((OOC Note: this thread is for the ceremony only. The reception will take place as a live event on 12 February, 2011, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. If your character received an invitation via Geisha Express, please feel free to post his/her reactions to the ceremony in this thread. A separate thread for the reception that will include the menu, setting information, music, and the all-important outfits for the evening will be posted closer to the actual event. Thanks!))


The interior hallways and staircases of the Zen Gardens building had been as busy as Grand Central Station all morning. Beginning with the halfling gardener, Periago Starsley, who transformed the rooftop gardens into a serene picture of stark wintertime beauty, and followed by caterers, musicians, florists, a mage or two, and finally the guests, people had been tromping through the building all day, carrying heavy things, fragrant things, noisy things, littering the hallways with fallen red rose petals and red berries, and chattering away like a gaggle of geese. It was enough to drive Mr Cheung crazy, a fact that he was more than willing to share with everyone he came into contact with.

Guests at the wedding would be met at the door to the roof by a small group of four street urchins who had been cleaned and pressed and groomed and stuffed into tuxedos, much to their displeasure. One of these boys would lead the guests to their seats, where they would be afforded a view of their surroundings. Despite the obviousness of the snow and ice, the gardens were warm, thanks to four large torches that seemed to put out more warmth than their size seemed capable of.

The trees that grew in the gardens were bare, having shed their leaves long ago, but each was coated with a layer of fluffy white snow, underscoring the stark sculptural forms of the bare branches. Surrounding the altar in the middle of the roof were wreathes and swags of grapevines woven through with sprigs of red berries and groups of blood red roses. Strung from the trees were one thousand and two hand-folded origami cranes in a riot of colours. Lit votive candles surrounded by a scattering of red rose petals were clustered on every horizontal surface, and a single red rose was tied with raffia to the back of every chair.

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/Japanese-Winter-Garden.jpg

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/japanesewinterbranch.jpg

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/cranes.jpg

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/chairs.jpg

Downstairs, comfortably ensconced in unit 2B, Riley sat on the edge of Mataya's couch, gripping a glass of some sort of alcohol, from which she had been taking frequent sips. She was wearing her wedding dress but had yet to do her hair or her make-up, or put on her shoes or her jewelry. She was nervous, more nervous than she'd ever been in her entire life, more nervous than the first time she'd spoken in front of a jury even. She could feel butterflies the size of pterodactyls in her stomach, and a fine trembling in her arms and legs. Was it cold feet? An hour and a half before her father walked her down the aisle into the arms of the man who would soon be her husband, and her entire life ? not to mention her last name ? changed, was she having second thoughts? She turned miserable eyes on Mataya and Duci and said in a desperate voice, ?Oh, god. I think I'm gonna faint or puke...maybe both. Is it normal to feel like this? What if he's not up there? What if he decided this morning that I'm too...too...whatever for him to marry? Oh, god... Why am I doing this? We should have eloped or gotten married at the courthouse. All those people up there...? She very carefully put the glass down on the floor and leaned forward, putting her head between her knees and taking deep breaths. ?I want my mommy,? she said in a muffled voice.

What girl doesn't love a wedding? Mataya was certainly not one of those women who despised the idea - after all, she'd been married once, and with that brand new ring on her finger, it was only a matter of time before she did it again. Properly this time, though.

But today was Riley and David's day, and with a little - a lot - of encouragement, Max had been persuaded to make himself scarce so that the bride, the maid of honor, and the bridesmaid could make use of Apartment 2B for all those special arrangements that had to be made before the ceremony itself.

Three dresses hung on the front of 'Taya's wardrobe. Shoes, jewellery, and various other accessories were laid lovingly across the bed. And three women appeared to be swinging wildly between absolute joy and excitement, and utter terror that something, somewhere, was going to go terribly wrong.

Utterly shameless in her comfort with her own figure, 'Taya was on the floor, cross-legged in only her underwear, applying her makeup with a tiny hand mirror. As far as she knew, Riley was still in the bathroom, and Duci was either on the couch, or in the kitchen. Provided they didn't lose anyone, everything was on schedule.

"Hey, Riley?" she called out, knowing the Cat would probably hear her even if she spoke in a whisper. "I got you something for the whole something old, new, borrowed, blue rigmarole. Hope you like it!"

What had she got? Well, nestled in a plethora of soft tissue paper on the bed was a brand spanking new, hand-crafted garter of white satin, decorated about with blue ribbon. It wasn't anything flashy, but it was something to take a little of that old tradition's terror away from the bride's mind.

Provided the bride actually got out of the bath with enough time to do more than brush her hair and run up to the roof, glorious in her birthday suit.

http://www.misi.co.uk/uploadedimages/5535594garters426.jpg

Riley's eyes narrowed subtly. Duci was laughing at her! Laughing at her pain! But then Duci was shoving Riley's fourth cosmo of the day into her hand and the Cat felt a little better. Taking a sip of the exceedingly girlie drink and wishing for the eleventy-hundredth time since noon that alcohol affected her the way it did normal people, she gave Duci a grateful smile...which promptly faded with Duci's last words. ?Fun? Seriously? Folding one thousand cranes by hand is fun? Fighting with florists who don't seem to understand the difference between scarlet and crimson is fun? Trying to convince my dressmaker that David really won't mind all these scars showing and that yes, I realise my bosom is rather small...? She paused for a moment and shot an envious look at first the bombshell and then at Taya's equally impressive curves and sighed. Draining the cosmo and shaking her head at the offer of a fifth, she stood and took a deep breath, seeking her shattered Centre and composing herself calmly. ?I'm sorry, guys. You are both wonderful and I love you so much and I'm sorry that I'm such a mess...?

There was a sharp rapping on the door to Taya's loft. Without waiting to be answered by the lady of the house, the door swung open, revealing the tiny form of a middle-aged Japanese woman dressed in a Wedgwood blue kimono, embroidered with silvery bundles of wheat and pale green maple leaves. It was immediately apparent that this was the fabled Mama-san; Riley's almond-shaped, caramel-coloured eyes and tawny skin were the same as this tiny woman's. Riley let loose a strangled sob and rushed to her mother's side, folding her in a huge hug and clinging to her.

?Riley-chan,? the woman said in a musical voice. ?You must stop this. David is waiting and you have not yet put on your jewelery or your obi.? Mama-san patted Riley's back, and tucked an errant strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear. ?Come. You must finish dressing and introduce me to these two girls. Remember your manners, musume.?

Riley sniffed and turned around. ?Duci, Taya, this is my mom, Keiko Fujiyama-O'Rourke. Call her Mama-san, though. Mama-san, this is Duci Eszti Lovasz, my best friend and maid of honour, and this is Mataya De Luca, my other best friend and bridesmaid.?

Keiko bowed to both girls and then extended a fine-boned hand to them each in turn. ?Konbanwa. Good evening, girls. It is nice to meet you both.? Keiko smiled brightly and then clapped her hands together, instantly transforming into something akin to a general marshaling his troops. ?Now, we have an hour to get this girl beautiful for her husband. Who is to do her hair? What about jewelery and make-up? And this tradition of old, borrow, new and blue??

Riley pulled up the hem of her dress, exposing a length of leg that sported a pale blue garter. ?Taya covered the blue part, Mama-san.?

Keiko nodded and then led Riley to the couch, sitting her down and handing her a small silk bag. ?Here is old and borrowed,? she said. Riley pulled the bag open with trembling fingers and shook out a pair of diamond earrings and a necklace set with diamond pave and a large tear drop-shaped diamond. Riley's eyes grew large and she glanced up at her mother. ?Grannie O'Rourke's necklace?? she asked in a hushed voice and then hugged her mother tightly, tears leaking from her eyes again.

?I think we will need water-proof make-up,? Keiko said with a laugh.

All dressed up in his tux, which, he had to admit, fit quite nicely and felt pretty good, David turned to find where Jin and Mr. Cheung were hiding. It was time for them to head up to the roof and await the arrival of the women. He took a deep breath and was surprised to find that most of the nervousness from earlier had vanished. Now that the hour was upon him, it was excitement and impatience that were leading the emotional stampede. It was a good sign. There was nothing he wanted more than to be married to Riley, and it was finally about to happen. If there?d ever been any doubt that she was the one for him, the happiness and sense of rightness that he was feeling at this moment would have dispelled that doubt. But there wasn?t really any doubt. He?d known he wanted to be with her from the first moment he?d seen her, even if it had seemed like a purely physical thing at that point. That was just the tip of the iceberg, though.

When he found Jin and Mr. Cheung, he waved them towards the door. ?Come on, guys. It?s time.? There wasn?t anyone on the stairs now; all the guests had already arrived and been seated. Up on the roof, which looked perfect, he saw Mama-san waiting for them. A spontaneous grin curved his lips at the sight of the tiny Japanese woman. He truly liked his soon-to-be parents-in-law, and both of them seemed to like him, too. Neither of them had told him not to marry their daughter, at least, and they?d already been a big help in setting up the wedding. That must mean they were all for it, right? He crossed the roof and stopped in front of Mama-san, assuming that the other two would follow him. He wondered if she'd notice the little surprise he had in store for Riley at the ceremony. ?Making sure we didn?t get lost, Mama-san?? he asked, still grinning.

When ?Taya and Duci came through the door, his heart sped up; he knew Riley was right behind them. The moment was finally here. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and then she appeared. That breath caught in his throat for an instant; she looked so incredibly gorgeous in that lovely dress?and what a dress it was. He didn?t know where she?d found one that so perfectly blended their backgrounds. She wasn?t wearing a veil, for which he was grateful. There was no call for covering up such a beautiful face. His eyes fixed on hers, and the rest of the crowd sort of faded away. This was his new life that he was looking at right here, the life he?d always wanted. Nothing else mattered but the two of them, here, together.

She paused suddenly, and his heart skipped a beat, but then she was moving again, smiling at her father. The gathering on the rooftop came back into focus, sounds and movement of people as they reacted to Riley?s appearance. Everyone was standing, and a lot of them looked as stunned as he?d felt. If she was right about karma, he must have done something pretty damned good in his previous life to deserve a woman like her. He took another breath as she and her father got closer, smiling happily at the both of them.

One corner of his mouth twitched when Riley's voice failed her. He nodded firmly as he replied, "Yes, I do."

Collie nodded. "Riley Brighid O'Rourke, do you take Lo Kǎnd?hu? to be your husband? Will you love, honor, cherish, and respect him for the rest of your days?" She looked to Riley for her answer.

"I do," Riley replied. Her voice was steady, despite the tears that were leaving little trails down her cheeks.

"Lo Kǎnd?hu?, do you take Riley Brighid O'Rourke to be your wife? Will you love, honor, cherish, and respect her for the rest of your days?" Collie looked to David for his answer.

"I do, and I will," David replied in a strong and firm voice. He'd been dreaming of saying those words for so long, it was a relief to finally speak them.

"At this time," Collen said, "I would like to offer a blessing on the rings, so that Riley and David may exchange them as they recite the vows they have written for each other." Her right hand was extended with palm upward as she waited to be given the rings. Jin stepped forward and placed Riley's ring in her hand. Duci followed him, setting David's ring next to it. Colleen held up the rings. "The wedding ring is an outward sign of the love shared between those that bestow them upon each other. Riley and David, may these rings always remind you of the love you share at the this moment and may it increase over time." Collie smiled as she offered the bride and groom the rings.