All I've Waited For

in a semicircle of white rocking chairs on the raised back patio of the Iridescent Inn, Ben’s B&B. Bella’s maid of honor and best friend, Jessica, had experienced a last-minute car malfunction and hadn’t been able to make the meeting to talk wedding plans with Bella’s two other bridesmaids.
Ashley took a sip of lemonade as a breeze wafted off the ocean, rustling the papers in her notebook. “So I know you mentioned getting married during the family reunion, but have you chosen a date for sure?”
From this vantage point, Ashley could spy numerous surfers taking advantage of the Saturday morning waves. April had given way to May, and Ashley basked in the gorgeous high of sixty-eight degrees predicted for today.
Bella pulled her legs up onto her chair and hugged her knees. “We went back and forth, because we would like to spend time with everyone before leaving on our honeymoon, but we also didn’t want to be overly stressed trying to get stuff done while everyone was here.” She picked at some lint on her linen pants. “But I think our desire to see family outweighs anything else, so we’re thinking July third.”
“That makes sense.” Shannon pulled her long blonde waves up into a messy bun on the top of her head. “No one will have to change their travel plans to come earlier, and those who can only come for the long holiday weekend will be able to attend the wedding.”
“Exactly.”
Opening her planner, Ashley examined the week of the family reunion, which was scheduled for June twenty-seventh through the fourth of July. While she agreed with Bella’s logic, it would make it more difficult to focus on the family reunion events if she were doing last-minute stuff for the wedding too.
Oh well. She’d just have to figure it out and coordinate everything really well beforehand.
Ashley crossed out the family brunch and beach volleyball tournament she’d had planned for the third and penned in the wedding. Then she stood and walked to the thick wooden railing, studying the area below. Surrounded by towering trees and a plethora of bright flowers that Bella had helped Ben to plant, the courtyard gave way gradually to grass that turned to beach. Just off to the left, a bank of sandy bluffs overlooked the ocean. This piece of real estate just a mile north of town had been in her family for more than a hundred years, and Ben had taken good care of their grandparents’ legacy, improving on it with Bella’s help. “So you want to do the ceremony on the beach?”
“Yes, if you think that will work.”
With her pen, she pointed straight out to the beach. “Are you thinking some white chairs and an arch out there, or did you want to go more elaborate?”
“Simple will be fine.”
Shannon clapped her hands and sighed. “That’ll be gorgeous.”
“And what do you think of the courtyard for the reception?” Bella asked.
Ashley tapped her chin. “It should be fine.” Yes, strung with lights, eighteen to twenty round tables with elegant tablecloths, maybe some sort of hurricane vase or floral centerpieces—she could picture it. “Better than fine. We can put the dance floor in the middle of the courtyard, tuck the DJ away near the fountain. The servers will have easy access to the kitchen. It’ll be perfect.”
“Yay! I’m so excited to see what you ladies come up with. Shan, I’m counting on you to make it beautiful.”
Ever the efficient manager and delegator, Bella had put Shannon in charge of décor. Shannon’s job as a preschool teacher gave her somewhat of an artistic outlet, but decorating for a wedding definitely had to beat gluing colorful macaroni to plates.
Shannon saluted. “Anything for my future cousin-in-law and roommate.”
“Oh yeah, speaking of roommates, where are you and Ben going to live?” Ashley scrunched her nose. None of the inn’s rooms were especially spacious or super private.
“Ben suggested we save money and live at the inn. I put that thought out of his head really quickly.” Bella shook her head. “I had to remind the man that he’s not going to be a bachelor anymore and doesn’t need to live like it. So we’ve been looking at houses in town. Your cousin Nate has a second house in the older section of town south of Main Street. His current renters are moving out at the end of the month, so that’s probably what we’ll do.”
Of all her Griffin cousins, Dr. Nate was probably the most well-off—though her hotshot lawyer cousin Chloe might be a close second. “Oh, that house is really cute. Three bedrooms, a big yard. Perfect for kids if you guys decide to have them.” She wiggled her eyebrows then checked her watch. “Oops, sorry, don’t have a ton of time. Let’s talk invitations.”
Bella steepled her fingers. “I know this is dumb, but that’s the one thing I want that’s not so simple, and I don’t even know if it’s possible. What do you think of wood invitations?”
“Like, invitations carved into wood?” At Bella’s nod, Ashley continued. “I think they’re fun and unique. But they’ll be spendy.”
“It’s worth it to me. My mom told me that my grandparents had them for their wedding. It was their one splurge. I figured it’s a way to incorporate them into my special day since they can’t be there.” The fact Camille had shared that much about Bella’s deceased grandparents demonstrated how far she and Bella had come in mending their fragile relationship.
“You got it. I know a vendor just outside LA that does a great job with invites like that. It might take a bit longer than usual to have them made, but we should be able to get them five or six weeks before the wedding. I’ll push for that, obviously.”
They discussed some more details of the day, and Ashley’s mind whirled. There was so much to do, and it was crucial to get as much settled in the first few weeks as possible. If they waited too long, the vendors