Radiant Eclipse

“Isn't the bride supposed to wear white?” laughed my father when he saw my dress.

I rolled my eyes at him, and proceeded to dress my nine month old daughter, Anne, in a light pink dress, her dark spiking hair poofing over her pink stretchy head band. She giggled as I gave her a slight tickle with my nose, then continued to gnaw on her cold teething toy. Her brother, Mikey and Jack, were being taken care of by their father and the rest of the guys from Avenged Sevenfold two rooms away.

My dad held Anne on his hip as she ignored everyone in the room, which included my father in his tux, and Johnny's older sister Ashley. She was a few years older then Johnny, with dark hair that now hung low in angelic curls, tiny white flowers in her hair beautifully. She was my maid of honor, not just because I didn't know any girls, but because she was a really great friend and soon-to-be sister.

Ashley stepped towards me with my dress, the black and maroon dress I bought her flattering her form as she smiled at me. “Ya ready to get this sucker on?” she asked, as I excused myself from my dad's presence and led Ashley and I into the adjacent bathroom.

My dress was a deep maroon, floor length, with a strapless corset top that showed off the regained thin body I once again had. It had a medium train, about three feet in length, and I wore no shoes. Why would I? I'm just going to rip of the dress to put on a shorter and more casual one as soon as the ceremony was over. My hair was curled as well, hair-sprayed and pinned to one side of my neck, letting it fall down over my right shoulder. I had one white flower in by my exposed ear, and I had diamond earrings in as well.

Once I was in the dress, I walked out to meet my father, whose jaw dropped as soon as he saw me. “I didn't choose white because I wanted to remember mom,” I told my dad softly. “Her favorite color was maroon, right?”

My father nodded. “It was,” he said through tears and a hoarse voice.

“Plus, I think we all know I shouldn't wear white anymore,” I laughed, taking Anne into my arms as she squealed and nestled her head into my neck. I wasn't that big of a flower person, so instead of a bouquet, I had decided to just walk the isle with my daughter in my arms, my father on the other side of me. It was amusing to my dad, but it was thoughtful to me.

The wedding planner, Samantha, a woman of about forty-one with blond hair in an up-do, stuck her head int he door and said, “We're all ready for you, Vickie.”

“Shit,” I said nervously, as my dad laughed and kissed my forehead.

We walked out of the hotel room and into the hallways, where Samantha led us – Ashley ahead of my dad and me – to the grand ball room that we'd rented out for the wedding. I knew roughly two hundred guests were coming, mostly music people, from Slipknot, to my old band mates, to even Slayer, the gods of metal. I really had no family. Marcus was in the groom's party, an invitation given to him by Johnny himself.

Because I didn't have a bride's party, there wouldn't be a lot of waiting outside the room for people to make their way down the isle. Instead, we had Marcus walk with Ashley, and after they got to the end, both doors to the room would open and I would step in with my father.
“You look amazing, sis,” Marcus said, gently touching my elbow before kissing my cheek and allowing Ashley to take hold of his arm. Samantha gave them the okay, and one door opened for them to enter, the sounds of a small string quartet echoing throughout the room and hall before the door was shut again.

Samantha gave me a pat on the bare back, where my tattoos were totally evident to my father now – oops? – and said, “I've never been so sure of a couple in my life as I am of you. I can see from here how anxious and eager that man is to have you become his wife and life long partner.”

I smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

She grinned and sad, “No problem,” before giving two staff people the cut to open both doors, and I felt my dad grab onto my left arm securely as I took a deep breath.

I spotted Johnny right away as the guests all rose to their feet to watch me. He was handsome, in black dress pants, and a tucked-in black button down dress shirt, a maroon tie on as he wore no dress coat. Good. He would have looked geeky, I thought to myself as I smiled. Mikey was on Marcus's hip now, watching me while clapping and giggling. His brother, Jack, was on Ashley's hip, and when I got up to the alter, my father kissed my cheek and received Anne from me.

Johnny took hold of my hands as he looked straight into my eyes. The pasture could have told us the world was ending, and I still wouldn't have noticed. All I knew was that I was there with the man of my dreams, and I wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't, either. And when it was time for the rings, I felt my hands shake and tremble as Johnny went first, holding the silver wedding band in his right hand as he held onto my own right hand.

I couldn't hear the words he repeated, I just knew that I was crying when he slipped that ring onto my finger, above the large engagement ring that he'd given me as soon as the triplets were born. I grabbed the ring for him from Ashley, and trembled as I repeated the vows after the pasture. I took a deep breath, and as I slid the ring onto his finger, I felt myself get lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

“You may kiss the bride,” I did hear, and I wrapped my arms around Johnny as he bent me backwards and kissed my lips hard, lights flashing on and off for pictures, as the guests all clapped and shouted for us, my heart pounding as I felt like the world was spinning around me.

“I love you,” Johnny said, after we kissed.

“I love you, too,” I said through tears, as he picked me up and walked back out into the hall. We ran the rest of the way to the bedroom so I could get dressed, and slammed the door.

“Now It's okay for me to watch you,” he joked as I slid into the knee-length white strapless dress and a pair of white, sparkling ballet flats. I grabbed his hands and kissed him. “You were always allowed to,” I laughed, dragging him out into the hall as Samantha directed us back towards the second ball room, where the reception would take place.

It was dark, but serenely lit by lavender and white wall lightings. There were tons of large round tables covered in lavender table cloths, as white orchids stood tall and romantic as our center pieces. Music played via a DJ at the back of the room, and all of our friends were happily enjoying the free drinks on us, and I smiled as Johnny held my hand and walked us into the room. The DJ announced, “Everybody give a round of applause for Mr. and Mrs. Seward as they make their way tot he dance floor for the first dance as husband and wife.”

Johnny and I edged through to the white dance floor, where Johnny wrapped one arm around my waist, his other arm up as it held my hand securely in his. I smiled up at him as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's hit, Your Guardian Angel” played loudly through the stereo system.

Johnny sang along sweetly, his words mixing with the essence of the day as I bent my head low and rested it onto his shoulder, my eyes closing slowly. “Where have you been my whole life?” I whispered to him as he smiled down at me, everyone watching and flashing pictures.

Johnny replied, “I wanted to ask you that. I just figured I was waiting for that radiating eclipse to happen, when someone would finally put me in my place and love me.”

I stated, “I was waiting for you, just in all the wrong places and at all the wrong times.”