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“No, I want our wedding to be about us and the way we fell in love.” I smile, thinking about some of the memories of Green Haven and our early days there. “The big, flashy destination stuff is for the honeymoon. And you can bet you won’t be cheaping out on that.”
He laughs. “Oh, don’t you worry about that. We will make it one to be remembered.”
And that’s exactly what we set out to do. For the size of the gathering that we were planning, we figured out pretty quickly that we were going to have to hold the wedding outside. We tried getting permission to do it around the trees that we planted, but that ended up being a no-go. However, with some help from Glenda, we found a perfect spot near that same river.
We take a plane down to visit and the moment I see it, I know it’s perfect. The green of the grass, the bright little white flowers peeking up and the babbling of the water are all more than I could have dreamed of.
“Your fiancé looks like he’s okay with this spot,” Glenda remarks to Ragnar.
Ragnar smirks. “My fiancé looks like he’s about to drop onto his back and do a log roll down that hill.”
“I mean… is that an option?” I ask.
“Get it out of your system,” says Ragnar. “I expect you to walk up the aisle with me, not roll.”
Of course, for all Ragnar’s mock sternness, once I start rolling down, it’s barely a few seconds before he’s following me. Even Glenda joins, after teasing the two of us for a little from the top of the hill. Eventually, we chase each other and spin around until we’re all tired and dizzy.
“None of the guests get to know we did this,” Ragnar says, sitting up. “As far as they know, we picked this site because we appreciate natural beauty, and that’s it.”
“Deal,” I agree. “But no promises that I won’t do it again right after we’re married.”
“I think this is exactly what appreciating natural beauty is about,” Glenda says. “Playing in it. Being in it. That said, for the sake of my corporate sponsors, I also won’t tell anyone about this.”
We start working on catering and invitations and photographers and all the various details that make getting married as much of a hassle as it is a joy. I, of course, am excited about what the two of us are going to wear.
We make an agreement that both of us will choose our outfits separately, and that we won’t let each other see them until the ceremony begins. I worry that means that Ragnar will end up with the most boring, barely tailored suit in the world, but that is his right. Meanwhile, I start reaching out to some of the designers I’m friends with in the industry.
Every day, the date of the wedding gets closer and the truth slowly starts to dawn on both of us that we’re really doing this. Saying yes felt so natural, so right in the moment Ragnar asked, and I’m surprised how natural the rest of it feels.
I remember how back when we ran into each other again for the first time, it all felt strange and impossible, like some weird fantasy. Now, it’s just the opposite. I’m not sure I can imagine a life without Ragnar.
Of course, both of us have our separate bachelor parties, on the same night. Our friends make sure the two of us don’t run into each other. Mine, at least, is a good time. It’s always fun to get a little bit wilder than usual. However, when I get home around three in the morning, I’m happy to see that Ragnar is already half asleep in the bed. He wraps his arm around me without even waking up, and somehow, that moment is my favorite of the whole evening.
Finally, the day comes. We take a flight together and I fall asleep holding his hand. When we arrive, there’s a desperate scramble to get things done, and a constant rush of family and friends who all want our attention.
Still, Ragnar and I manage to hold onto being excited. He never throws furniture around once, even when I have to admit I’m tempted. Maybe it’s purposeful, I think, the third time I have to call someone to get someone else’s number. Maybe weddings are supposed to be stressful so you get an idea of what your partner’s going to be like when things get rough.
Or maybe everyone’s just kind of a mess all the time and it’s a miracle that anyone gets anything done at all. One of those two things.
But still, the moment comes. I’ve gone all out with my suit. It’s got an iridescent, blue-green color, an asymmetric, flowing cut and there are even little red gems that tie it together. I feel almost magical walking down the aisle in it and I’m excited to see what Ragnar has matched it with.
He doesn’t disappoint. His suit is a dark, royal purple with gold buttons. It’s fit to his large, tough body perfectly and he seems both graceful and strong as he strides to join me.
Privately, I tell myself that I still won our informal little suit-off, but I wouldn’t be angry if he was telling himself the very same thing.
As the ceremony continues on, I catch myself looking out at the crowd. Of course, me loving attention isn’t anything new. Even when I was a little kid, my mom says I liked being in front of crowds. But this one feels different. This isn’t a crowd that’s come to see a new fashion line or to donate to an eco-charity. These people are here for me. For us.
There’s Emily and Gorlag, happy together as always, and Amelia sitting right between them. There’s Millie, and Alan and my agent, and my family, there are our college friends, and Ragnar’s business friends, more models and designers, cousins and uncles and aunts and it goes on and on. So many people all here to wish us happiness.
And then I drift back to Ragnar. I’ve barely even seen him this happy, and that’s for me too. Because he’s marrying me, in front of all these people.
“I do,” he says. I’ve been so lost in the excitement of it all, I hadn’t even noticed that we were already at that part.
“And do you, Bradford, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?” the officiant asks.
“I do,” I say, and while the officiant is still giving his permission, the two of us kiss. As we do, the whole lawn erupts into applause.
“We did it,” Ragnar whispers to me, and he’s absolutely right. We did do it.
