Lexi was shaky. She wasn’t sure if it was the nerves, the weather, or her lack of sleep.
All of the above, she thought as she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and looked at her weather app yet again. Every hour had a cloud and rain icon with precipitation percentages over eighty. She scrolled through the day, landing on five o’clock, when the outdoor ceremony was supposed to take place: 100 percent chance of rain and wind gusts up to fifty miles per hour.
“Shit!” she screamed out loud. She immediately called Martin.
He answered on the first ring. “Don’t worry…” he said, before she could say anything. “I know what you’re going to say, and don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
“What are we supposed to do?” she asked frantically. “I can’t get married in this!”
“We’ve got everything under control!” he said. “Meet me at the club in an hour. We’ll check on everything together, and then I’ve got your hair and makeup team arriving at nine.”
Lexi wanted to scream. And cry. She hung up and ran to the bathroom to get ready. After a quick shower, she threw on her jeans and a button-down shirt, and headed downstairs. “I’m going to the venue,” she announced to her sisters who were busy in the kitchen.
“But biscuits!” Hanna held up the buttermilk biscuits she was just about to put in the oven. Another thing they had done before Hanna’s wedding.
Lexi sighed. “I’m sorry. I just need to check on the venue. This day has to be perfect.”
They both nodded eagerly. “It’s going to be the best wedding ever,” Hanna said convincingly.
Lexi ran out of the house to her car, shielding herself from the rain as best she could. As she drove to the country club with the storm pounding down on the roof of her car, she called Seth on speakerphone.
“Hey, babe,” he answered, his voice sounding scruffy, like he had just woken up. At least one of them got sleep.
“Tell me everything’s going to be okay,” she begged.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” he said, sounding like he was just repeating what she had said.
“Very reassuring,” she said in a sarcastic tone.
“Babe, calm down,” he said slowly. “It’s just a little rain. It’s not like it’s a hurricane or anything.”
“I don’t know, it’s pretty bad.” She was paying extra attention to navigating the slick and partially flooded roads.
“But at the end of the day, we’ll be married,” he reminded her. “Don’t let any of this stress you out.”
How easy for him to say, she thought. He wasn’t the one who had poured his heart and soul into planning this wedding.
The rain was beating down on the windshield making it hard for Lexi to see. “I need to go,” she said. “I’ll see you at five.”
“K, love you,” he said.
“I love you, too,” she said softly.
After she hung up, she continued driving with her windshield wipers on the highest speed available. They were frantically wiping the glass in front of her clean, but the water kept pelting down. It felt like a metaphor.
When she arrived at the venue, Martin and his team were already setting everything up inside the massive tent out back. As he saw her approach, his face snapped into an over-the-top smile.
“Hello, my beautiful bride!” He was wearing a blue button-down shirt and skinny jeans with leather cowboy boots. It was the most laid-back he had ever looked since she’d met him. She figured those must have been his “gritty” clothes for the wedding setup. Inexplicably, she found it irritating.
“Please tell me this is all going to be okay,” she said, shaking her wet umbrella onto the wood floor.
Martin took her damp face into his warm hands. “Honey… don’t you know what they say when it rains on your wedding day?”
“It’s good luck.…” she said quietly.
He shook his head. “No, silly. It means the bride isn’t a virgin!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and laughed. “And I don’t even want to know what it means about you that it’s a tropical storm.” He winked and made a claw-scratch motion with his hand.
“Martin!” Normally she’d laugh at his racy joke, but not today of all days.
He looked closely at her face, inspecting the bags under her eyes. “You didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?” He patted her on the head. “Luckily, we have the best makeup artist who can make it look like you’ve been at the spa the whole week!”
She rolled her tired eyes. “I need to see the tent.” Lexi marched toward the back of the clubhouse and through the dining room. Outside, the white tent stood erect while being battered by the storm, but it seemed to be standing up to the elements. Thankfully, the entrance to it backed up to the covered terrace so it looked like guests wouldn’t get wet walking back and forth. She took a moment to take in the decorations. The gold chairs Nancy and Martin had ordered without her were placed neatly in rows, facing the altar covered in fresh flowers. The dark wooden floor felt substantial underneath her tennis shoes, and above, strands of twinkle lights were strung next to the dangling gold and crystal chandeliers.
“This looks beautiful,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Stick with me, kid,” Martin said proudly, lifting her chin with his finger. “This is going to be the most memorable day of your life.”
* * *
An hour before the ceremony, the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her. She felt dizzy and disoriented. And the rain hadn’t relented. Every ping against the window felt like a needle sticking straight into her pounding head.
Lexi took her freshly French-manicured fingers and pushed the curtains back from the window of the room the bridal party had been getting ready in all afternoon. Her shoulders already felt heavy from the twenty-pound wedding dress she was wearing. The window had a perfect view of the entrance to the tent, so she could see guests arriving. Clara, the Southern Living editor, was among the first. Lexi watched in horror as a huge gust of rain blew toward the woman, drenching her lace cocktail dress.
“How’s it looking?” Hanna asked, joining her by the window. They stood in silence, watching the dull green sky while guests huddled by the entrance of the tent, trying unsuccessfully to shield themselves from the rain coming in sideways.
Just then the door opened and in walked Martin and his assistant. Although he was dressed up in his designer tuxedo, his expression didn’t seem celebratory. And Dixie, who stood behind him wearing an understated black dress, looked like she was about to cry. “We’ve got some… issues, darling,” he announced. “This whole thing is a disaster,” he said bluntly. “The baker got in a car accident on the way here. No one is hurt, but I can’t say the same for the cake.” He bit his nail nervously.
Lexi’s heart sank. “Oh god—”
“There’s more,” he interrupted. “The band isn’t coming. They said the roads were too dangerous to come in from New Orleans. I’m sorry, hon.”
Lexi stood there feeling surprisingly calm. She had seen tons of things go wrong on his show, but Martin always saved the day for his clients. He couldn’t change the weather, but surely, he could do something about the cake and the band. “Okay, so then what’s the plan?” she asked him. Surely he could fix this.