Thank you 9k reads <3
Congrats to Harry for his two grammy wins
AND
Please have in mind that I don't know how weddings in other countries work, because here in Greece, we are Orthodox Christians and everything is completely different.
Iris
I have never expected to be this happy about someone else's happiness. My sister is getting married today and I'm emotional. She had that dream since she was a little girl and now it is the time to make it real. She is going to walk down the aisle and marry her best friend.
Yesterday morning, we talked about the last details of the wedding. Tonya is so anxious and she wants to do everything perfect. Florence is as anxious as Tonya, but she finds a way to relax. She is always doing something, she is singing with Emma, she is knitting with my mum and she even teaches Harry how to bake, so he can sell his I used to work in a bakery story even better.
Harry is so happy to be here. He tells me everyday that he forgets that he is famous and he thanks every one of us that we treat him like a human being and not as a celebrity. The truth is that he doesn't get any special treatment here. Emma has him following her like a puppet, Tonya is always ranting on him about her wedding, Florence is teaching him something that he doesn't know because he didn't have the time to learn. As for my mum, she treats him like a son, like her forth child. She always has him helping with the chores and I think that by the time he will go on tour, he will actually know how to iron his clothes.
I love Harry, I love his energy and I love his aura. And I love that I get to know a new side of him. He is enjoying so much his time here, he always says that it reminds him of the time he spends on his mum's house.
I see Harry as the color pink. He reminds me of the easy summer afternoons and the pink that exists in their skies. You know, the color you love to watch as you sit in your balcony and you are lost in your happy thoughts. It's the last sight that will make you happy in this damn world and it never fails to do it, this particular sky gives you all the hope you need to go on. Harry is that feeling. He has all the shades the summer sky has and I can surely say that the summer time belongs to him.
We haven't spend a summer together yet but I can admit that he is the summer. We have seen this color together and the first time I watched him watch the color I thought that he is pink. All the shades, when he is fuchsia, when he is mad he is a deeper shade, the one that it is almost red. But when he is with Emma and I, he is baby pink. My favorite shade of them all.
Looking at him when he doesn't look back, it makes me appreciate him even more. It makes me appreciate his little movements, his gestures, the way he talks, he is just pink.
I told him one day, a couple of weeks ago, that he reminds me of that color. He said to me that I remind him of blue. Blue is everywhere, to the sky, the sea, the ocean, my eyes and Emma's too. He said that he could write a whole essay about the color blue and why he loves it so much. He said that it is a misunderstood color. Everyone tends to connect it with sadness, melancholy and bittersweet feelings. Harry said that I remind him of a special shade of blue, the one he loves the most.
We blend so well, better than I could ever imagine. Like the pink mixes perfectly in the blue skies, Harry and I mix perfectly with each other, despite how different we both are. I can say that I will love pink and blue forever now.
Emma is just purple. She loves that color. She's the lavender shade of it. I always called her my purple love. Purple symbolizes power, luxury and creativity. Emma is all the above.
"Honey, I know that you are daydreaming but we got to be there on time. We can't let Florence arrive first." I hear my mum say to me and I look myself once again in the mirror.
Today the roles are a little bit reversed. My mum and I will walk Tonya down the aisle and I am their maid of honour as well. They decided to not have any bridesmaids at their wedding because they are away a lot of years and they don't really have any friends back home. Their friends from the states couldn't all attend the wedding so they couldn't obligate them to be bridesmaids.
But, the most exciting thing about this wedding is that Emma is going to walk Florence down the aisle. Florence doesn't have a relationship with her parents. They haven't talked to her ever since she came out to them as a lesbian. She was already in a relationship with Tonya and I remember her coming back to our house crying with all of her belongings in her hands. My mother took an oath that night to protect that girl like her own daughter. Florence lived with us until her and Tonya finished school and then they moved to America together. They are together for more than a decade but only now they felt confident enough to tie the knot.
Harry is going to come as a guest. He met my grandmother, Delilah, yesterday and they are going to attend together. She fell in love with him and even joked that she is going to steal him from me. Harry is on the same boat. He is discussing a lot of things with her and he still can't believe that my grandmother knows so much about music. She told him that she was the one that found me my job as a PA in Los Angeles because she was friends with the actress I was working with. I think that he fell in love with her, as well, to be honest.
I walk downstairs to watch Harry waiting with my mother. He is wearing an off white suit that surely costs more than my monthly salary. He sent a photo to Tonya when he bought it, just to be sure that she agrees with the color. He doesn't know that Tonya would let him wear whatever he wants to her wedding. As she said, she never expected her favorite singer to be there in her special day. He wear a blue shirt underneath and all of his rings.
Tonya decided that I need to wear something blue. We were looking for my dress for a month and we couldn't find anything that I liked. We found one eventually a few weeks ago. It is a midi dress with an open back. It isn't too extravagant and I like how simple it is.
I decided to match it with silver accessories. My hair is up and I look beautiful. This color matches so well with my eyes and it's the first time in a while that I can say that I love the way I look.
"You are the most beautiful girl in the world." Harry whispers to me and he kisses my forehead.
"Thank you, you are the most handsome man." I return the complement. He really is, he looks amazing.
"You're making me blush, Miss Williams." He says and I giggle. We hear steps coming from upstairs and we both know that the bride is ready. Tonya walks down the stairs with my mother by her side. She is the most beautiful bride ever. She and Flo decided to wear simple wedding dresses. Tonya is wearing a simple white silk white dress and her hair is up too.
"You are the most beautiful bride." I tell her as I am in the verge of tears. Harry nods smiling.
She looks at me and she pouts. "Don't start crying, please. Mum cried earlier too."
"We are so happy for you, that's why we are crying." I tell her. "Now, we have to go."
We all exit the house and I tell myself that I can't start crying now. I never expected to cry in that moment but somehow it is one of the most heart-warming scenes I have ever lived. My big sister is getting married.
Harry is the one that will drive us to the wedding venue. He offered a few days ago and Tonya couldn't disagree. She argued with him though when he asked what they want as a gift for the wedding. I haven't laughed harder in my life, it was so funny to see them both arguing wearing pajamas and face masks. Harry is already part of our family.
Some of the guest have arrived and they are already sitting in their seats. Harry is the first one to walk inside the venue, trying to find my grandma who is talking with my mum's sister and her teenage daughter. I watch my cousin, Penelope, stop talking when she sees Harry and my grandma hug him immediately. Maybe, I had to tell my closest relatives that my boyfriend Harry is Harry Styles.
When they are all in their seats the wedding planner tells us that is our time to shine. The first on of us to walk down that aisle is me. They don't have bridesmaids so I had to be the first one. Besides me is our nephew, Adam, who is the ring bearer. He is a little older than Emma and he is such a great little boy, he is so fun to be around. When I walk down the aisle I try not to think too much. But only one thought is on my mind, my wedding. I dreamed to be a bride from when I was really young. I liked the dresses, the people, the ceremony, everything. And I feel that I am going to experience it sooner rather than later.
Tonya is walking down the aisle with my mum. They are both smiling and I swear that I can see my mum crying. They hug each other and then my mother goes to find her seat next to her mother and Harry.
A few minutes later, the other bride has arrived. A little girl, who is the daughter of a friend of Florence's, walks the aisle as the flower girl. And then Florence with my daughter is coming in. Florence is so beautiful, her blonde hair is down and her strapless gown is as simple as Tonya's. The most beautiful thing in her whole appearance is her smile. She looks amazing. Tonya leaves a sigh and I know that all of her anxiety disappeared when she saw her wife.
Emma comes to my side smiling, I crouch down a bit and whisper to her. "Go to Nanna and Harry, darling. They are waiting for you." She goes running to the two of her favorite people in the world and she sits on Harry's legs, even though there is an empty chair next to him.
The officiant gives the opening remark with a sort introduction about the two women. He knows them both from school so it is easy for him to make that statement. The guests then read some prayers. All of the wedding rituals are done and my favorite by far was the vows. Both of them wrote such amazing things to say about each other, that all of the guests cried a bit.
When the ceremony is over, we all go to the reception. Harry and I are walking with Emma in the middle holding both of our hands. She is talking about how Florence's uncle, David, played with her. David, is her father's brother and the only one that continues to talk to her. He is the black ship of his own generation, as he likes to call himself, because he had a child at 18 and he raised his daughter all by himself.
"I'm going to the bathroom. I have to get ready for my speech." I tell Harry and he nods.
"Come on, little honey. We are going to sit there with Nan Del so we can wait for mumma."
I leave them alone and I walk to the bathroom, when a voice stops me. "Iris, hi." I hear Penelope's voice. She is my favorite cousin
"Hi, Pen. I haven't seen you in a while. Are you going to the bathroom?" She nods and we walk together. "How are you? How is school?" I ask her.
"I'm fine, school's going well I guess. You are better than ever." She tells me teasingly.
"Hey, little girl. Don't mock your cousin." We both laugh. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell anyone that my boyfriend Harry is that Harry." All of my family knew that my boyfriend is going to attend Tonya's wedding but they don't know who he is.
"Don't worry, I would be super anxious if I knew." She admits.
"Are you a fan? You've met him, right?" I tell her wanting to introduce her to him.
"Of course I am a fan, Iris." She tells me and I try to understand her tone. "I've met him, grandma helped me to calm my nerves. He is even kinder in person. I don't have to say about how much hotter he really is."
"Hey, you are only 17. You are so little to know about those things." She laughs again.
"I'm going to be 18 this year, Iris." She corrects me. "I'm so happy for you, You deserve to be happy and in love. You two are the hottest couple out there."
"Thank you, Pen. You know that I would have told you, don't you?" I try to make sure that she knows my true intentions.
"Of course I knew. You are my role model, Iris and seeing you so happy and free it makes me happy too." I hug her as tightly as I can. She is what I want Emma to be when she gets older. "He told me that he is going to marry you."
"He what?"
"Grandma joked about the next wedding she is going to attend is yours and he said that he is going to marry you sooner than we all expect."
"He said that?" I ask, not believing it.
She nods and chuckles at the tome of my voice. "He did. He is so in love with you. You have really bewitched his body his body and soul." We both giggle at the quote she decides to use to describe Harry's feelings. "Now I have to use the bathroom."
I walk back to the table where all of my family sit and I take the empty seat in the middle of Harry and Emma. "Is everything okay?" He asks me.
I simple nod. "I saw my cousin, Penelope and we had a little chat." He doesn't reply because the wedding planner comes to our side to tell me that it is time to make my speech. I walk towards the microphone and I look around the room. I know almost everyone so I'm not that nervous.
"Hello everyone, the most of you know who I am but for those you don't, I'm Iris, I'm Tonya's sister. I don't know why they decided that I'm the right person to give a speech today. I have written it so many times and every time I found that I didn't express the love these too women feel for each other well.
As you all know Tonya is a wild woman and if you know me, you also know that we are alike. We love each other so much, and I know some of you don't believe that because we used to fight so much about stealing each others clothes and about what band we should listen to the ride home from school. We still do that because Alex Turner will always have my heart, sorry Tonya. Looking back to all the memories we have together, I can see how patient and how thoughtful Tonya really is. And that's because when it comes to love, she gives her heart and soul. She goes all in and she doesn't care about the consequences. And she has found the perfect match.
Florence is my best friend. She is the person that lets me rant on her about the silliest things and never gets bored of hearing me say the same thing again and again. She is my sister, as well. I love her so much that I can't even describe those feelings. She is the stronger person I know and I want to be just like her one day.
I try to keep this speech as short as possible but there is a few more things I want to say. I'm so happy that the two of them found home in each others hug. They are really the perfect match. They are filling their lives with so many colors and they give a meaning to the word love. I wish everyone could experience their love and the support they continuously give to me. I am so proud to be your sister and I can't tell you how happy you two make me and Emma. I love you to the moon and I can't wait to live all of our future memories.
To the bride and bride."
I end my speech raising my champagne glass and Ι watch Tonya and Florence both crying.
I walk up to them and they both hug me. "It was amazing, Iris. I love you so much." My sister say to me and I feel like I'm about to cry again tonight.
"I love you too, so much. Now, please go and dance." I tell her and she grabs her wife's hand to go to the dancefloor for their first dance. They decided to dance one of Arctic Monkeys' older songs and I can feel my influence. I loved this song when I was teenager and they fell in love with it as well. They actually loved it so much that they decided to make it their song.
I take my seat next to Harry, who immediately grabs my hand and kisses it. "I can't believe that you referred to Alex Turner on your speech." He laughs.
I try to continue his joke. "Carry on laughing at me and I'm going to refer to him to our wedding vows as well." I can feel him choking next to me and I laugh.
"I was thinking about our wedding all day today." He says to me. "I really want to marry you. But I won't let Alex steal my thunder." I giggle.
"I do want to marry you too. Now, can we please watch the first dance." I tell him as I keep on holding his hand but my attention is on the stage. The first couple of notes of Baby I'm yours are heard and I feel Harry staring at me. "This family and their love with Alex Turner." He whispers to himself making me giggle.
Tonya and Florence are so happy. They dance around smiling and whispering the lyrics to each other.
At the end of the song, I feel Harry push me to be closer to him and he starts to whisper to me the last couple of lyrics.
"Baby, I'm yours
Until the sun no longer shines
Baby, I'm yours
Until the poets run out of rhyme"
And then he says to me. "I love you so much, Iris, you will never know the extent of my love."
"I love you too Harry." I tell him and I feel his lips on mine for the first time tonight.
"Hey, I love you too Mumma." I hear Emma says to me, immediately.
"I love you so much, Emma. More than anyone." She smiles and climbs to my lap, trying not to step on me with her shoes. She kisses my cheek and then she kisses Harry's as well.
"I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, little honey, I love you." He kisses her temple. We are like a little family.