I Will Love You Endlessly (Sequel to i dare you to love me)

Part 8

Louise wastes absolutely no time as she steps into her David Tutera responsibilities; she rings Dan the next day to let him know that she's on her way to talk wedding plans, and one car journey later, she's arrived outside of their flat. Having known Dan for years, she knows where he keeps the spare key outside and she retrieves it from its hiding place, letting herself inside and she walks up to Dan and Phil's floor. The door to their flat is unlocked, as Dan told her it would be, and she lets herself inside.

"Hello, I'm here - why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying, you're crying!" Dan insists, wiping his teary eyes with the sleeve of his jumper.

"We were watching My Fair Wedding," Phil explains. "We just finished the Make-A-Wish episode."

"Why were you watching My Fair Wedding?" Louise asks with a chuckle as she takes a seat in the armchair adjacent to their couch.

"We thought it would help prepare us for all of the wedding planning," Phil replies. "David Tutera sure knows what he's doing."

"Well, I would hope so; it's his job," Louise says. "But since he's probably booked from now until 2067, I'll be your David Tutera - call me Louise Tutera."

"Do we really have to call you that?" Dan asks.

"Yes," Louise insists. She ignores the way Dan rolls his eyes and she reaches into her bag, taking out her laptop and opening it. Once she logs in, she turns it around to face the two of them.

"So," she begins. "I'm sure you've both guessed it by now, but there is a lot that goes into wedding planning - I would know, I'm married. But here I've compiled a little checklist for the both of you - I'll email it to you both once I leave today - to help you get through everything."

Phil and Dan lean forward, looking through Louise's checklist. Things like start the guest list and hire the photographer and book the entertainment all swirl together in a sea of confusion, and Dan groans "Jesus Christ," under his breath because he already knows this is going to be worse than exams back when he was in uni.

"Don't panic," Louise tells them once she sees the looks on their faces; Phil's gone paler than usual and Dan looks even more confused than he does when he's trying to pay his taxes. "Once you get into the swing of the things, the entire process of planning a wedding is easier than you think - usually."

"Where do we even start?" Phil asks.

"Well, you need to work out a budget and decide on a venue; those two things are vital," she explains. "I'll leave you both to work out your budget privately, since it's none of my business. Then we can look at venues together if you'd like? That's more fun anyway."

When the two of them agree, Louise pulls up a web search of wedding venues in London. They debate on the pros and cons of an indoor versus an outdoor wedding - a conclusion they've yet to reach on that subject - and whether or not they want it at a church - Dan has to remind Phil that they aren't making this decision by flipping a coin. The search goes on for quite a while, and Louise reminds them that it takes time to find the perfect place. They're on the brink of calling it quits for the day when Dan exclaims "Wait!" when they've come across one website in particular. The tagline says, get married among the flowers, and as soon as he points it out, he and Phil both know that it's perfect.

"With its pergola, fountain and fragrant white flowers," Phil reads. "Our White Garden is ideal for a relaxed and summery outdoor ceremony. There's no limit to the number of guests you can have here, so whether it's an intimate wedding or you're inviting a large number of guests, we can design the ceremony around your needs."

"I want it!" Dan declares.

"Let's contact the venue," Louise says with a smile.

While she finds the contact information, Dan turns to Phil with a wide smile on his face. "We've got a venue!" he says, and it's not much, but it's a start.