"Stop fidgeting," my mother comes up to the altar to tell me. Sighing heavily, she adjusts the tie around my neck and smooths down my jacket before attempting to tidy my hair. "I wish you would have shaved, Isaac. What are the people back home going to think when I show them the wedding photos, huh?"

It takes everything within me not to roll my eyes. "They're going to look at them and think, fuck me, they look really very much in love," I answer, despite her question probably being rhetorical. Pushing her away gently, I point at her chair and command that she goes back. Despite us having a seating plan for the dinner later on in the evening, when it came to the blessing, Daniel had told our guests to pick any seat they wanted. Naturally, my mother was in the front row, sitting next to Dad while the twins were in the row behind, gossiping with each other, while their dates were looking thoroughly bored. I nudge Mick. "What do you make of Alice's boyfriend?"

He shrugs. Frustrated by his lack of answer,  I turn my focus back to the congregation, noting the people who were here. It was mostly Lottie's family, close and extended, although a number of her French cousins declined their invitations. The Delaney clan were here in numbers and they were all eagerly waiting for the ceremony to begin, if only because they knew there was a shitload of wine at hand later on. Not to mention the fact that Daniel had created two signature cocktails for the guests to sip on while photos were being taken. You have to love the Irish- only here for the booze. 

Checking my watch, I see that we're nearing half past six, the time the ceremony was supposed to begin. While we were at the rehearsal yesterday, Father McGuire said the cue that the wedding was about to get underway was when he stepped out and Camille entered, carrying Sera. Well, Father McGuire has stepped out and Camille is walking down the aisle, holding Sera. 

"Here we go," Mick said. Tapping my shoulder, he forces me to face the front, just as I'd asked him to yesterday. While I wanted to see Lottie in her gown, I wanted to wait until the very last moment. "I'll let you know when she..." he pauses just as the music begins to play. It was a song we'd chosen together, Only You. It was to start playing when Martha left the main house and made the long way down to where the ceremony was being held, Lottie following her some ten seconds later. After an excruciatingly long wait, Mick nudges me. "She looks breathtaking."

Turning, I finally see her. She looks like an angel in her gown, beaming from ear to ear, while Jimmy looked proud as punch walking her down the aisle. From under the veil, I could see Lottie's green eyes watching me, softening when she sees me dab a tear from my eye. I didn't care that people could see me cry; this was one of the happiest days of my life and if I was going to cry, then I was going to own that. 

Stepping forward to greet her, I shake Jimmy's hand before taking Lottie's and turning to Father McGuire. 

"You look exquisite," I tell her, smiling all the while.

With a nod, Father McGuire starts the ceremony with a welcome, before inviting Sophie to give the first reading. Even though Dan had done most of the planning, we'd been consulted on a lot of things but for the reading, we let the people giving them choose their passages. 

I drew patterns on Lottie's hands while Sophie read, throughout Father McGuire's prayer, the reading of the scriptures, for most of the hymn and the second reading, given by my sister, May. It wasn't until we were to share our vows that I had to force myself to stop. 

"I, Isaac Lachlan Fletcher, do promise you, Charlotte Louise Delaney," I begin, containing my snigger at her middle name. She hates it. "That I will love you every day of our lives. I promise to never keep score, even if I'm winning. I promise not to eat all the chocolate in the house. I promise to always cook your bacon to ultimate perfection even if others would class it as burnt to a crisp. I promise never to spoil The Walking Dead for you again. I promise to be the best husband to you and the best father to all our children. I vow never to take you for granted, to tell you every day just how lucky I am to have you and to massage your feet every night before bed. And if I ever break my vows to you, I give you a free pass to haunt me in every dimension until the end of time."

Mick scoffed at my side, clearly amused by my vows. In fact, one he started to laugh, the others joined in, too. Suddenly, laughter filled the air and even Sera was giggling along and clapping her hands in admiration. Father McGuire, on the other hand, just looked at me weirdly, nodded and then turned to Lottie.

"I, Charlotte Louise Delaney, do promise you, Isaac Lachlan Fletcher," she says, her voice music to my ears. "To take you as my constant friend, my faithful partner, and my love. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my vow to be your faithful and devoted partner, loving you truly through good times and bad. I give you my hand, my heart, and my promise to love you unconditionally. I vow to support you in your goals, honour, respect and cherish you as long as we both shall live.

"Also," she continues, just as I thought she was done. "I vow to always move your shoes from the middle of the hallway so you don't forget that they're there and trip over them, almost breaking your neck. I promise never to watch Netflix without you. I vow that I will always be a silent passenger in the car, even if you did get us lost and I know how to get us back on the right road. Finally, I promise to always let you think you're right, even though we all know that you are unquestionably wrong."

We exchange rings once again, the unity candle is lit, we say the Lord's Prayer, and then there's the recessional to the wedding march. 

"Now then, let's get everyone pissed so we can make Snapchat stories of them and we can embarrass them in the morning," Lottie says, a sly satisfaction in her voice. "Oh, by the way, you look so fucking hot right now that when I've got to go and change into my second dress, we're having a quickie."

https://youtu.be/Q8FHwsATN0E