Chapter 4

"Which color roses do you think would look better?" Sarah asks. She is searching for flowers for her upcoming wedding.

It's been a month since Sarah and her new fiancee, Anthony, have gotten engaged. The wedding prep has already begun. Even though they hired a wedding planner, Sarah has asked me to help her with some of the decision making.

"The blush-colored roses are nice." I say.

Sarah takes a look at the blush-colored roses on the internet picture. She then looks over at the other option, a pink and white tye-dye looking bouquet.

"You think so? Because the white and pink ones just look a little brighter. Plus they give the bouquet a little pop of color than the one tone blush."

Why is it that every time someone asks for your opinion, they always have to come back with the backhanded comments? Like, 'But what about this?' or 'Are you sure, because I was thinking.....' OMG, next time don't ask me about it then. But, instead of getting in her grill about it, I just said the easiest thing to say.

"It's your day, Sarah. You get the final say."

Sarah looks over the flower pictures again.

"You're right. The blush ones do look better. And they're more elegant."

Sarah saves the image to her laptop. I feel somewhat happy, but then again I have to put my cousin's feelings up front.

"Are you sure? It's okay if you want to choose the pink and white ones."

Sarah and I know each other's body language so well, we know when the other one is not okay.

"I do really like those pink and white ones. I mean, how many weddings have you seen that have these kinds of flowers?"

Sarah pauses for a moment, "I'm gonna go with these ones."

She gives me a smile and I give her one back. I know my cousin all too well.

Aunt Jenny and my mom come out of the kitchen with what looks like four coffee mugs.

"We made you some coffee," mom says. She knows I don't drink coffee, so she has a special mug of hot tea for me.

"So what are you girls looking at?" Aunt Jenny asks.

"Bouquets for the wedding." Sarah turns her laptop around and shows the picture to mom and Aunt Jenny.

"Oh, those look nice," mom says. I can tell by her tone of voice that she doesn't like them that much either. I've learned over the years that mom will try to sugarcoat things when she doesn't want to hurt someone's feelings, especially her family. It's a blessing and a curse; I think I get this from her.

"Thanks Aunt Lisa," says Sarah.

Oh, yeah. My mom's name is Lisa. Probably should have said that before.

Aunt Jenny seems to have a different perspective. She's not afraid to tell someone she doesn't like something, even if it means hurting their feelings.

"You like those?" Aunt Jenny asks in a tone meant to discredit Sarah's judgment.

Sarah is confused, "Yeah mom. Why?"

My mom and I look at each other. We both know where this conversation is going.

"These flowers aren't, well, traditional."

Here comes Aunt Jenny with her 'traditional' talk. It's the same speech she gave to Claire during her wedding planning. I remember it vividly. Claire wanted to wear a pretty, powder blue dress. Aunt Jenny harassed and berated her choice to the point that Claire didn't even want to have the wedding anymore. So Claire got a simple white dress to please her mother. I can still see the uncomfortable face in the wedding photos.

"I don't want to be traditional. I want to be unique," Sarah snaps back.

"But a more traditional wedding is always the best way to go. No one is going to care about uniqueness."

Lady, what? Everyone knows that the most memorable events are the ones that are unique. Has she ever seen that show 'My Super Sweet 16'?

"If that's how people feel, then they don't need to be at my wedding."

"All I'm saying is simple and elegant is the way to go," Aunt Jenny says.

Sarah rolls her eyes, "You just want a simple wedding because it's cheaper."

Mom and I look at each other with the 'ooh' face. Not only did Sarah just clear the room, but she spoke nothing but facts.

Mom intervenes before things get messy, "Sarah, didn't you and Anthony hire a wedding planner?"

"Yes Aunt Lisa, we sure did."

"A wedding planner?" Aunt Jenny is shocked. I'm guessing no one told her about this. "How much is this planner going to cost? You and Anthony need to save money instead of wasting it on a planner. And how exactly are you even going to pay for all of this?"

Aunt Jenny rambles on about money. I turn to Sarah and can see the fury in her eyes as her mom keeps talking.

"And another thing..."

Before Aunt Jenny can finish her statement, Sarah gets her together with one sentence.

"I'm sorry, I thought this was my wedding NOT YOURS!"

The entire house gets silent. The water dripping from the faucet is faintly heard in the background. I can hear Aunt Jenny literally gag under her breath. Mom sits frozen on the love seat.

"Well, I was just trying to look out for you."

And here goes Aunt Jenny using the guilt trip.

"Okay, okay. Everyone just calm down." Mom tries her hardest to get everyone on one accord. "Sarah, your mother just wants the best for you. This is one moment in her kids' lives that will mean the most to her in the future."

"Thank you!" Aunt Jenny shouts.

"And Jennifer, you need to understand that this is your daughter's wedding. It's her big day. You already had yours. You need to just support her through this and not jump down her throat when you don't like something."

I swear mom should have been a therapist or something.

Aunt Jenny and Sarah stare at each other for a moment. Sarah begins to speak,

"I can do that. As long as she doesn't lecture me on my choices."

We all await Aunt Jenny's answer.

"Fine with me. I just want you to be happy."

Aunt Jenny and Sarah hug and reconcile.

"I do have one suggestion." Aunt Jenny continues.

All three of us let out an 'ugh'. Didn't we just go over this?

"What is it?"

"You know how you need something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue? Well I was thinking maybe for your something old you can wear my wedding dress."

She can't be serious, can she? Mom has shown me pictures of Aunt Jenny's wedding. Her and her husband, my Uncle Dan, got married back in the 80s. So you can imagine what the dress looked like; big, puffy shoulders, long lace sleeves, and a turtleneck. The dress is so long it looks as though Aunt Jenny was swimming in it.

"Umm, that's very thoughtful mom, but I think I'll just buy my own dress. Besides, your dress holds so many memories. I want you to keep them for yourself. It wouldn't be fair to have to share that special moment in one dress."

Okay Sarah. You laid it on a little too much.

"You're right. We'll start our search tomorrow."

Looks like it worked.