A celebration of love

Only three more days, until Lydia was to marry her soul mate Aiden Hewitt. Her excitement was mounting and it was showing, her usual cool and collective demeanour was fast flying out the window, not only would it be their wedding day, but it would be Christmas Eve. They chose this day because they wanted this Christmas to be their first as husband and wife, it was either that or wait until June next year, Lydia being Lydia had thought ‘how boring, everyone marries in June’1

So here she was, being fussed around by aunts she hadn’t seen since she was three, there were even some she had never met, but she just went along for the ride knowing that because her family were very family orientated that they were having the most fun they had had for years. 2

Only one person had seen her wedding dress and that was her mother, she hadn’t wanted a thing to get back to Aiden, she knew what a tattle tale her younger sister was, couldn’t keep a secret if her life depended on it. 3

Everything was perfect, the only thing she wished could be different was that her father would walk her down the aisle, but he had left when she was four years old, she had been looking for him since she was eighteen, that’s how she met Aiden. This was the only good thing to ever come out of it. She had put full page ads in newspapers around the country, followed leads that had caused no amount of headaches, but all to no avail, she just had to resign herself to the fact that she would have to let her stepfather take her down the aisle, not that she didn’t love him, it would have just made the day perfect.4

That evening Lydia and Aiden had dinner, she was besotted with this ruggedly handsome man, eight years older than her with a taut slender body. He too worshipped the ground she walked on, some might say a match made in heaven. 5

Aidens’ brow was slightly furrowed, Lydia watched him inquisitively “I have had some news from a good source, it’s about” he ran his fingers through his hair “I don’t know Lydia, remember last time, you cried for a week when it wasn’t him, I can’t let you do this” 6

She took his hand “All I know is that I want to marry you and I don’t care who takes me down the aisle, I am not going to let anything upset that day, so leave it, forget about it, I have resigned myself to the fact that he doesn’t want to be found, so I’m fine with that”7

Today is the day, mum is in a panic, as usual, and Lydia’s sister Hannah is looking gorgeous in her red satin dress with a Christmassy headband in her hair, she is so beautiful and only sixteen. The other two bridesmaids Sarah, four and Ashleigh eight, Lydia’s cousins were downstairs, almost ready but not quite. 8

Lydia takes one more look in the mirror and sees a tear trickle down her cheek, she sighs heavily. She had never thought dreams would ever come true, but when she met Aiden, she knew he was the one for her.  Looking at his photo, she smiles and places a kiss on his picture ‘nothing’ she thought ‘is going to ruin this day’9

Mum walks in and helps her to finish getting dressed, the men would all be in top hat and tails, all the women were to wear Christmas colours, Lydia would be the most stunning there as was her place to be. 10

Gently so as not to disturb her hair, she pulled on her dress, full flowing back, slightly daring for December, with embroidered snowdrops finished off with her veil embroidered with snowflakes. Making sure she had the appropriate something old, something new, something borrowed something blue. ‘I have nothing blue’ she cried. She thought for a minute or two then realised she did, her alter ego, which is where I come in, that’s me you see, the side that secretly wishes her life could have included her father, but I too was resigning myself to the facts.11

Lydia walked down the aisle on her stepfathers arm, she was proud to be there too. ‘Wait’ a voice behind her made her turn almost on a sixpence, a voice she barely remembered ‘If you’ll have me, I’d like to do that’ her stepfather held her hand out towards her dad. Lydia to their surprise took an arm of each; they both had a right to be there at her wedding day. They both gave her to the man she loved, this is truly a celebration of love.12