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❝ I do. ❞
king county, washington february 23, 2013
IT WAS the day. The day that Leah Clearwater became Leah Lahote-Clearwater.
Standing in the middle of her hotel room, where her wedding dress laid spread out on the bed, Leah's nerves were eating away at her. Behind her stood Sue, Emily, and Aubrey. Each glancing at each other with concerned eyes.
"Hey Lee, you okay?" Aubrey walked over to her friend, placing a warm hand over her shoulder.
Leah seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and jumped at the warm touch, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine... just nervous. And excited."
Aubrey's gentle smile helped her hands stop shaking which allowed her mind to focus on the task at hand: getting ready. With the help of her cousin and Aubrey, Leah was able to look as beautiful as she wanted on her wedding day. Looking in the mirror, she didn't recognize the person staring back at her. She was fully dressed, with a face full of makeup, and low heels on her feet.
"How do you feel?" Sue asked her daughter, smiling to ease her nerves.
Not taking her eyes off the mirror, Leah responded, "I feel beautiful..."
Emily walked over to stand beside her cousin, "You've always been beautiful Leah. The makeup and dress just highlight it even more."
"Thanks, Em."
"No problem Lee," Emily fixed her hair to keep it away from her face.
Inside Paul's hotel room, Josiah fixed the jacket of his tuxedo, making sure the cuffs were in place. His hands shook as he did this which caught his brother's attention who was fixing the tie of his suit― he was the best man after all.
"Nervous?" Paul asked, not taking his eyes off his reflection in the mirror.
Josiah sighed. "You can say that."
His brother chuckled, "It's going to be fine Jay. Both of you have been looking forward to this day since the day you proposed. And besides," this time Paul turned around to fully face his brother, "You two love each other."
Smiling, Josiah turned to look at himself in the mirror again, "Yeah we do."
"Well let's go," Paul grabbed his brother's arm, pulling him away from the mirror and to the bedroom door, "Let's get you married."
Josiah laughed, a wide smile on his face as they made their way out of the Seattle hotel.
***
The wedding ceremony and reception were to be held at Mount Peak Farm. Both Josiah and Leah had wanted their wedding and after-party to be outdoors: being raised surrounded by nature and all. With the perfect weather, closest friends and family gathered in one place, they couldn't ask for a more perfect day to tie the knot.
