I stood looking in the wall mirror of the church nursery, which had been conveniently transformed into a dressing room for me, Sofie and Kelli. I was going over my hair and makeup with a fine toothed comb. I needed to look perfect. It was my wedding day.



“Oh sweetie! You look beautiful!” Kelli said, returning to the room after taking the remains of our quick lunch to the church kitchen. She looked beautiful too in the formal blue gown I had chosen for my bridesmaids.



“Do you really think so? Do you think I’ll take his breath away?”

“That boy’s waited for you for so long, he’ll be lucky not to suffocate when he sees you walk down that aisle. And if he doesn’t, I’ll make him,” she said, raising her fists in a choking motion. We both cracked up.

Tucking a wayward strand of hair behind my ear, I added a finishing touch of hairspray and joined my best friend on the antique couch. Now all we had to do was wait. In only a few minutes I would be Mrs. Emilio De Luca.

I was just starting to wonder where Sophia had slipped off to when she walked in the door and joined us on the couch.



“No sign of Sean,” she announced. “I still don’t know why you invited him.”

“I know, I know. I’ve heard your lecture on the issue before. Or are you forgetting the two weeks you spent trying to talk me out of it?” I replied. “Clearly, I am in love with Emilio, or else I wouldn’t be sitting here today. Nothing is going to stop me from marrying him. But you have to understand, Sean was more than my first boyfriend, he was my best friend for almost three years.”

“But honey, that doesn’t erase the fact that you were his first love, and broke his heart, not to mention rejected his proposal. It’s not likely that he would want to watch you marry someone else.”



I sighed. “Well, luckily we don’t have to worry about it anymore. He isn’t coming. I didn’t think he would anyway. I just wanted to be nice…”

“You have such a big heart, Kat. Just don’t go letting it get you hurt.” My sister hugged me. “So, what lingerie did you pack for the honeymoon?” This she said with a big grin.

“Oh, I… uh, I packed the… uh… you know, the sexy stuff,” I stuttered, turning bright red.

“You’re too modest, it’s just us girls! Anyway, I snuck a peek in your luggage before we left, and I think that white little number is great for tonight. You know, white being virginal and all.”

“Uh, Kat? Are you still worried that you guys had sex before?” Kelli said, picking up on my discomfort with the subject at hand.



“Yeah. I’ve been waiting for my wedding night to be that intimate with anyone. I hope it wasn’t all for nothing.”

“Well, you’re marrying him today, aren’t you?” said Sophia. “I mean, you saved yourself for your husband either way. Don’t tell Nonna, but Pete and I had sex the night before our wedding.”

“What!?” Kelli and I both perked up at this tidbit of gossip.

“Yeah, we just couldn’t wait. I mean, we were getting married in the morning, the deal was already sealed in our eyes.”

Sophia’s confession made me feel better about my situation.

Just then, Momma stuck her head in the door. “Girls, it’s time!”

--------------------------------------------------

The doors to the sanctuary opened and the first thing I saw was Emilio. He took a deep breath as our eyes locked and staggered a little bit. This was the moment I’d dreamed of since I was a little girl. Not the flowers or the dress. But the look my groom would have on his face when the doors opened to reveal me. I was not disappointed.

Momma walked me down the aisle and I met my husband to be at the altar.

“Katarina, from the moment I first saw you, I knew you were the one with whom I wanted to share my life. Your beauty, heart, and mind inspire me to be the best person I can be. I promise to love and care for you and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. This is my solemn vow. This ring is a token of my love. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am.”



“I, Katarina, choose you Emilio to be my husband, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I promise to love you, to be your best friend, to respect and support you, to accept you unconditionally, and to share life with you throughout the years. I give you this ring as a pledge of the sincerity of my vows.”



We were announced husband and wife, at which Emilio cheered and dipped me for our first kiss.



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We whirled around the dance floor, totally lost in the moment. We’d taken dance lessons and put together some loose choreography for the dance, but the moment I met Emilio’s eyes, I forget all my steps.



When the music ended, I breathed a sigh of relief. We were that much closer to our honeymoon in the Bahamas.

I was lost in the moment, staring into Emilio’s gorgeous eyes, but my reverie was short lived due to the continuous stream of people wanting to congratulate us.

After what seemed an eternity of greeting distant relatives, miscommunicating with Emilio’s Italian speaking Aunts, peeking at the growing gift table, and having Kelli force feed me finger foods… I really had to go to the bathroom. I politely excused myself.



I don’t need to describe my bathroom experience… but on my way back to the reception, I caught a glimpse of Emilio in the far corner talking to someone. Hmmm, the guy looked very familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where I knew him from. Wait, did Emilio just slip him a piece of paper?



I was looking around for Kelli to ask her about the stranger, when I saw him and Emilio heading my way.

“Kat, I’d like you to meet my oldest and dearest friend, Trevor,” said Emilio, catching up with me.

Hearing his name triggered my memory. This was Emilio’s old boyfriend. Why was he here?

“Hello Kat, it’s very nice to meet you. I was just catching up with Emilio and he only has wonderful things to say about you. I’m so happy for you both!”



I returned his handshake, but remained very wary of Trevor. Was it… jealousy?

“I’d better be going, but I had to stop by to see my old pal’s wedding! I didn’t believe my own mother when she told me the news. Anyway, this whole shindig is fabulous! And you make a gorgeous bride miss Kat!”

“It was nice to meet you, Trevor. Thanks for coming,” I said politely.



“It was so good to catch up with you Emilio! You’ve got yourself a lovely girl,” he said, throwing his arms around Emilio for a hug.



“I’ll be moving back to town next month. Maybe we can hang out like old times,” Trevor said.



“Sure man,” Emilio replied. “You’re welcome at our place anytime. Give me a call when you move back.”



I didn’t know what to think about Trevor. He was very sweet, but I felt uneasy around him.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” Emilio asked, detecting my discomfort.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just ready for our honeymoon, that’s all.” I smiled at my husband, thinking of the next week we’d spend together, uninterrupted.

“Hey guys,” Kelli said, approaching us. “The photographers want to take a few more pictures before you two leave. Do you mind?”

“No, that’s fine,” I said, following her and the rest of our bridal party to the lobby.



It was already dusk and I was SO ready to get out of there. I was hot and my dress was itchy. Soon enough, someone announced that we were leaving and Emilio carried me to the car, with onlookers waving sparklers and throwing flower petals at our departure.



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Words cannot describe our honeymoon. It was perfect. We spent the days laying on the beach and touring the islands. And of course, we spent plenty of time in our hotel room. It had an amazing view… and the ocean wasn’t so bad either.



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If the suspense was killing you before, you’ll be happy to know that Kat discovered her wedding night was her first night, but um… that was so awkward to try and fit in that I just left it out. But there you go, if you were curious...??

And a fun fact, Sean WAS at the wedding. Well, 2 Seans actually. The blonde groomsman (Emilio’s college buddy) is Sean madeover to play an extra. And I have backup sims that live in the neighborhood, and Sean’s clone just happened to be visiting the community lot where I was shooting the wedding. I just avoided him in my pictures. But story wise, he did not show up even though he got Kat’s invitation.

Next: As Kat and Emilio start their new lives together, Kelli and Sophia are experiencing big changes as well.