The Wedding Planner

1

"Where is my veil?!"

I winced, my hand hovering above the doorknob that would lead me into the exact room where the very loud screams were coming from. I sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door. The moment I stepped in I was hit in the face with a piece of clothing. Fabric was flying everywhere, as the creator of the loud noise pulled apart the room in search of the missing veil. I rushed forward, putting my hands on her arms and forcing her to look at me. "You don't need to worry, I'll find it," I assured her. Over the years I had perfected the tone of voice needed when dealing with stressed out brides. I drew in a deep, loud breath and instructed her to do the same.

Once her breathing had slowed to a normal pace, she smiled apologetically at me. "I'm so sorry, Elle, I don't know what's wrong with me today." She reached up to touch her golden hair, which was pulled back into an elegant updo.

I returned the smile, finally letting go of her arms and stepping back. "It's your wedding day," I replied back simply, and her smile grew.

"It is, isn't it?" Her strained expression was replaced by the dreamy, totally in-love look that she had been wearing almost permanently for the past 4 months that I had known her. "Thank you so much, I don't know how we would've gotten to this day without you."

"Let me find that veil, sit tight."

I quickly exited the room, swearing lightly under my breath. So far the day had gone by with only minor issues. It had rained all week, which had caused me to have to book a tent on standby, but this morning when I awoke there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Despite a small mishap with the bridal bouquet, the missing veil was the biggest problem to hit the wedding.

My obsession with weddings had started from an early age. Due to a large extended family, we had attended a lot of weddings growing up as various cousins grew older and tied the knot. I loved everything about them; the big beautiful churches, intricate flower arrangements and grand cakes. But mainly, I adored the love that poured out from the happy couples. Witnessing the happiest day of their lives was a high I could never get enough of and when I graduated college a few years ago I knew I needed to make it a career.

So, with the little money I had saved I started my own business, which for the first two years was run completely out of my tiny, one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York. As my business grew through word of mouth, I began taking on more and more clients and before I knew it I had a small office in Manhattan.

I absolutely loved my job, although some brides were more pleasant than others. I had had my fair share of "bridezillas" in the past and I was determined to keep today's bride under wraps and calm, which as of now meant finding that damn veil.

After pausing the get my thoughts together, I decided to check the garment bags in the groom's suite, assuming that there had been a mix up in bags.

The groom's suite was on the opposite end of the church, planned with the purpose of keeping the couple apart until the ceremony. The sound of my nude, strappy heels echoed off the walls as I walked. There were a few stray guests standing around quietly, but the majority had taken their seats in the chapel by now.

I reached the room in record time and lifted my hand to knock. A second passed before the door was yanked open and I was met with a very nervous looking groom. "Ellery, is everything okay?" he moved aside and opened the door wider, motioning for me to come in.

Somehow, the groom's suite was much cleaner than the brides, which had nearly been destroyed by her panic. "Everything is running smoothly," I assured him.

My eyes scanned the room searching for the garment bags, but instead they fell on a pair of striking green eyes. I could tell immediately from the tux that he was a groomsman. He was watching me intently, and I found it hard to break eye contact. He was undoubtedly sexy, with dark chocolate brown hair that was styled messily and perfect tan skin. His shoulders were broad and I could practically see his muscles under the material of the tux. His pinks lips turned up into a small smile and I felt my stomach twist.