Mafia Marriage

XI (Revised)

The Wedding Day

Today was the day, the day that Giuliana had thought about every single day for four years. She would go from Giuliana Bellucci to Giuliana Graziano. She had spent her final night in the Bellucci Mansion the night before, and now she was getting ready to be a wife. Her hair and makeup had been done, she had opted for a natural look, her makeup was soft and subtle and her hair was left in soft waves that fell to her mid-back. Her bridesmaids were helping her into her wedding dress and veil, they were all dressed and had their bouquets in hand.

The wedding was set to start in the evening, and the ceremony was set to last for an hour. Then the reception would be held at The Granada Hotel, owned by the Graziano's. Donatella had a breakfast buffet laid out in the dining room for the family and the bridesmaids, she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Between making sure that Giuliana had packed up everything that she wanted to take from her room to making sure the wedding would be starting on time, Donatella would probably drop from stress and/or exhaustion by the end of the day.

"We need to leave in half an hour," Donatella rushed into the master bedroom where Salvatore was attempting to tie his black bow tie. "Relax Donna," Salvatore said calling her by the nickname he had given her many years ago, "Everything's going to be fine." "That's easy for you to say," she shot back, "I've spent two years planning this wedding, you haven't done anything!" Salvatore had heard this same line for months now, anytime that his wife was stressed out she took it on him. But he wasn't bothered by it she had been doing it for years, "Can you help me dear?" he asked. She walked over to tie his bow tie like she had been doing for years, "Do you think Giuliana will be happy Salvo?" "She seems to like him," Salvatore said. "But liking someone and loving someone are two different things," Donatella told him. "We were in an arranged marriage, aren't we happy?" Salvatore said smiling down at his wife of thirty years. "But you hated me in the beginning," she reminded him. "And I grew to love you," he leaned down to capture her lips with his. Even all these years later they still acted like lovestruck teenagers, of course they only behaved like this in private.

"Are you two done?" Monica asked from the doorway, "Giuliana wants you to help her put on her veil and then she's ready to go." Dontella pulled away from her husband as he smirked down at her. "I'm coming Giuliana," she called as she rushed out of her bedroom followed by Monica, as Salvatore went downstairs.

Giuliana stood in the middle of her bedroom in her wedding dress, surrounded by her bridesmaids. "Beautiful," Donatella said with tears in her eyes, "You're so beautiful Giuliana." Giuliana smiled as her mother as she began to pin the veil in place, "Grazi Mama." They stood there looking at each eye to eye, Donatella didn't realize how emotional that this would be for her. "We need to go," Isabella said interrupting.

The bridesmaids carried the train of the wedding dress down the staircase and into the foyer, where Salvatore was waiting along with Joe, Marco, and the grandparents Giuseppe and Sofia. "Bellissima," Sofia gasped. "Grazi Nonna," Giuliana kissed her grandmother on the cheek and did the same to her grandfather. They had flown all the way from Sicily to attend the wedding. Joe and Marco stepped up to hug their little sister, over the last four years they had grown used to the idea that she would be in an arranged marriage and trusted their father's judgement. "You ready?" Marco asked. "Yeah I guess so," she answered. "You look stunning Giuliana," Salvatore pressed a kiss to her temple in a rare show of affection. "Thank you Papa."

The bridesmaids, Joe, and Marco rode in a black stretch limo while Giuliana, her parents, and grandparents rode in another. The church was a twenty minute ride from the Bellucci Mansion, and as they began to drive away, she looked back at the place she had called home for twenty years one last time as Giuliana Bellucci.