"Alright, so we have everything finished and ready for October and I have ideas for the altar decorations, but I want to keep them a secret and surprise you." Emily smiles secretly, and there's a little bit of excitement knowing she's going to have something wonderful planned.
"I have enough invites for the boys, Charlie, and Billy and your sisters." My eyes widen at the fact I might finally be able to meet Jake's sisters as Emily waits for his nod of confirmation which he finally gives her. "We can come back here and have dinner, I've already got Sue and some others to help me cook. The last thing we really need is your dress."
Emily finishes her run through of everything we've been doing for the last month, making sure Jake and I are happy with the plan and if there are any questions or changes we want to make. She's been so incredibly helpful and has literally taken care of everything for October, and now that it's all pretty much finished, I can feel my excitement build and I suddenly can't wait! I begin to think of ideas for a dress, but am not sure what kind of style I'd really want.
"I've got to head to my dad's and talk about my sisters coming back, you two have fun." Jake kisses my forehead and with that he heads out the door and Em suddenly gives me a big grin.
"Wanna go look for a dress?" Emily's excitement is contagious and I'm quickly nodding following her as she gets up from the table, and I run upstairs to grab my purse before meeting her in the dining room before we head to the car.
"I was thinking we could try and see what we could find some cute little boutiques in Port Angeles or something?"
I nod and we enjoy the drive up the coast to Port Angeles, talking about the future and how Emily cannot wait until her wedding in the spring after planning mine. It took them forever to finally nail down a date, especially because of all the drama with the Cullen's, but I am so happy for them to finally start their lives. She asks me to be her maid of honor and it reminded me that I haven't even thought about a bridal party and face palmed.
"What?" Emily laughs.
"I haven't even thought of and asked about a bridal party. Would you like being one of my bridesmaids?" I ask sheepishly, but she still smiles widely.
"Absolutely! I would love to be by your side during this day!"
I smile widely knowing I'll have to ask Leah when I get back to see what she will say. We finally pull into the shopping center of Port Angeles, and a small walk from the car sits a small, local bridal boutique and I know that's the place I wanna check first. Emily and I head to the store and just seeing the cute dresses and decorations in the window, my excitement grows.
The shop keep greets us as the bell jingles when we open the door, and we greet her explaining that I am looking for a dress, but I don't know what I want. She waves it off saying there are more than enough styles in her store that I would love, and so she lets Em and I grab the ones we like and she grabs a couple she thinks would look good for me too. Moving hangers around and looking at all the details of the different dresses, I realize lace is a detail I like seeing how gorgeous it is on some of these gowns. I try on a few different gowns picked by Emily, the clerk, and myself, but have yet to find one I really like. As I was looking for more to try on, there was one a bit flowy with lace details and some sheer sleeves that I found and just looking at it my heart started to race a little faster and I knew I had to try it on. The lady helps me zip it up and fasten the satin buttons up to my middle back, and catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror I feel my emotions begin to swirl.
"Oh my god." I hear Em gasp as I make my way out of the dressing room and she finally sees the gown.
"You like it?" I smile twirling on the spot, picking up the light skirt and loving how it falls around me.
"I love it Addy. My goodness you look so gorgeous!" Em exclaims with her eyes starting to glisten, and I just know in my heart that this is my gown.
~~~
The last month has passed insanely quickly, and it is already October, the day that will be the beginning of the rest of my life. The weather today is actually cooperating and it isn't rainy or overcast and I'm excited for how the rest of the day will turn out. Leah is currently working on curling my hair and pinning it back into a lovely simple style that fits with how my gown looks. She was overjoyed when I asked her to be my maid of honor. She thought I would've asked Em, but once I told her that she's been more of a sister to me since I've been here and has been by my side through everything with Jake and Bella, it was a no-brainer for me to choose her. There was a glisten of tears in her eyes at the time, but she'll never admit it. We've got about an hour until we need to be at the beach, and Leah insists on getting me ready and eating before I put on my dress.
"Are you ready?" She asks as she places the final curl and going to find the hairspray.
"Most definitely. More ready and sure than anything else I've ever done in my life." I respond without even thinking about it, my smile growing widely.
"Well that's good, because after this, you are stuck with him for the rest of your life." Making the both of us laugh, I can't help but begin to think about what our life together will be like.
"I'm definitely okay with that." She simply shakes her head with a smile.
We eat a small lunch knowing Emily is going to have an amazing spread for dinner tonight, and as she helps me into my dress, the butterflies begin to swarm in my stomach and I'm suddenly more nervous than I have been in a very long time. Leah hands me a small bouquet of wildflowers and we head down the stairs to leave the house.
"Oh wow...Addy--" Sam can't even finish his thought as he finally sees me at the base of the stairs and I smile, not ever seeing my uncle dressed up so nicely and he pulls me tightly to his chest. "Your dad would be so happy and proud of you. I know he's here with us today." I nod with tears in my eyes.
"I know, I can feel him with me." I smile again, and picking up my skirts we head to the car and towards my new beginning.
Pulling into the car park at First Beach, I notice a bunch of white wash lanterns lining a walkway from the pavement into the sand and down towards the water. My eyes begin to water at the beauty of what Emily has done so far, and just the knowledge of my new life with my soulmate is at the end of walk. Sam helps me from the car, and with the sound of the waves crashing, Emily and Leah walk forward ahead of us and as we move closer to the sand, that's when I finally get to see the beautiful altar.
I see Jake with Embry and Quil by his side, his father beside him to officiate the wedding and my smile returns matching the giant one on Jake's face. Sam waits for the girls to be ready and then he begins our slow march in the sand. At this point Jake and I are locked onto one another, and there's no where else I'd rather look because he is my forever, my eternal love. Sam hugs me and gives me a kiss on my forehead before placing my hand in Jake's and we smile at Billy.
"It is an honor and a blessing to unite such a pair as these two before us. We've all been blessed to know and to watch this couple grow together in the length of their relationship, watching love, devotion, and strength blossom in both Adelaide and Jacob." We grin widely at each other, it still seems surreal that we are in this position, but my heart settles with contentment, knowing this is where I am supposed to be. Billy then goes into a Quiliuete prayer from blessings, love, and longevity for our lives together before he turns to Embry to grab the rings.
"These rings, like the decorations behind us are a circle which represents eternity, it is a never ending circle with no short cuts and no signs of it ever running out. As you present these to each other, it represents your promise of love, life, and devotion to each other no matter what life will throw in the direction of your household." We give the rings to each other while we repeat after Billy, my smile getting wider, and I can feel tears beginning to build behind my eyes.
"From this moment on, these two are to be bonded as one body, one soul, and one heart."