I stare at myself in the mirror in Hercules' dress shop, my mouth hanging open. I knew he was capable of working small wonders, but this is a serious miracle.

Hercules grunts from where he's hemming the waist of the dress. "Stop squirming, Kathryn! I can't finish the dress if you keep dancing around."

I blush. "Sorry. You're just playing catchy music." It's true- I'm one hundred percent loving the cheerful disco music that pipes through the store- but it's mostly just an excuse. There's so much more that I'm excited about.

This is the final fitting for my dress for Maria and Peggy's wedding. I'm the junior bridesmaid- it's a very small wedding- but a more apt title would be 'glorified babysitter'. Adrienne and Lafayette are both in the wedding party, and Henriette, Anastasie, and Virginie are the ring bearers. I have been keeping up with their antics every time we get together, which is definitely no walk in the park.

"Almost finished," Herc calls, pinning another length of pumpkin orange silk. I've been incredibly excited about this dress for ages- I love wearing orange. Maria's favorite color is red and Peggy's is yellow, so their colors for the wedding are white, red, yellow, and orange. The wedding dress for Maria looks spectacular, and though I haven't seen Peggy's dress yet I'm sure it's going to be equally gorgeous.

I close my eyes and imagine what a wedding is like. The only ones I've ever seen are on TV, and those usually have people running in left and right to object. Also, they're mostly in Spanish- Vanessa loves telenovelas. In those, someone usually gets dragged out crying, or someone punches someone. There's a lot of drama.

I hear a rustle of fabric, and then Hercules calls, "You can look now." I open my eyes slowly and gasp out loud. My dress is knee-length, with a puffing skirt that swishes when I move. The sleeves are long and delicate, trimmed with tiny spikes of perfect orange lace. I feel mature and, if I'm allowed to say so, beautiful.

Hercules smiles widely. "Another victory. Humor your uncle and spin around?"

I raise my hands and execute a perfect pirouette- or as perfect as I can make it in bare feet. The dress makes gentle whispering noises as it flies out at waist level. Herc claps and makes a note.

If this is the dress that I'm supposed to wear, I can't wait to see what the real wedding is like.

********

John reaches over to straighten Alex's tie, smiling brightly. Our whole family looks so dressed up and nice, my dads in suits and me in my bridesmaid dress. I was allowed to wear my dingy Converse with my dress, on the condition that I at least try to clean them with bleach and a rag. It didn't so much as make a dent, but I have my comfortable favorite shoes on and now we're standing on Garden Hill waiting for everyone to arrive.

Peggy's dress is white and yellow and very, very Peggy. Its silhouette is beautiful, but not very frilly or delicate- just like the gorgeous woman who wears it. She has her hair pulled back from her face with a clip that has glittering yellow stones in it. Her eyes are sparkling with a feverish excitement, and she squeezes John's hands nervously.

"What if I mess up the vows, or drop the ring in the grass? What if she doesn't show up?" Peggy's voice is a higher pitch than usual.

John laughs softly, shaking his head and fiddling with his boutonniere. It's a lemon yellow rose with a spray of tiny red flowers around it. Alex's is a red rose with yellow flowers. "She's on her way now, Pegs. There's no need to be nervous."

Alex nods and ruffles John's hair. "I was exactly like this when John and I were getting married."

"Nah, you were worse." John grins. "If I remember correctly, you had a nervous breakdown and Lafayette had to hold you and sing to you in French to calm you down."

Two more people walk up the hill, one dressed in orange and the other yellow. It's Angelica and Eliza, each holding a bouquet of flowers and smiling brightly. Angelica's maid of honor gown is gorgeous, and she looks almost as excited as her younger sister.

Slowly, the wedding party fills in, as well as the guests. Maria and Peggy wanted a small wedding, so that's exactly what they got. Just the people around them who they love, and who love them. No awkward reunions with unfamiliar second cousins, no cringing at drunken great-uncles.

As the junior bridesmaid, I'm supposed to go down the aisle first, escorted by only myself. I have a bouquet of black-eyed susans, white daisies, and blood-red poppies. At the center of it is a gorgeous tiger lily, blazingly orange. It's all wildflowers, wrapped with a strand of lace, and each of them is imperfect in some way. Torn petals, discoloration, their tips curling or stamens crushed. In this imperfection, they are perfect, their faults making them all the more beautiful.

I take a step down the thick grass strip that makes up the aisle, my sneakers squishing down the emerald blades. As I walk, head held high, I notice the decorations for the first time. They're simple and lovely, garlands of white fairy lights strung between the trees that line the aisle intertwined with vines of buttercups and braided chains of poppies. The benches people are sitting on are wooden and painted white, but not recently- the paint is chipping in a thousand places.

The people themselves sort of match the decorations. Everyone is in sort of floral, lacy dresses and vintage suits. Someone outside must have been handing out flower crowns, because they're everywhere I look. Everyone, male and female, has them.

I take my place across from Peggy at the altar, way on the end. Now, I get a view of everyone who walks down the aisle after me. My hands are gripping onto the bouquet, feeling the leaves and stems as my fingers move up and down.

Eliza glides down the aisle after me, escorted by Alex. The two are both wearing happy smiles, and Alex whispers something to her that makes her almost drop her bouquet with laughter. It's funny- I remember the first day I arrived with my dads, I thought Eliza was married to Alex. How wrong I was.

Adrienne and Lafayette come on their heels, she dressed in red and he in a very fancy suit. They make a gorgeous couple, and they exchange light kisses before separating on the opposite sides of the altar.

Next come Angelica and John, both looking respectfully straight ahead. They both smile, and John kisses Alex on the cheek when they end up standing next to one another at the altar. Angelica's yellow dress makes her skin look like it's almost glowing.

There's a little flourish of music, and down the aisle come three little girls. Henriette, Anastasie, and Virginie are in dresses identical to mine, all holding corners of a small pillow with two golden rings balanced on it. As the girls get closer, I can see that there's a tiny orange gemstone set in each of the rings.

Hercules comes striding down behind the girls, a woven basket in his hand. Every few steps, he takes a handful of red, orange, and yellow flower petals and flings them into the air behind him.

The music we've been walking to flourishes again, and everyone rises to look at the second bride when she comes floating along. There's no other word for it- Maria's feet don't seem to touch the ground. Her gown is everything that Peggy's isn't, feminine and made of many, many layers of delicate tulle. There are poppies embroidered on the layers, just their ethereal outlines.

Maria's hair swirls loose around her face, her long veil already pushed back so we can see the sparkling of her eyes. There's not a bit of nervousness in her at all as she locks eyes with Peggy and takes her place.

An old man who must be Phillip Schuyler is standing at the head of the altar, smiling at everyone. He clears his throat. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the love of my daughter and her best friend, Maria. I could not be happier to be officiating their marriage today." He smiles warmly in turn at both of the girls.

The speech that was written is way less boring than it is on TV. It's touching and heartfelt, and I have to move my flowers to one hand so that I can wipe my eyes. Peggy and Maria have been gazing at one another the whole time, and they both look elated.

"If anyone has any objection to the union of these two..." Phillip looks down at the paper. "Don't say it. They don't actually care."

Henriette comes forward, holding the ring pillow. Peggy lifts one ring and presses it to her lips before sliding it onto Maria's finger. Their hands stay clasped for a moment before Maria returns the gesture. Her eyes are glittering with tears, and she kisses Peggy's hand before putting the ring on her.

"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I hereby pronounce you two married. You may now kiss the-" Peggy cuts her father off by grabbing Maria and kissing her on the lips hard. She dips her back and holds her in the arched position. Angelica reaches out and flips Maria's veil over both of their heads. The two of them hold each other close as we all applaud

********

Eliza taps her fork gently against her glass of champagne. "I would like to make a toast." This is the cue for all of us to stop talking and start listening. She raises her glass with one delicate hand. "To my lovely little sister and her wonderful wife. May you have many amazing years together."

We all clap, and Peggy gives Eliza a giant hug. I straighten my dress and take another bite of cake. Maria and Peggy decided that, since they weren't a traditional couple, their wedding shouldn't be traditional. As a result, we're eating cake first- and it is some delicious cake.

Maria leans over and kisses Peggy quickly. Their hands are intertwined, and their rings sparkle in the strings and strings of fairy lights in the tent. Both look elated and one hundred percent in love. Peggy has been whispering to Maria all evening, and Maria keeps pulling her veil over them so that they can kiss without being stared at.

Angelica stands up, gathering her skirts with one hand. She clicks a long fingernail against her own champagne glass. "If I may have everyone's attention?" We all stop joking around, Alex and John stop feeding each other cake, and we look up at Angelica. "I would like to make a toast to my sister and my new sister in law."

Peggy and Maria give each other one of those really sappy looks that couples like to share. Angelica rolls her eyes, but continues. "Margarita, you've always been my amazing sister, but from the moment you first started seeing Maria, I've watched you blossom and grow. She brings out the best in you, makes you happier and more open. She's helped you learn to smile more, helped you deal with your bad dreams and anxiety. She's been so good for you."

She takes a deep breath before continuing. "And Maria, I'm going to admit something that will be hard for me. You made me nervous at first. As I'd told you before, our Peggy had just had a bit of bad luck relationship-wise. After I got to know you, though, I realized how wonderful you were. You brought light and love to my younger sister's life. You are everything she needs and more." Angelica raises her glass. "So, yeah. Congratulations."