The day of the wedding, I was scrambling to get my hair, make-up, and my nails done. Chris had left that morning; he was very superstitious and didn't want to see me until the ceremony.
My hair was placed in an updo and strands of hair from the front hang loosely curled. My wedding dress hung on its hanger and my mother steps into the room.
"The guests are here," she says.
I bite my lower lip, slipping into my wedding dress and she helps me with the zipper. When the dress clings to my every curve, I smile instantly. The upper half of my dress was a backless, A-line lace top as the lower half of my dress flowed freely to the ground.
"Is he – Is Chris at the altar?"
My mother smiles and nods, "And he looks very handsome."
I take a deep breath and smile, looking down at my engagement before my father walks in.
"My little girl..."
"Dad... Don't cry or else I'll cry and if that happens, then mom will cry and we'll never leave."
My parents laugh, leading me out of the room. My mother walks down the aisle to take her seat up front before my father offers his arm. I smile, kissing his cheek and hooking my arm through his.
"Let's get you married," he whispers reassuringly.
As we both stand at the end of the aisle with the doors shut, I hear the quiet chatter from the other room. As the doors slowly begin to open, I hear the music begin to play and I take a step forward, my eyes glancing around the crowd of people.
I notice the doctors that helped with Chris's condition, my side of the family, and his own. I couldn't believe it. I was getting married.
When I find Chris's eyes, I smile almost instantly. He was dressed in a normal blue and white suit with a black skinny tie. He looked absolutely gorgeous.
Tears well up in my eyes when I notice Chris wiping his eyes. When my father and I reach the altar, I turn to him and kiss his cheek before stepping in front of Chris.
He instantly takes my hand in his and I stare into his eyes. The beginning of our relationship started in the hospital with him lying down on a hospital bed, but since he was released, I always found myself hugging him. His height was something I was always fond of.
"Hi..." He whispers.
"Hi," I reply.
When it was time for our vows, I bite my lip nervously. We both agreed that we would write our own vows, but now that there were people watching us, including the priest, I was nervous.
"Would you like to go first?" He asks.
"I – Uh," I stutter.
Chris chuckles, kissing my knuckles before he reaches for a folded paper from inside his pocket. "I'll go first."
I nod my thanks, holding tightly onto his hand as I focus on him.
"Ariana... What you did for me in the last year alone is more than what anyone would have done. You have sacrificed everything in your life to make sure I was okay. You took a semester off from school. You put your job on hold. You did all of that for me.
"That night when I first met you... It was a rough one. I found out that the heart I was scheduled to have didn't follow through. I lost hope. But then I saw you. I told you before that you were my karma, and I still think that is true to this day.
"For the past five years, I have listened to what my doctors said, listened to what they recommended, that I almost forgot what it was like to have a choice. When you came into my life, I chose to not give up in hopes that we would have a future together. So, Ariana, I have a choice now. I choose you. I will always choose you.
"You're the woman I want to wake up with and go to bed with... And do everything in between with. You're it, Ariana. I can't wait to embark on this new journey with you."
Tears were now pooling at my eyes, but I didn't dare blink. If I did, I knew the waterworks would come nonstop. I try to fan away the tears, hoping it would work but as a tear slips down my cheek, I pat against it gently so it doesn't ruin my make-up.
"Your turn," he whispers.
"Sorry, maybe I should have gone first. I don't know how I'm going to beat that," I tease. He chuckles.
"Well, I won't gloat if my vow is better than yours," he grins.
I laugh quietly, shaking my head before I reach over to grab the piece of paper from Katty. Chris leans over to kiss my cheek to try and calm my nerves and when I look up at him, I smile and relax instantly.
"Just focus on me," he whispers.
My eyes stare into his own after I glance at the piece of paper. If he didn't glance at his own, then I didn't need to read my vows from a sheet of paper.
"When I first met you, I remember exactly the first thought that ran through my mind. I thought you were hot, like insanely hot. Then you asked me for my number and I thought, there was no way someone like you would be interested in someone like me.
"Then I saw you in the hospital and I knew... I knew right then that I needed to be with you. It was a risk that I was willing to take if it meant that I would still have you in my life. The last few months leading up to your surgery is something I do not regret. I realized that you are a competitive man when it comes to games. I realized that you can't sleep in hospitals because there's that underlying fear you may never wake up. The conversations we had are ones that I will always cherish.
"You make me laugh. You make me smile. Everything you do, I think to myself and realize how lucky I am. I can't wait to call you my husband, Chris."
His grin broadens, flashing me those famous dimples. When the priest asks for the rings, Chris reaches into his pocket and retrieves it. He hands me his ring and I smile, looking into his eyes.
"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" The priest asks.
"I do," I reply, sliding the wedding ring onto Chris's finger.
He grins, looking down at me.
"And do you, Chris, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" The priest repeats.
"There's no doubt in my mind... I do," Chris answers, sliding the ring onto my finger.
"Well, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the priest says, stepping back before Chris pulls me into his arms.
I melt into him, smiling against his lips as he holds me in a strong embrace.
"We're married," he mumbles against my lips, pulling back to look into my eyes as the claps and chatter of the crowd fade away in the background.
"You're mine forever," I reply.
"I'm more than okay with that," Chris grins.
There was no way I was going to ever leave his side and I know for sure that he was never going to leave mine.
It was truly love at first sight.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
