“Later, baby, right now we’ve got work to do.”
“No work, let’s play. I can promise you, it’s more fun.” I buck my hips into her.
“We have a wedding to plan.”
The smile on her face is my reason for living.
Chapter 38
Planning Overload
Raven
“Let me get this straight, you’re getting married in seven weeks?” my mom screeches.
Everyone in the room cringes. I lean into Declan hoping he’ll hold me up if my legs give out. She’s really going to freak out when I tell her the plans. The good news is we don’t have to lift a hand; the hotel and event staff is taking care of everything. The bad news it is very short notice to everyone.
Declan and I invited our families and friends over tonight to tell them our new wedding plans and give them the details. It had taken hours, but I was thrilled with the idea and Declan was equally as happy.
We made a list of destinations ranging from the beach to the mountains. I thought it would be cool to get married at the Biltmore in North Carolina, but Declan wasn’t too keen on the idea. After two hours of searching through places that would be a short flight or drive for our family and friends we came across an advertisement for a resort in Florida called Amelia Island Plantation. I called the wedding and event staff, and Declan looked at flight information.
We put the Event Manager on speaker and told her our story and the reason for the rush. If she knew who Sayge or Declan was, she didn’t let on. She was professional and sent a brochure through email for us to talk through. Basically, since we were having a small group, our options were open. I liked every single idea she presented, and the hotel had open availability for the weekend. She tried to talk us into making it a week-long event full of activities leading up to the celebration, but Declan said no. According to him, our fucking guests could do their own thing, but he was taking me away on a honeymoon.
She emailed us a contract of intent and Declan gave her his credit card information. If we changed our minds, we had forty-eight hours to back out. We made plans to travel there in two weeks and spend the entire day Saturday at the resort making decisions on the ceremony and reception. When we hung up, I danced around the living room with excitement. I hoped our families were on board.
It was hard to keep quiet when we got to The Steamroom, but we agreed to tell everyone together. We asked everyone to come over for pizza. We even invited Mike and Jay.
So now everyone is in our living room looking at us with disbelief after I announced we were getting married on Spring Break.
“Mama, we talked about it yesterday when I hung up with you. We put together a whole plan. I freaked out at having that many people and security at my wedding. I knew we would have to have some of that to an extent, but it pissed me off. So we decided to do a destination wedding. We talked to the staff, and they’re going to do everything. Declan and I are flying down in two weeks to solidify all the details and then all we have to do is show up.”
“Flying down where? Where is it you’ll be going?”
“Amelia Island Plantation...in Florida.”
The room is silent for about five seconds then there’s cheering. Even my mom grins.
Declan squeezes my waist urging me to continue.
“Quiet down, there’s a whole lot more.” I yell to get everyone’s attention again. “I know this is sudden for everyone and there’s a certain expense involved. The good news is that there is a direct flight into Jacksonville on Southwest Airlines that is very cheap right now. Amelia Island is about a forty-five minute drive from the airport, and the hotel provides transportation. Instead of hotel rooms, we want to rent condos on the beach, which will be more fun. The Plantation knows our situation and has assured us that security won’t be a problem. We want you all there and understand the costs may be extreme so we are going to cover as much as we can.”
“Raven, I’ve got it covered. I think this is an excellent idea.” my dad surprises me. “I wasn’t happy at all about the news leaking about your wedding. Your mom and I already discussed the security measures I was going to put in place. This new idea will allow you two to have the wedding you deserve.”
“I’ve got my family covered too. I still want to have a rehearsal dinner. Do you think you could check out restaurants while you’re there?” David asks.
“I agree with James. Your wedding was quickly turning into a nightmare. Between the calls to the office, your identity leak, and Sayge’s popularity, I w
as beginning to get concerned. You guys have been through a lot and a destination wedding will give you a little break from the craziness.” Mike announces.
“Hell yeah! Beaches, bikini’s, and booze. This is going to be epic!” Nate shouts.
“RJ, do we still have to wear the monkey suits?” Cooper yells at me.
“Just because I may be getting married on the beach doesn’t mean everything has changed. It’s still going to be somewhat formal.”
There’s a few grunts, but there’s also a lot of excitement. I make a mental note to call Ember and tell her to put a rush on the tuxes.
After a few more questions, the guys turn on the TV, and the girls gather in the kitchen. I show them the online brochure and my mom goes into planning overload.