AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tuscany
Arriving at my own wedding must be the most surreal, most beautiful moment of my life.
We climb the stairs to the loft slowly, as Dad’s ankle is still very sore. Close to the top, strains of Etta James’ ‘At Last’ reach my ears. I’m so glad I chose this song to arrive to. It’s not only perfect for Jean-Luc and me, with our love story spanning decades, but with all the hitches this past week, it has even more meaning now.
As Mum and Sarah continue walking towards the assembled guests, Dad pauses at the top of the stairs. ‘You ready, love?’ he asks quietly.
I nod and smile up at him and he kisses the top of my head, then offers his elbow which I take. Mum and Sarah walk the short aisle, Mum taking her seat in the front row and Sarah standing next to a tall, elegantly dressed man who must be the celebrant. Just out of view, Jean-Luc will be waiting and my heart races at the thought of seeing him, of marrying him.
The celebrant signals to our guests that they should stand, and they do, turning around to face us as we cross under the archway into next the room. The beaming smiles that greet us make my heart swell. Jaelee and Alistair?Jae filming our arrival as planned?Lou and Anders, Siobhan, Lindsey and Nick, and Jane. She grins at me and I return it. Even Louis has a smile for me but I don’t dare look past him to Cécile. Nothing is going to ruin this moment for me, especially my witchy sister-in-law.
We reach the aisle and my eyes finally meet Jean-Luc’s. A gasp escapes?he’s so handsome in his charcoal suit and lilac dress shirt, and the warm, golden light of the late afternoon sun spills through the large window, setting him aglow. His hand reaches for his heart and he closes his eyes for a second, as though he’s overcome with emotion. I know just how he feels.
Dad and I walk side by side and at the end of the aisle, he kisses my cheek and takes his seat next to Mum. I cross to Jean-Luc and face him and take his outstretched hand. ‘My god, Catherine, you are exquisite,’ he whispers. Tears prick my eyes and I don’t trust my voice enough to reply.
In my periphery, the celebrant signals to the DJ-slash-bartender to fade the music and Etta’s voice slowly quietens. He then steps forward, facing our guests, and flashes us a benevolent smile. Even though Jaelee assured me she’s booked a celebrant who speaks English, I am fully prepared for this entire ceremony to be conducted in Italian?her track record being what it is?but not even that could dampen the joy residing in every cell of my body.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ begins the celebrant and Jean-Luc and I tear our eyes from each other’s to look at him. ‘I am Giuseppe and I welcome you, family and friends, to the nuptials for Caterina and Gianluca. What an afternoon to be married?meraviglioso!’
‘There’s a lot of … amore … in this room. Yes, love,’ says the celebrant, his tone more serious now. ‘And when two people come together in matrimony, they become a family and you’ ?he indicates our loved ones? ‘also join as one famiglia.’ It’s a lovely sentiment, though I am not sure how it will sit with Cécile. ‘Now, Caterina and Gianluca, you have asked to say some words before you make your vows. Caterina, please, you say now your words to Gianluca.’
Even though going first is what I wanted?I was terrified that by the time Jean-Luc finished speaking, I’d be a blubbering mess and unable to say a word?my mouth is suddenly dry and everything I’ve written?and rehearsed?has flown out of my head. I turn towards Sarah and she steps forward to take my bouquet. ‘Help!’ I telegraph with my eyes.
She takes the flowers from my shaking hand, then reaches down and clasps it tightly. She gives me one of her big sisterly looks, one that says, ‘Breathe. You’ve got this.’ I breathe, close my eyes momentarily, then open them and turns towards my love. The words reappear and I begin.
‘Jean-Luc … my darling … who could have foreseen all those years ago that my best friend, a bookish intellectual with a quick wit and a mop of quintessential noughties hair …’ ?laughter from our loved ones? ‘would be the one to teach me what it is to love?that love is vibrant and joyful, that it’s part friendship, part passion, part compassion, and part hope. I am so grateful that we met again as adults?it was only by chance but I believe with every part of me that it was meant to be.’
I got through it! I grin at him and he smiles back at me, his glistening eyes filled with warmth.
‘Gianluca.’ He glances at the celebrant, then locks eyes again with me.
‘Catherine,’ he says, ‘sometimes when I look at you, I see glimpses of the girl I fell in love with so long ago. It’s in the toss of your head when you laugh, the frown you make when you are concentrating, how you wrinkle your nose when you do not like something.’ More gentle laughter from our loved ones. ‘These things?perhaps small to someone else?are just a few of the million reasons I love you. Being with you as you are now, a woman, it is like the world has opened up to me again. My life has become more enriched, more joyous … just more with you in it. You are the love of my life and I cannot wait to live the rest of it with you.’
‘Aww,’ says Lou?likely involuntarily as she’s a sucker for romance. I am too, to be honest. My heart is already full and we haven’t even got to the vows yet.
‘Bellissimo,’ says our celebrant. ‘And now Caterina and Gianluca will take their vows. Some of these vows will be familiar and some are a little … er … untraditional but I am a modern man, this is a modern couple, they write their own vows, so everybody is happy.’ Clearly a pro, he mugs for the crowd who laugh again?so far, our wedding is hilarious?then says to me, ‘Caterina, please repeat after me. I, Caterina, take you Gianluca to be my husband.’
‘I, Catherine, take you Jean-Luc to be my husband.’ This is really happening! I think and as I parrot the celebrant and make promises to my love, I try to imbue every word with its truest meaning.
‘I will love you, respect you, and be kind to you. I will forgive you for being fallible, ask for forgiveness when I’ve done you wrong, and assume best intentions when we disagree. I will champion you and your successes, be your advocate and stand by your side, and be your support when you need to lean on me. I will respect and cherish your independence, your completeness as your own person, but will proudly call you my husband. Throughout our marriage, I will aim to honour all in you that makes you you, while always striving to be my best self.’
‘And now you make the rest of your vows,’ says the celebrant. Until this point, these are the vows that Jean-Luc and I wrote together, but the next part is where I’ve added my own and again, I’m going from memory.
‘Jean-Luc, I promise to make you toast and tea whenever you are sick, and never to step foot in your kitchen otherwise.’ He raises his eyebrows, his mouth quirking. ‘I will continue to brag?loudly?about your professional successes because I am so, so proud of you and I’m in awe of all you accomplish. I promise not to cut my hair short, because I know you like it long?and to be honest, it’s also because I look terrible with short hair. I tried it once in my early teens when I became obsessed with Natalie Imbruglia. It was not good.’ He chuckles at that and Sarah laughs loudly behind me.
‘I will look after you, the same way you look after me, and I promise to laugh with you, travel the world with you, dance with you to 90s music in the lounge, and play backgammon on wet Sunday afternoons, even though I prefer gin rummy. I promise to love you?now and for all my days.’ Lou lets out another ‘aww’ and when I look over at her, she’s running her fingertips under her eyes.
‘And Gianluca, please repeat after me.’ I look back at my nearly-husband. ‘I Gianluca take you Caterina to be my wife.’ As Jean-Luc repeats our shared vows, I listen intently, letting the cadence and pitch of his voice wash over me as he says the most beautiful things. Then it’s his turn for the part he wrote himself.
‘Catherine, I promise to embrace your family as my own, forever grateful to have another sister, a new brother, and another mother and father.’ I glance at Mum seeing the tears streaming down her face. She sniffles politely and smiles at me through her tears. ‘I promise to have grand adventures with you?that we will travel, we will try new things, that we will embrace what excites us and maybe terrifies us, non?’ he adds cheekily. I just know he’s talking about skydiving and that is a big fat ‘non’ from me! I tilt my head so he knows I’m onto him. ‘I promise that we will make a beautiful home together, a sanctuary where we can be ourselves?and just be.’ At that last thought, my breath catches. Home. Is he envisioning his apartment in Paris when he speaks of home? Oh, my god, how have I let this indecision go on so long? How has he?
I push the thought aside as his grasp on my hands tightens and his gaze intensifies. ‘And just like you, I promise to love you?now and for all my days.’
We smile at each other, both through the blur of tears. ‘Gianluca and Caterina are exchanging rings.’ The celebrant looks expectantly at Josh, who digs into his suit pocket. The celebrant takes them and gives mine to Jean-Luc and his to me. ‘It is nice to put them on together, I think,’ he says to us. ‘One, two, three, go!’ he adds and Jean-Luc and I both laugh, then slide the rings onto each other’s finger. Mine is a simple and delicate gold band that complements my engagement ring beautifully and Jean-Luc’s is platinum with an onyx inlay.
‘And now that you have made your vows and exchanged your rings, you are married! Puoi baciare la sposa! It’s time to kiss your bride.’
Jean-Luc scoops me up in an embrace, dips me, then kisses me to the cheers and claps of our loved ones. When he rights me again, we grin at each other and I land another kiss on his lips. Grinning, we turn to face everyone and he raises our joined hands as though in victory. We did it. We bloody well got married.
