C4 Chapter 4

CHRISTINE

I’m angry. I failed with Steve and his band.

I take a few deep breaths and begin to relax. Getting a wedding planner’s band is just one part of their business. There are many other parts to go after. However, I push the thought of other parts of the business aside as I think about the concept of the ‘wedding whisperer’ that Steve let slip to me.

I know there’s something important in it. It hovers just beyond my mental grasp like a carrot on a stick for the time being. I have to admit it’s a genius idea and I should be thinking of doing it myself. But there’s something else about it that I think is much more important than simply copying the idea.

I grab the brochure that I took from Viola’s booth and study it. There’s not a word in the brochure about a wedding whisperer. Nothing that even alludes to it as a service.

I check her website again. Nothing. Nowhere. The testimonials say nothing about it. How can she keep it secret? Surely the clients should be impressed with the added value?

Why would clients keep it secret? It’s not possible. Unless…

Unless what? I know it’s there but I just can’t grasp it. Frustrated, I finally try to push it away and focus on other work I have to do.

My assistant enters my office and I decide to bounce the idea off her.

“Lacy?”

“Yes?”

“I want to bounce something off you. An idea to possibly improve our service and differentiate us from other wedding planners.”

“Okay,” Lacy says as she sits down opposite me. “What is it?”

“A wedding whisperer.”

“A what?” Lacy asks not understanding what I’m talking about.

“A wedding whisperer. A person who I employ to encourage the bride or groom to put their last-minute fears of getting married away and go through with the wedding anyway.”

“Why on earth would you want to do that?” Lacy asks.

“Because clients fork out a lot of money on a wedding. Money they lose if the bride or groom decides to stand the other up at the altar. This person would help them get through their fear and walk down the aisle anyway.”

Lacy shakes her head. She’s conservative and I know I’ve done the right thing asking her. If anyone will have a negative objection it’s her. As much as her objections are negative, they do make sense most of the time.

“No way. That’s asking for trouble.”

‘Trouble? From who?”

Chris,” she says using the shortened version of my name. “It’s dangerous. A good idea but dangerous. Too dangerous.”

“Why do you say it’s dangerous?”

She leans forward, crosses her legs, and rests her elbow on her knee. In turn, she rests her chin on her hand as she always does when she’s about to make a very important point. “What happens if this wedding whisperer talks the bride or groom into getting married and a few months or years later, they get divorced?”

“I’m not sure I follow you, Lacy.”

“Well, people get pretty bitter when they get divorced. They need people to blame. They need to put their anger on someone else and if they can say they got married because they felt pressured to do so by a wedding whisperer, I’d say you’re going to have lawyers kicking down your door very quickly.”

I absorb what Lacy has just told me. I know she’s right and in my mind, the donkey finally gets the carrot on the stick.

I nod my understanding. “Thanks, Lacy. That makes sense. I can always count on you.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she smiles.

“That’s all for now.”

Lacy gets up and leaves my office.

I almost jump for joy. I can’t believe I didn’t see the possibilities of what she just told me. I look at the brochure again. Nothing. Not a word about a wedding whisperer.

And now I know why. It’s a bomb looking for a detonator and a place to be set off. Any wedding could be the place and the detonator.

I laugh with joy.

I know what I need to do.

VIOLA

Cold feet.

No, I don’t mean cold feet as in the kind you get from being out in the cold or swimming in water that’s too cold or simply not dressing warm enough.

I mean the other kind of cold feet.

The worst kind.

The kind that some women, and to a lesser extent, some men get just before their wedding. Yes, that kind.

My biggest pet hate. Why? Because in my line of work, they can ruin everything.

What is my line of work?

I’m a wedding planner. Any wedding planner hates and fears cold feet. They can derail everything. The whole day. Ruin you financially and possibly your reputation too.

I’ve been in this game a long time though and I’ve learned the hard way. When you’ve had enough cancellations because of cold feet you become hard. It becomes a matter of survival as well as doing what you love.

I now insist on non-refundable deposits from clients. They sign a contract when they hire me and they accept that they will lose their hard-earned money if they dare cancel. The deposit covers the location rental, decorations, cakes, caterers, furniture and marquee, photographer, band, and absolutely everything I need to cover.

I’ve gone a step further with my service. I include a counselor who provides last-minute counseling if the bride or the groom gets cold feet. They don’t know the person they’re speaking to is a counselor if I send them in. The counselor works the magic they need to, to keep the show on the road.

I’m the best. Not just as far as clients are concerned but also as far as my suppliers are concerned. They know they’ll get paid even if the show doesn’t go on.

I’m inundated with clients and they even delay their weddings just so I can be the wedding planner. I’m not boasting, just saying how it is.

For me, it’s not about the business aspect. There’s something about seeing a couple walk down the aisle to that moment in time when they will commit to each other before God and everyone present. Seeing the love and caring in their eyes and their kiss and the celebrations that follow. I love it. I love to see a couple in love and happy. That’s why I do it. I help couples make a dream come true with their wedding day.

But right now, I’m waiting with bated breath. It’s early Saturday afternoon.

The groom is waiting in church and the bride hasn’t even left her home yet. The counselor is doing her best but this one is her hardest to date.

I’m beginning to think that I’m about to lose the first wedding I’ve lost in ages. I am seeing my record run of talking brides and grooms out of cold feet threatening to end here and now. The groom is restless as are the people in the church.

I wait with bated breath for the message to update me.

My phone pings. The bride is on her way.

I say a silent prayer of thanks and heave a sigh of relief. I key the walkie-talkie and speak to my team. “Bride’s on the way. Positions please.”

I receive crackled confirmations from the team and head inside to tell the groom the bride is on the way. I lie and tell him that there was a traffic jam because of an accident. That’s usually the story I give them. The bride, or groom, whichever one of them had cold feet is always told what to say beforehand. As far as possible, no-one wants to admit they had cold feet on their wedding day. It’s not the way to start a marriage. They can sort it out later if the bride or groom wants to give their new spouse the real reason why they were late.

The drive to the church isn’t far and thankfully the bride’s car arrives soon enough. The bride steps out and the organ starts playing as she enters the church with the flower girls and maid of honor trailing behind her.

The groom watches her and his face lights up with joy. He can’t see her face that well because of the veil. I hope the bride is giving none of her fear away. My counselor climbed out of the car when they arrived. It must have been bad if the counselor had to drive with her to the church.

It worries me that she might still at this stage back out but thankfully she doesn’t. I say another prayer of thanks when she says ‘I do” and kisses her husband.

I wait outside as the newly married couple exit the church. Guests and well-wishers sprinkle confetti and smile as the couple walks down the church steps and climbs into the waiting carriage.

We made it this far, I think with relief. Now it’s on to the reception which I expect will go off without a hitch. The couple will do their photos just before the reception so there is time for me to have lunch and regroup with the team.

As I turn to reenter the church, I notice him for the first time. I pause as I take him in.