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“This isn’t where I’m going to find my dress. Let’s look somewhere else,” I say. Mom and Jenny follow me out of the bridal store and down the sidewalk of the downtown area. We’re walking past a little antique store, and it feels like the heavens open up and a choir of angels are singing, because there’s my dress in the window. It’s a floor-length, white, off-the-shoulder, peasant dress from the seventies, if I’m correct. It has lace accents at the bottom and the top. It’s absolutely perfect.
I rush into the store, looking for someone who works here. A man greets me, and I forgo all pleasantries, demanding that I have to buy that dress! Now! We only have another hour and a half before we’re supposed to meet Seth, our dads, and the pastor at the trailhead. I don’t have time to tell this man hello or ask him how he’s doing.
“Hannah, don’t you think you should try it on before demanding to buy it?” Mom asks all practical-like. But nope, if this dress doesn’t fit, I’m getting married in jeans.
“I’ll try it on later!”
I watch as the man takes the dress off the mannequin, puts it on a hanger, and places a plastic garment bag over it. He hands it over to me, and I hold it up to my body. Yeah, it should fit just fine.
“Has it been washed?” Jenny asks the man, and he shrugs his shoulders like he couldn’t possibly care less. And really, I don’t either. It doesn’t look like there are any stains on it, and I’m for sure going to get a little sweaty hiking up that mountain.
My mom reluctantly pays for the dress, grumbling about weird smells and questionable hygiene, and we all head back to Mom and Dad’s RV to finish getting ready.
The dress fits like a glove. Finding it was definitely fate. As soon as Mom and Jenny see me, they squeal like schoolgirls, and there may be tears in all of the eyes in this tiny RV. After a quick makeup application, I stuff my dress into my sweats, put on a hoodie, and we’re ready to go.
Halfway up the mountain, I’m regretting this decision. I did not think this through at all. My poor parents. Seth’s poor parents. Poor Pastor John. They’re all lounging on boulders, looking like they’d rather be left to perish right here than continue on the rest of the way. And the ibuprofen and IcyHot have started wearing off, so my neck is killing me again. I rub more goop on my neck while I wait for our parents to rest up before continuing on.
“You know, we can just stop right here and say our vows. We don’t have to keep going if it’s too much,” I say, watching all of them struggle to catch their breath.
“No, we’re doing this! You will have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of…on top of the mountain…with a beautiful view,” my dad says as he leans over against a tree, panting. A group of hikers choose that moment to walk by with their smiling faces and effortless conversation. They look like they’ve barely broken a sweat. This trail wasn’t marked as difficult, so what is this saying about us right now? I wanted a summit, but I should have considered my companions more closely.
After a few more minutes of rest, everyone is ready to get going again. Another thirty minutes, and we reach the summit. We’re all panting and a little sweaty. My parents drop their backpacks and collapse onto the ground while Seth’s parents find a place to sit. They lean on each other as they gulp down bottles of water. Pastor John seems to be doing the best out of all of them, but I think I see his hands shaking as he eats a few bites of a granola bar.
Another thing I should have considered while dreaming up this fantasy for my wedding is other hikers. Meaning, there are approximately ten other people up here on this summit, and they’ll all be witnesses to me and Seth exchanging our vows. Is this terribly awkward? Yes. Is it too late to back out now? Also, yes. I guess we’re going to roll with it.
I take off my sweatpants and hoodie, run my fingers through my hair, and turn to face Seth. His chest is heaving, but I don’t think it’s from the hike anymore. My mom comes over with a hairbrush and starts smoothing out my hair, while Seth watches on with shining eyes. He puts a fist up to his mouth, and…oh my gosh, that’s a tear making its way down his cheek.
I smack the hairbrush away from my head and rush up to him and wrap my arms around his waist. He kisses the top of my head and then rests his cheek right where he kissed. I take a deep breath and relax into his chest. This is the only thing I wanted for my wedding—for Seth to look at me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid eyes on. He has a stunning view in front of him, begging to be stared at, but he’s only looking at me.
“You are perfect,” he whispers into my ear. “Are you ready to get hitched?”
“So ready. Are you ready to be my husband?” I ask. I can’t believe this is happening. In a few minutes, I’m going to be a wife. Seth Miller is going to be my husband. After years of dreaming of this moment, it’s really going to happen.
“You have no idea,” he says.
“Yeah, I think I do.”
So, at the top of a mountain in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Seth and I exchange vows with both of our parents and a crowd of random bystanders watching on. The vows are simple, ones that have been said by millions of people over the centuries. But now they hold a deeper, more precious meaning to me, because suddenly, these promises are between me and Seth. Seth takes me to be his wife. I will love Seth in sickness and health. Seth will love me for richer or poorer. When those vows are made personal, they take on a whole new meaning.
Both of our moms are bawling their eyes out, and our dads have been put in charge of snapping some pictures. I’m sure they’ll all be terrible, but I’ll cherish them all the same. I think a few of the random hikers are taking some pictures. I’ll have to give them my email address so they can send them to me.
Before I know it, Pastor John declares us husband and wife, and Seth grabs the back of my head, wraps his arm around my waist, and pulls me close to his body for our first kiss as a married couple. I think it’s going to be a quick peck since so many people, including our parents, are watching us, but Seth doesn’t do anything by half measures.
He puts all of his effort into this kiss, and before I know it, my arms are wrapped around his neck. He wraps both arms around my waist and lifts me off the ground to spin me around in a circle. Cheers ring out all around us, but I barely notice because Seth is kissing me like our lives depend on it. He places my feet back on the ground and takes a step back. We watch each other, breathing hard, while everyone crowds around us to offer congratulations.
My mom and dad wrap me in a tight hug, and gosh, I’m crying again. “I’m so happy for you, sweetie,” Mom says. If anyone feels even a smidgen as happy as I do today, it’s her. She knows how I’ve pined for Seth for years and years.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Okay, I know this is so silly, but I did something,” Jenny says behind me. I turn to face her as she digs through her backpack. She pulls out a box of those little packaged snack cakes and a bottle of cheap champagne. “We have to have cake, right?”
“Oh my gosh, you genius woman!” I shout. This has already been the weirdest wedding in the history of weddings, so I’m just going with it. She pulls out a stack of clear plastic cups from her bag and pours champagne in all of our cups.
I sit down on a boulder next to Seth as he opens a package of cakes. He hands one square to me and takes the other for himself, and we do a cheers before eating them with ridiculous grins on our faces. He leans back with his arm behind me, and I lay my head on his shoulder while looking at the beautiful landscape spread out before me. Seth takes a deep breath and says, “You smell kind of minty or something.”
“It’s the IcyHot.”
“Hmm, I assume it’s not a perfume brides usually choose for their big day, but I kind of like it,” he laughs while nuzzling my neck.
“You big liar,” I say.
“I’m not lying. Everything you do is wonderful. You fascinate me, and I can’t wait to learn all of your intricacies,” he says. And dang it, Seth really needs to stop making my eyes leak.
“Well, don’t be disappointed when I don’t smell minty every day,” I say, laying my head back on his shoulder and taking another bite of my snack cake. He pulls me in closer to his side, and together, we watch as the sun slowly creeps lower on the horizon.
Today is not a day that brides everywhere will gush over and pin to their inspiration boards online. But to me, it is perfect—sore neck, last-minute dress, sweaty hike, and all—because it’s ours. Because Seth is finally mine.
