marriage to do the right things and get through anything that comes our way. Thank you again for bringing us together and help today to be as wonderful as we've imagined it to be. In your name we pray." Mike said in the most gentle and soft voice.
"Amen." Carrie whispered at the same time as Mike, eyes closed and tears running down her face.
"I love you so much Carrie Marie." He whispered, rubbing his finger over her engagement ring.
"I love you to Michael." She whispered through tears.
After a few minutes of silence leaning against each other, the couple decided it was time to part ways.
"I'll see you at the end of the alter Fisher." Carrie said, squeezing his hand for the hundredth time.
Mike smiled, squeezing his eyes shut to take in the moment.
"I'll be waiting Underwood."
