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lostinreality014 · 6 years

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You Look Perfect Tonight - Part III

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Author’s Notes: This part took me a little bit longer to write than I’d expected. If it weren’t for the fact that I had the final scene already cemented in my head, I probably would have left Niall’s and Evie’s wedding as a two part piece. This was not an easy part to write and it feels a bit choppy and weak compared to the first two parts, but I’m proud of myself for taking on the challenge. And hopefully you all like it.

Thank you to @imagine-that-one-thing for being my beta once again. Your suggestions and encouragement are very much appreciated. :)

Also Note: this piece is also posted on my Wattpad account.

Photo credits in Banner: Bride & Groom at table; Reception Hall; Bride & Groom send off

Any pieces I post here are mine and all rights are reserved. I do not give permission for my work to be posted on any other platform. Unless I explicitly state that I have posted one of my works on another platform, please let me know immediately if you see my writing anywhere other than Tumblr. Thank you.

The Reception

A little over a half hour after our ceremony had ended, we were wrapping up our bride and groom photos and making our way up to the house for the reception. We had made sure to do photos with our bridal party and immediate family first so they would have time to make their way up to the reception hall and find their seats before we were announced.

“Hungry are you?” I smirked as we reached the top of the staircase. Not that I could blame him. I was starving too. I hadn’t eaten much of anything since our brunch, and I could not wait to sit down and eat a full meal.

“I’m always hungry. This isn’t news.” he sassed, poking me in the rib. I squealed and swatted his hand away. “And your stomach is one to talk.”

“My growl was not nearly as loud as yours.” We looked at each other before snorting and dissolving into a fit of giggles.

“After you.” Shane said with a smile as he pulled open the door for us. He’d been filming from up at the top of the staircase.

“Thank you.” we said together.

“Down the corridor and to your left.” Shane said with a chuckle when we paused, trying to remember where our reception room was located. The Estate was absolutely massive. Sure we’d been staying on the grounds for the past two days leading up to today, but the pair of us were so wrapped up in last minute wedding details we hadn’t really had too much of a chance to explore like our guests had.

“That obvious?” Niall asked as we followed alongside him.

“Just a little.” He winked. “But not the first time someone has gotten turned around I’m sure.”

“No, probably not.” I agreed with a smile. As we made our way down the corridor, the sounds of music began filtering out from one of the rooms on our left. We saw Lucy peek out around the door, smiling at us before disappearing back into the hall to let Bressie know we were ready to be introduced.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen.” We heard the Bressie say. “Welcome to Powerscourt Estate and thank you for joining Nail and Evie on their special day. I’d introduce myself, but you all already know me so we’ll skip over awkward DJ introductions.” Niall and I giggled along with our guests. We’d known Bressie was the perfect person to DJ our wedding reception. He knew our musical tastes so well and we knew he’d be able to seamlessly float between providing excellent music entertainment as well as mingling and visiting with everyone.

“Now if you’ll please join me in welcoming the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Horan!” We stepped through the doors to a wide variety of whistles, cheers and applause. Smiling and giggling as we made our way up to the table where our bridal party was already seated.

It was a little over an hour later when most of us were finishing up our main dinner course. Niall and I had been chatting with Lou, Denise, Greg, and Willie since finishing our meals about ten minutes ago. As glad as I was we’d finally been able to sit down and enjoy a meal together, I also couldn’t wait until we got to visit with everyone. I was especially excited to visit with Harry, Liam, and Louis, even if it was just for a few minutes. I hadn’t seen them in months, which was the norm now, but I missed them terribly. Along with Greg, they were my big brothers and I missed them as much as I missed Niall when we went for long periods of time without seeing each other.

“Ready to get this party going?” Bessie asked with a smirk after one of the waiters cleared our plates.

“You bet.” Niall said, giving my hand a squeeze. As nervous has he’s been about our first dance as husband and wife, I also know he’s really excited about it. We didn’t have an elaborately choreographed dance planned like we’d other brides and grooms do, but we’d been working on our simple dancing skills over the last few months.

“I’ll go get myself set up for the rest of the evening and then we’ll do the speeches before I announce your first dance.”

“Sounds perfect.” I said with a smile, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. He returned the squeeze before him and Niall gave each other a fist bump.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?” Niall said softly in my ear as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“Only about a dozen times since we were announced as husband and wife. And I seem to remember ‘stunning’ as well.”

“You’re definitely stunning.” he smiled, kissing my forehead. “I love you.” he whispered resting his forehead against mine.

“I love you too. Husband.” He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips or the small shiver it sent through his body.

“That’ll take a while to get used to.”

“Eh.” I shrugged with a smirk just to give him a hard time. “But I love the way it sounds.” I smiled at him before pecking a kiss to his nose.

“Me too. Wife.” It was my turn to shiver at the new moniker.

“If I could have everyone’s attention. Before Niall and Evie share their first dance as husband and wife, there are a couple of people who would like to share a few words with the happy couple. I believe Greg is up first.” Bressie passed him the extra wireless mic as he stood up from his chair.

“I’ve known for many years now that Niall and Evie would end up married. They had this instantaneous bond and friendship that you don’t see often from the moment they met. I’ll admit I was a little bit jealous of that and boy did I try hard to become their third musketeer. Much to their dismay, mind you.” The two of us giggled and I could see mum and his parents nodding knowingly in agreement out of the corner of my eye. “I eventually gave up and let them be,” Niall squeezed my hand when Greg looked over and gave him a warm smile. I scooted my chair closer to him so I could loop my free arm through his. Something told me this was going to be a bit emotional for the two of them since they’ve rebuilt their relationship over the last couple of years.

“Now, I don’t want to get too heavy on my little brother’s wedding day, but the two of us, we’ve been through some tough times over the years, and we’ve recently reconnected and rebuilt our relationship. I tell you that, to say this. It’s been really special to see how Niall’s and Evie’s relationship has grown and developed since Evie and Naomi moved in across the street from us all those years ago. And as odd as this may sound, seeing how Niall and Evie have overcome their own struggles and differences as their relationship has grown has been quite inspirational. They have this rare ability both individually and as a couple to make you think about the relationship you have with the people in your life. I’m willing to bet they have no idea they do that.” Niall and I chuckled softly along with our guests, shaking our heads no, while sniffling and trying to fight back tears. Niall was doing a much better job than me at the moment.

“My wife has taught me what it is to love and be loved, to accept and be accepted over the years we’ve known each other. And she’s taught me a lot about resolving conflict. But Niall and Evie, again I’m sure, without being aware of it, they’ve taught me from afar about resolving conflict between friends. Niall, you might be my baby brother, but you’re also my best friend. And I lost sight of that along the way. There is no amount of gratitude large enough to give for what you and Evie have given back to me, and given back to us.” Niall squeezed my hand again and I can tell by his jaw flexing that he’s pretty close to losing his battle with not shedding tears.

“Evie, you are the little sister I secretly wanted but never would have admitted to anyone when we were younger. Though I think mum knew,” I choked out a soft laugh and glanced at Maura. She was smiling fondly, blinking back tears. “And I know I drove you to your wits end many a time growing up, but I was just acting as any big brother would. You are everything I could have ever hoped for Niall in a best friend and life partner. He’s always been happiest on stage or in the studio with a guitar in hand. But you, you bring out a happiness in him that no one else ever has. It was like the two of you were meant to be from day one because you fit into our life, especially Niall’s, so perfectly and so effortlessly. And you gave him a run for his money like nobody else ever could. You still do.” Niall snorted and I smacked his chest with the back of my hand. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, his way of saying ‘I love you’ without vocalizing it.

“That’s how I knew you two would be married one day. And now that you are, I can finally call you my little sister and say welcome to the family, not that you weren’t already a part of it.” I hiccuped softly and dabbed under my eyes with my napkin as best I could with my arm still looped through Niall’s arm and mouthed a thank you to Greg. Niall turned his head slightly and dropped a kiss to my temple.

“Niall, I am so proud of you and the man you’ve become. I know it hasn’t always the easiest between us, but there was never a moment where I wasn’t proud of you and proud of everything that you’ve accomplished. I’m so grateful that our son has an incredible uncle and role model to look up to and turn to if he ever needs someone other than mum and dad. And I’m so happy the world brought you and Evie together.” I saw a tear escape from the corner of his eyes and leaned in to kiss the wet spot on his cheek. I knew how grateful and happy he was that he and Greg had repaired their relationship. Niall is an incredibly family orientated person, and even though he never let it show and rarely talked about it with anyone other than me, it was really hard on him when their relationship had been strained. Especially when Theo wanted to spend time with him and vice versa.

“Niall and Evie, congratulations to you on your special day. I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness. To Niall and Evie.” There was an echo of “to Niall and Evie” around the hall as everyone lifted their glasses. Greg handed the microphone to Denise.

“As Matron of Honor, I know my speech would be up next. With the exception of a couple of small points, Greg has said everything I would have said, and said it beautifully. So I wanted to pass my speech time on to Lou.”

“Oh lord.” Niall muttered as he sunk in his chair a little bit. I giggled softly and squeezed his hand.

“I heard that, Irish.” Lou said with a pointed look at him after she’d taken the microphone from Denise. “In all fairness, he has a right to be nervous. After all, I spent five years on the road with him and the boys. I know things,” Lou said with a wide, mischievous smile.

“Spill it!” We heard Louis call from a couple tables away. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as he groaned again and glared at Louis.

“As much as I would love to, you know I wouldn’t do that to you on your wedding day. That’s for another get together at another time.”

“Thanks, Louise. I appreciate it.” Niall said with a sarcastic smirk.

“You see what I put up with for five years from this one?” Everyone in the hall laughed fondly. “This isn’t going to be too terribly long as I didn’t have much time to prepare.” Lou said, winking at Denise.

“I’m sorry. But it felt right.” She pouted playfully, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Just givin ya a hard time, love. And it means a lot that you asked if I wanted to say something in your place.” Niall reached across me to give Denise’s hand a gentle squeeze and mouthing a thank you. Denise smiled, returning the gentle squeeze before releasing his hand.

“Joking and banter aside, I’m honored that Evie asked me to stand by her side today as she married the love of her life. I met Evie for the first time when she flew out to visit Niall on tour just after the group hit it big. Like most people here, I knew they were meant to be. If I’m honest, I thought they were already together. So you can imagine my shock when I found out they were just ‘best friends,’” she said using air quotations around ‘best friends.’ We both rolled our eyes, our faces flushing a light shade of pink. She threw us a smirk before continuing.

“These two give each other a run for their own money. It’s exciting to see them challenge each other in all the ways they do now, but you should have seen them back when they were in their teens and trying to out do one another. But it wasn’t an out do one another in your typical competition fashion. They were always trying to one up each other to see who would be the next to cross off another accomplishment on their list and add another one in it’s place. To them, it was never about who crossed off the most items on their list. It was about striving to challenge themselves to be the best they could be at their own individual craft. I’m convinced it’s why they’re as successful as they are today in all aspects of their lives,” she threw a small smirk in our direction, “And that same dynamic gave us a front row seat to watching them dance around their feelings for one another before navigating the waters of going from best friends to romantic partners. It’s been as frustrating as it has magical. But infinitely more magical.”

“So much for not roastin me.” Niall muttered with a smirk. I smacked his chest again and he snickered.

“Hush you,” Lou said, returning the smirk. “What Niall and Evie have truly is magical. They have a once in a life time love that doesn’t come around very often. It’s a love that was born in childhood and a love that was nurtured over time to become what it is today. It’s a love that we can all learn from, and a love that we all hope to find ourselves one day if we haven’t found it already. Niall and Evie, as much as I tease you both, it’s been a true honor to be apart of your lives and to be a small part in your own personal fairytale. You both became part of my family years ago, and I’m so proud of who you’ve both become. As Greg said, I’m so grateful my daughter has her Auntie Evie and Uncle Niall to look up to and to turn to if I can’t be there for her,” she paused for a brief moment. “Congratulations to you both. I wish you nothing but a lifetime of love and happiness. To Niall and Evie.” Echoes of the same sentiment were heard again as the pair of us giggled wetly and sniffled.

“Do we have a mop nearby?” Bressie asked when Lou turned to hand him the spare mic. “Don’t want our two lovebirds slipping on the dance floor during their first dance.” The whole hall burst out into laughter with sniffles sprinkled in here and there. I glanced back at Bressie, smirking at him for the joke. He chuckled and returned the smirk before silently asking if we were ready for our first dance. I nodded with a smile.

“Everyone have your cameras ready? This might be the one time we get to capture Niall’s dancing skills on film. For future blackmailing purposes of course.”

“I know where you live, Breslin,” Niall said, turning in his chair and throwing a playful glare at one of his best mates. After the laughter had died down, the opening notes of Jason Mraz’s I Won’t Give Up quickly filled the room with a contrasting calmness to the laughter that had just rung out.

“May I have this dance?” Niall asked softly after pushing his chair back from the table and standing up, holding out his hand to me.

“You may,” I smiled up at him. He lead me out onto the dance floor and once again, the world around us dissolved. I’ll never forget the first time I heard this song. A couple weeks before I’d heard it, we’d had one of our rare blow out arguments. It was probably one of our worst ones even to this day. I can’t speak for Niall, but at the time, I wasn’t sure we would come back from it.

As soon as I got home the day I heard this song, I scoured YouTube for an audio recording and promptly texted Niall with the link to the video. I didn’t say anything. Just sent the link with the title of the song. I didn’t hear from him for several days, which I’d expected because he’d been on tour down in Australia at the time. But when showed up at my flat the day after returning to London, looking like an absolute wreck, that was a turning point for us. In a way, this song saved our relationship both platonically and romantically.

“You know I broke down in that little cafe the first time I heard this song?” I whispered just loud enough for him to hear me.

“I didn’t know that,” he replied, pinning his forehead to mine.

“Full on broke down. Barista thought I’d just lost my dog or something equally as sad.” he smiled softly.

“Even though we didn’t talk til I got back, I’m glad you sent it to me when you did.”

“Yeah?” he nodded.

“This song gave us our new beginning.” he smiled.

“Yes it did,” I whispered just as the first chorus started. We sang along, our eyes locked on one another.

I won’t give up on us Even if the skies get rough I’m giving you all my love I’m still looking up

And when you’re needing your space To do some navigating I’ll be here patiently waiting To see what you find

We heard Bressie invite our guests to join us as the first chorus started, but I don’t think either of us heard him clearly. We were too wrapped up in each other, singing the lyrics to the song that had brought us back together as best friends and eventually led us here.

So easy is our life What’s mine is yours and yours mine Hardly do we ever fight, We’d rather be kind

The tears were silently falling down my cheeks again as we sang one of the most important verses of the song to each other. At some point during the song, we’d stopped dancing, singing the rest of the song to each other while others danced around us. As the last notes faded out, he reached up to cradle my face gently, kissing me just as tenderly as he had in the gazebo a few short hours ago.

“I love you.” He whispered, another tear betraying him.

“I love you, too.” I replied, gently brushing the tear from his cheek. “Enough with all the soppy. Let’s get this party goin,” I smiled up at him. He snorted out a laugh, but nodded in agreement.

“Crank it up Bres!” Niall called out from the dance floor. I threw my head back and laughed as Niall groaned when it was What Makes You Beautiful that was cranked up.

“You knew that was gonna happen at some point,” I said still giggling.

“Did he really need to do it so soon?” He grumbled with a playful smile.

“Of course he did.” I smirked.

Once Bressie cranked up the tunes following our first dance, things really got going. We shared our time with friends on the dance floor and mingling with those who were watching from their tables or standing off to the side of the dance floor. We took a short break from dancing for cutting the cake and enjoying dessert before things got going again. After sharing a dance each with Lux and Theo as promised, I was in desperate need of water. I made way to the bar and just as I asked for a bottled water, I felt a gentle hand on my arm.

“Hey you!” I smiled. “Thanks for not outshining me on my wedding day.” I smirked.

“I do what I can,” he said non-chalantly.

“You’re a menace, Styles.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have me any other way,” he smirked and pecked a kiss to my cheek before wrapping me up in a hug.

“No, I wouldn’t.” I smiled again as he loosened his arms and stepped back just slightly.

“You really do look stunning, love. And I’m truly very happy for you both.”

“You make me cry I’ll punch you.” He barked out a laugh. “But thank you. And thank you for being here. I know your schedule hasn’t been easy lately.”

“Do you really think I’d miss seeing my two best friends get married?”

“Of course not. But I would have understood if you couldn’t have made it.”

“Not a chance that was gonna happen, love. The pair of you never would have forgiven me if I hadn’t made it.”

“Not true,” I exclaimed in mock offense, smacking his arm lightly as Liam and Louis walked up to join us.

“Little violent for such a happy day don’t you think?” Louis teased.

“He probably deserved it.” Liam smirked.

“Oi! First time in months we’ve seen each other and you gang up on me?”

“Shouldn’t be new, mate.” Louis grinned, that mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“Well, I can see when I’m not wanted,” Harry pouted playfully. “I think I’ll go have a dance or two with Lux. At least I know she appreciates me.” I rolled my eyes fondly at him. “Catch you later, yeah?” he asked, pecking another kiss to my cheek.

“I’d better. You leave before I get a chance to see you at least one more time, that I won’t forgive you for.” It was Harry’s turn to roll his eyes. I laughed and shoved him in the direction of the dance floor.

“Alright, bring it in.” Louis said pulling me into him and yanking on Liam’s arm to pull him in on the group hug.

“Been too long since we’ve had a group hug.” Liam said, giving my waist a gentle squeeze.

“Far too long. You two alright? Been doing okay?” I asked as I glanced at the bar tender. She nodded with a smile before pulling out a bottled water and handing it to me.

“Doin really well,” Louis said. “The calm before the next storm.”

“And Freddie? How’s he doing?”

“Doing really well. El and I will be headed back to LA in a couple days. He’ll be spending a couple weeks with us before school starts back. He’s already so excited about the new school year.”

“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad he’s doing well. I miss the little guy.”

“He misses you too. Asked about you the other day actually.”

“Aww.” I pouted.

“Any time you’re in LA, give me a call. Briana is really lovely about us taking him for a couple hours if we want a quick visit, especially if any of my brothers or sisters are in town.”

“We’ll keep that in mind. And you,” I said looking up to Liam.

“Oh, sorry to interrupt, but I’m being given a look,” Louis said. Liam and I looked in the direction he was and saw Lottie and Eleanor looking at him from across the room with raised eyebrows.

“Better go see what’s up.” I smiled. “See you before we leave, yeah?” I asked.

“Of course.” He gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek before hurrying off to see what the raised eyebrows at him were for.

“So, how are you? Doing alright?”

“Doin really well. Enjoying some down time before the next project starts.”

“Good. You work too hard sometimes. All of you do.” He rolled his eyes playfully, which earned him a light shove to the chest. “How’s Bear doing? Can’t believe how big he’s getting.”

“I know. It’s mad,” he said shaking his head with a chuckle. “He’s doing really well. Little chatterbox that one. Takes after his mum.” he smiled fondly. “She’s really sorry they couldn’t make it by the way.”

“No worries. Scheduling is not always on our side. And it’s not like I can’t pop over and visit you guys for a quick visit.”

“True. You look stunning, by the way. Don’t think I’ve seen the two of you any happier.”

“Oh stop,” I smiled, feeling my cheeks flush. “But thank you. We have a lot to be happy about.”

“I think this is most I’ve ever seen him cry.” he smirked, his eyes twinkling.

“Me too. And I’ve known him since we were four,” he chuckled and pulled me into a hug.

“I’m so happy for you two. And happy I could be a part of your special day.”

“I’m happy you could be here too. I’ve miss you. All of you.”

“We miss you too.”

I’m not really sure what time it was when the things started to slow down. I just know that the sun was halfway set, casting a beautiful, warm glow in the reception hall. And I knew that meant our send off would be approaching shortly.

But not before Niall and I shared one last dance in the hall, just the two of us. It wasn’t something we’d initially considered, but the more we thought about it, the more we liked the idea of having a last dance just the two of us so we could soak in the last minutes of our wedding day.

“It’s about that time for the newly weds to head off and begin their next adventure.” Bressie said lowering the volume on the music. “If everyone could please make their way out to the front of the Estate, we’ll send Niall and Evie off after they’ve shared one last dance together.”

We made our way up to the doors of the reception hall so we could have a chance to say our see you laters (good bye sounds too final) since we wouldn’t have much time to do that during our actual send off.

“May I have one more dance, my love?” Niall asked after the last of our guests had left the hall.

“Yes you may,” I smiled as I took his hand.

“Everything is set up. It should start playing in about a minute or so.” Bressie said with a smile.

“Thanks, mate.” Niall said as they shook hands and hugged each other. “And thank you for being our Emcee for the evening.”

“Truly honored you asked. And very happy for you both. Been a long time coming,” Bressie smirked.

“Alright, we get it.” I rolled my eyes, smiling playfully up at him.

“Never gonna live it down.” He dropped a kiss to the top of my head. “Go on. Go enjoy one more dance before we send you off.” He shook Niall’s hand one more time before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Just as Niall pulled me into him after leading us to the middle of the dance floor and dropping a kiss to my forehead, the opening notes to the one song I’d been waiting to hear all night filled the room.

“You’re too much, Niall Horan,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I should have known he’d save this song for our final dance of the evening when we’d decided on I Won’t Give Up for our first dance song. And I definitely should have known when he asked me if I trusted him enough to let him choose the last song we’d dance to.

“Can’t imagine our last dance of the evening to any other song.” he smiled.

“I love you.” I whispered. “Thank you for being my partner in crime.”

“Love you too, darlin. I should be thanking you,” He smiled before kissing my nose and singing along softly.

As we swayed gently in the middle of the dance floor with the sun behind us, slowly sinking behind the mountains, I couldn’t help but think about how this was one of the most incredible days of my life. Niall and I became husband and wife surrounded by those closest to us, and we’d managed to pull it off without the media ever getting wind of it. We’d had our first dance as husband and wife to the song that saved our relationship. I’d walked down the aisle to the song that helped us take a huge step in our relationship. And now, we were ending our evening with one of the most romantic songs that described our relationship to a tee. Today truly was everything I could have hoped for. Everything we could have hoped for. And I couldn’t wait to start the newest chapter of my life with my partner in crime.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark With you between my arms Barefoot on the grass Listening to our favourite song When I saw you in that dress Looking so beautiful I don't deserve this Darling, you look perfect tonight

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark With you between my arms Barefoot on the grass Listening to our favourite song I have faith in what I see Now I know I have met an angel in person…

“And she looks perfect, I don't deserve this, you look perfect tonight.” Niall sang softly. Several tears slid down my cheeks as I tilted my chin just enough to connect our lips, kissing him softly as the final notes of Ed’s song faded and the last bit of sun sank beyond the horizon.

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lostinreality014 · 6 years

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You Look Perfect Tonight - Part II

Part I Part II Part III

Author’s Notes: Ceremony dialogue in this part is crafted from a couple of different scripts I found on wedding/civil ceremonies planning websites - they can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE. I re-wrote/paraphrased the bits and pieces I liked as I wanted the ceremony dialogue to fit the Niall and Evie I created in my head when I wrote my APC. Niall’s and Evie’s vows are my own creation.

Another shoutout and big thank you to @imagine-that-one-thing for being my beta to this piece. :)

Also Note: this piece is also posted on my Wattpad account.

Photo Credits as Follows: Bride; Venue; Groom

The Ceremony

The hour between our first look photos and the start of our ceremony flew by. Lottie had just enough time to touch up my make up before having to hurry off and find her seat for the ceremony. And Lou had just enough time to touch up a couple of curls and pin them back into place before Lucy, the wedding coordinator for the Estate, knocked on the door to let us know it was time for us to line up.

“You ready to go, munchkin?” Lou asked Lux.

“Yes!” she exclaimed excitedly but then gasped. “No, I’m not! I forgot something.”

“What’d you forget? You have your bouquet.”

“No I forgot something else.” I heard her say. “Evie?” she asked, tapping my arm gently to get my attention.

“Yes, my love?” I smiled down at her.

“I have something for you.”

“You do?” I asked as I sat down on the sofa so I was eye level with her. She nodded and turned to set her bouquet down on the small coffee table before turning back to face me.

“Your bracelet?” I asked as she slid the blue, beaded bracelet off her tiny wrist.

“Uh huh.” she said, holding it out for me to take.

“Oh, Lux.” I breathed. “That’s so sweet of you. But I can’t accept that. You worked so hard to save up for it.”

“I know. But I want you to have it. For good luck.” she said, picking up my hand and sliding it on my wrist for me. Tears welled up in my eyes as she looked up at me with a smile to match Lou’s on her face.

“Are you sure you want me to have this? Maybe I could borrow it for the ceremony then give it back to you after?” she shook her head emphatically.

“No. I’m sure. I want you to have it.” I wrapped her up in a hug.

“That is very kind of you. Thank you.” I blinked back tears as I gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

“You’re welcome.” She said, her smile widening.

“I love you a whole lot, you know that?”

“I love you a whole lot too.”

“Are you ready now?” I asked her.

“Now I’m ready.” She said turning to pick up her bouqet. Before turning to leave, she stood up on her tip toes and pecked a kiss to my cheek. My heart had already melted because she was so adamant about me having her bracelet. But now I just felt like it was going to explode. I got back to my feet just as she followed Denise and Lucy out of the room.

“That is one very special little girl you have.” Mum said to Lou as she handed me my bouquet.

“I got really lucky.” she agreed.

“I’m not smudged am I?” I asked Lou, dabbing under my eyes with my free hand.

“No. You’re perfect. You know Lottie wouldn’t do you wrong on your wedding day.” I choked out a laugh and nodded.

“She wouldn’t do me wrong even if she was just doing my make up for a girls night out.”

“Very true.” Lou nodded with a smile. “I better see tears of pure joy on that boy’s face when you walk down the aisle toward him or I’m smacking him upside the head.” I laughed as the three of us made our way out of the room. When we reached the foyer of the building, Lux, Denise, and Theo, who was our ring bearer, were receiving some last minute instructions from Lucy.

“Auntie E!” Theo exclaimed when he saw me. Denise caught hold of his hand before he took off at full speed for me.

“Hey mister.” I said squatting down so I was eye level with him.

“Wow.” He said softly. “You look very pretty.” He lisped with a smile. My heart melted once again.

“Thank you. And you’re looking very handsome in your suit.” He puffed up his chest, standing tall, an ear to ear smile gracing his face.

“Thank you.”

“You ready to stand with Uncle Niall and guard our rings until we need them?”

“All ready. I been practicing my tough face.” I couldn’t help but giggle when he showed me his best intimidating face.

“That’s perfect. Nobody will mess with you.” He smiled and shook his head in agreement.

“All ready?” Lucy asked with a calming smile as I stood back up.

“Never been more ready for something in my life.” I smiled.

“Wonderful.” She walked up to the door and pushed it open before stepping out onto the main landing and nodding at Lux.

“Don’t let me trip.” I whispered to mum as we walked through the door behind everyone.

“I’ll do my best. Remember to breathe, yeah?” I nodded and took a breath, blinking back more tears as we heard the door to the main estate building click shut behind us. Lucy hurried to catch up to Lux so she could lead us down the path toward the pavilion where our ceremony was to be held.

As we neared the bottom of the ramp, she paused and turned to face us. From our rehearsal yesterday, I knew to stay put until Lucy gave me the signal. Sure Niall had already seen me, but this was also a special moment for us and I had every intention of staying out of view until Lou had made it to her spot on the small platform at the end of the aisle. Even though we were a fair distance away, I could hear the sounds of This Town being played, courtesy of Jake and Conor.

It had been a no brainer when asked what song or piece of music I’d like to walk down the aisle to. This Town was the song that helped us make the transition from platonic to romantic. Besides, neither of us were too set on the standard wedding traditions - including the traditional Irish church wedding. We’d been a bit nervous about telling his parents and mum that we wanted a small, intimate, outdoor wedding rather than the traditional Irish church wedding. And we were fairly certain our mum’s were hoping we’d plan that kind of wedding. It had been a very pleasant surprise when they supported our wish for the ceremony that was about to take place.

“Okay, Lux. Are you ready?” Lucy asked softly. I saw her nod and Lucy gave her the thumbs up to start making her way down the aisle. A few moments later, Denise gently nudged Theo forward and he followed Lux down the aisle. Just before she followed her son down the aisle, Denise turned and gave me a smile and a wink.

“Breathe.” Lou whispered quickly, giving my hand a squeeze and following Denise. Mum gave my hand a squeezed as we took a couple of steps forward. When Jake and Conor paused their playing for a moment, Lucy gave us a nod. Mum looped my arm through hers, squeezing my hand as we took the last few steps to reach the center of the aisle.

Even though there were fifty of our closest friends and family watching me walk toward the love of my life, the only person I saw was Niall. About half way down down, I watched him quickly brush away tears before his blinding smile returned to his face. I smiled back at him as a few tears of my own escaped. As we walked past the first row of seats, he stepped down from the low platform that had been placed in front of the concrete railing at the end of the path that looked out toward the center of the grounds. Mum kissed my cheek and unwound my arm from hers before placing my hand in Niall’s.

“You take care of her. You hear?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes ma’am.” he said with a smile and a small laugh.

“Good. I love you both very much.” She reached up to kiss him on the cheek before stepping back and taking her seat next to Maura as we took the last few steps up to the small platform where our officiant, Elizabeth, was waiting. I turned to hand my bouquet to Denise before turning back and facing Niall.

“Family, friends, and loved ones. You have traveled from near and far to be here with Niall and Evelyn on this special day, to offer your love and support as they make a life long commitment to one another. You being here today allows them to being their married life together surrounded by the people that are the most important to them.

Niall and Evelyn thank you for joining them here today, and would like to ask for your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support for their decision to be married.” We smiled at each other, and I gave his hands a gentle squeeze as Elizabeth paused for a brief moment.

“Marriage is perhaps the greatest and most challenging adventures of human relationships. Marriage is not created by a ceremony. Marriage is created by two people through love and patience, dedication and perseverance, communication, helping and supporting, and believing in one another. It is also created by through tenderness and laughter, learning to forgive, learning to appreciate each other’s differences, and by learning to make the important things matter and letting the rest go.” He released one of my hands, reaching up to brush away the couple of tears that had escaped. There was a smattering of soft chuckles when Greg reached around him to offer him his handkerchief to tease him, before offering it to me.

“Will you, Niall, take Evelyn to be your wedded wife?”

“I will.” his voice broke and my heart swan dived into my chest.

“Will you, Evelyn, take Niall to be your wedded husband?”

“I will.” I swear his eyes lit up brighter than the sun in that moment as we both tried not to bounce around in sheer joy even though there was still a bit left to go before we were pronounced husband and wife. We now had to get through our vows and I’m not sure either one of us were fully prepared for this moment on an emotional level.

“Two people in love do not live in isolation. Love between two people is a source of strength in which to find nourishment for each other and find nourishment from their community of family and friends. In turn, as part of this close knit community, you also have a responsibility to this couple. It is through your unwavering love, respect, and care that you can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today. Will you who are present here today, surround Niall and Evelyn in love, offering them the joys of your friendship, and supporting them in their marriage?”

“We will.” We smiled at each other, squeezing each other’s hands hearing the response from the most important people in our lives.

“Niall and Evelyn, you have chosen to write your own vows to one another. Before you say those vows, I ask you to remember that love - which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance - will be the foundation for further deepening your relationship.”

We initially tired writing our vows together, and with the exception of a couple of sentences, we could never come up with something we both deemed worthy of our wedding day. And we tried multiple times. At one of our last meetings with Elizabeth to finalize the order of our ceremony, she asked how our vows were coming along, and we told her about our frustrations. She smiled knowingly at us and gave us her insight, which had been rather enlightening. By the end of our meeting, we decided we would write our vows to each other separately, agreeing to include the bits and pieces we did come up with together that we both liked. Thus ensuring we would have vows we were happy with.

“Niall, if you will please read your vows you have written to Evelyn.” Elizabeth said as she handed him the copy of his vows he had written.

“My brother used to tell me, more like tease me really, all the time that we were going to end up married one day. But I never believed him. Heck, I didn’t believe anyone that’s here right now when they said we’d end up together because we were already like an old married couple by the time I left for London.” I giggled wetly, as did several other people. “And then one day, I did believe it. I saw what everyone else saw. What I had been too blind to see until I was ready.” His voice broke and I hiccuped when he had to pause to get a handle on his emotions. I reached forward and took one of his hands in mine, knowing he needed to feel anchored.

“You are the true light in my life and I don’t know where I would be today without you. You have been by my side through every up and down and supported me even in the times I know I didn’t deserve it. You have loved me and accepted me for who I am, flaws and all. And because of that, you have taught me what it is to truly love and accept someone for who they are. You have taught me how to look beyond the surface to see the true meaning and beauty in something or someone. You constantly challenge me and push me to be the best version of me I can be, and push me to be the best man I can be. You keep me grounded and aren’t afraid to call me out when I need to be.” He paused for a moment again and I squeezed his hand.

“You, my darlin Evie, are the love of my life and I am so honored and humbled that you chose me and said yes to being my partner in crime for life. I promise to always be there for you, through sickness and health, and through every up and down that life will throw our way. I promise to laugh with you when you’re happy and cry with you when you’re sad, and support you completely as you chase after your dreams. I promise to challenge you as you challenge me, and be truthful with you just as you are with me - even when I know the truth may sting. I promise to love you more each day than I did the last, and I promise to fill our home with unconditional love and to not go to bed angry. I promise to always strive to be the best version of me I can be. And most importantly, I promise to love you, honor you, and respect you for who you are in this moment, and who you will become in the years ahead. I promise to be yours, and only yours, for the rest of our lives.” I hiccuped softly again and sniffled while trying to stem the flow of tears.

“Evelyn, if you will please read your vows you have written to Niall.” I took a deep breath as Elizabeth handed me the copy of my vows.

“If anyone told me at four years old when we first met that we would one day be married, I guarantee I looked at them like they were a three headed dog.” He choked out a laugh as everyone else chuckled along with him. “Even as we got older and our friends told me the same thing they told you, I still looked at them like they’d lost their minds. Until one day it all made sense, and the whole picture became clear. Our picture became clear.” I paused for a moment to catch my breath, Niall squeezing my hand gently.

“You are the true sunshine in my life. You always make me smile even when I’m in my worst of moods. And you always manage to make me laugh, even when it’s not at the most appropriate time.” His cheeks flushed as everyone chuckled fondly. “You’ve helped me through my low points and celebrated my high points, and no matter how many times I wanted to give up on my dreams out of sheer frustration, you never let me. You always talked me down even if you were half a world away. I can’t even begin to imagine how different my life would be if we hadn’t moved in across the street from you, and it hadn’t been you by my side all these years.” I glanced up at him for a moment and saw a tear run down his cheek.

“You drive me mental most days,” he snorted softly but nodded knowingly. “But you, Niall James, are the love of my life, and I can’t thank my lucky stars enough that you chose to love me, and chose me to be your partner in crime for life. I promise to be there for you, through all the good times and the bad. I promise to be there for you in sickness and in health, to laugh with you in moments of pure joy, and cry with you in moments of sadness. I promise to challenge you as you challenge me, and be truthful with you just as you are with me - even when I know the truth may sting. I promise to always support you in your endeavors just as you have always supported me. I promise to fill our lives and our home with unconditional love, to love you more than I did the day before, and to not go to bed angry. But the most important promise I can make to you today, is that I promise to love you, honor you, and respect you for the person you are right now, in this moment, and the person you will become years from now. I promise to be yours, and only yours, for the rest of our lives.” He gave my hand a firm squeeze as we both hiccuped in unison, causing us and our guests to dissolve into a brief round of giggles. Elizabeth took the copies of our vows from us and tucked them neatly into the small folder she was holding so they wouldn’t be lost.

“May I have the rings please?” Elizabeth asked as she set her folder down on the small table standing beside her. We watched as Theo stepped around Niall to stand between us, holding up the small box he’d been holding. Elizabeth crouched down and gently opened the box, taking out our wedding rings, and whispering “excellent work” to Theo. He beamed at us as we gave him a thumbs up and big smiles. He carefully closed the box and turned walk back and take his place behind Niall, next to Greg.

“The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and knows no bounds or no ends. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken and written for one another. Niall and Evelyn, take these rings and place them on each other’s fingers.” Our hands were shaking so much with all the adrenaline that I’m surprised we managed to get each other’s rings on each other’s fingers with dropping them.

“Please repeat together after me: with this ring, I thee wed.”

“With this ring, I thee wed.” We squeezed each other’s hands tightly again as face splitting smiles graced our faces.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Niall, you may kiss your bride.”

“Finally.” I heard him exclaim softly before he pulled me into him and pecking several giggly kisses to my lips, before kissing me fully for a long moment.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Niall and Evelyn Horan.” We turned to face our guests who had all stood up from their seats and were clapping and cheering. After taking my bouquet from Denise, we began making our way back up the aisle, stealing kisses along the way and giggling like a couple of teenagers.

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