Chapter 8 - THE WEDDING SHRANK BEFORE EMILY DID
The first vendor to go was the yacht reception.
Then the imported floral installation.
Then the twelve-piece orchestra.
Then the Paris honeymoon extension.
Emily fought every cut.
At first.
“What will people think?”
Grant answered:
“That we had a wedding.”
She glared at him.
He continued.
“If your marriage needs a six-figure performance to survive embarrassment, we have a bigger problem than the dress.”
Emily cried.
Then accused him of judging her.
Maybe he was.
But he stayed.
That mattered.
The bridal boutique called again.
The gown was still available.
Emily asked the price.
Then asked something she had never asked before.
“Do you have anything under five thousand?”
The clerk paused.
Then warmly said:
“Yes.”
Emily went back alone.
She tried on four dresses.
The one she chose cost $3,800.
No hand beading.
No cathedral train.
It fit her better.
She hated that at first.
Then slowly loved it.
Not because poverty was noble.
May you like
She was not poor.
Because for once, the choice belonged to her actual resources.
