Snippet #2153378

The church stood imposingly, its majestic structure reaching towards the sky as the sun set behind it, casting a heavy shadow over Benjamin and Henrietta. The sky was painted a red the colour of blood, blending into the deep orange of warmth, to the colour of Henrietta's hair and finally, a burning yellow fury. She had to admit, Benjamin or his father - perhaps both - had chosen an utterly breathtaking wedding place. She wasn't quite sure where all the other couples would wed but all she knew was that at that moment, she didn't mind marrying an almost stranger if it meant she would be wedded in as breath taking of a place as this.

Her stiletto heels tapped gently on the clean pavement as Henrietta and her husband-to-be walked towards the double doors, a woman dressed in bright yellow, her hair pulled into a severe bun had a single sunflower embedded into the side. The young lady ran towards Henrietta, wrapping her in a tight hug - who the hell is she?

"Henrietta, you're finally here!" she gushed as if she were the bride's best friend, "I'm Preeya, one of your bridesmaids. Hey, Ben!" she said with way too much enthusiasm, staring at my husband over Henrietta's shoulder. Without giving Henrietta a second glance she said, "Ben and I are good friends. We got to the same church. I know him very well," she said, as if to prove to Henrietta she was better fit to be his wife. "How long have we been together, Ben? 6 years now? My father's the pastor."

Narrowing her pure blue eyes with its thick and long lashes, Henrietta gave Preeya look a warning glance. Preeya had a perfectly straight, short brunette bob with bleached highlights. She was on the thin side, with dark, nearly black eyes and really long, tanned legs. Henrietta pressed her ruby lips together, unsure of what the stabbing pain in her heart was. Whatever the clenching feeling was, it most certainly was not jealousy. The strawberry blonde bride ran her fingers through her soft, wavy, light hair - suddenly conscious of how she hadn't styled or dyed it. Get a hold of yourself, girly. You're turning into a vain bimbo.

Forcing her hands to drop to her side, she said firmly before taking Ben's hand in hers and pulling him to her side, "We are delighted to have you at our wedding. My fiancé and I would like to go in now. It's nice to meet you, Preeya. Any friend of my Ben's is a friend of mine." Striding past Preeya, she suddenly found herself being pulled away from Ben and ushered to a room filled with girls dressed in the yellow dress of the bridesmaids'.

"Oh, isn't she a beauty?"
"It's nice to finally meet you, Henrietta."
"You have the most beautiful colouring!"
"I see you're wearing the dress Mr. Ephraim chose."
"Ben must be a really lucky guy!"

Henrietta forced a strained smile - at least they're nice. The women ushered her to sit on a stool in front of a floor length mirror as a woman began brushing out Henrietta's hip-length apricot hair. Two others dabbed makeup to her face, curling her already thick eyelashes with mascara and coating her soft lips in a layer of dark red as they powdered her cheeks with blush. Finally, they wrapped a strand of pearls around her head so a dipping pearl hung itself on the very centre of her forehead. When Henrietta saw their finished product, she couldn't help but drop her jaw a little.

When did I grow up?

The bride in the mirror was beautiful, her skin a smooth ivory with bow-shaped lips like blood. Intense eyes of sapphire oceans stared back at her as she noticed her slim, upturned nose. Her long, wavy hair cascaded down her back, framing her oval-shaped face. To put it simply, Henrietta looked like a Fairy Queen or a Goddess.

In a state of shock, she barely registered the bouquet of white roses a bridesmaid placed in her hands. She stood behind two large mahogany doors, clutching the beautiful flowers in her hands, her head covered in a translucent white veil. Suddenly, the large doors opened to the sound of the string orchestra playing a familiar wedding song. Everyone in the crowd stared at Henrietta and yet she didn't quite register any of them. Her eyes stopped at Ben's, unable to move anywhere else.

Pushing her eyes away from Ben's strangely warm eyes, she searched for her father but found him nowhere.

"Psst," whispered the bridesmaid behind her as a flower boy and girl sprinkled white roses on the red carpet ahead of her. "Walk."

The bride with her cascading strawberry blonde hair did as she was told, her waves fluttering as her body, clad in white, drifted over the red carpets. Henrietta couldn't even feel her feet touching the floor. Everything seemed to pass by in a blur until she found herself standing next to the light brown hair of the man she would very soon belong to.

The pastor coughed, giving Henrietta a soft smile - she pulled her attention away from Ben to the older man on the stage. Admittedly, it was her first time in a church in nearly 10 years. "Benjamin Ephraim and Henrietta Claes, no other human ties are more tender, no other vows are more sacred than these you are about to assume. You are entering into that holy estate which is the deepest mystery of experience, and which is the very sacrament of divine love." Turning towards Benjamin, he read their vows.

"Benjamin Ephraim, will you have Henrietta Claes, to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony; will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only for her so long as you both shall live?"