She stood, beautiful in her ivory dress. That dress was the most expensive she had ever worn, the beading on the silk bodice and the layers of tulle made it a work of art. With her hair styled to perfection and her make-up hiding all of her flaws, she was the epitome of happiness. Her glassy blue eyes stared back at her from behind the mirror as small tears trickled down the image’s face.
“It’s just nerves honey,” her mother repeated as she swiftly brushed her daughter’s tears away. With a quick kiss and a hug, the mother of the bride walked out of the room taking her place in the front aisle.
Standing in the back of the church with her father, the young woman painstakingly waited for the moment when the century old wooden doors would creak open to reveal her guests. As the doors swung open to allow her entrance, the crowd gasped and sighed at her beauty and the proud father escorted his baby girl down the aisle. When the short walk abruptly ended, the old man lifted his daughter’s veil to kiss her on the cheek before placing her hand into that of the man she would spend the rest of her life with.
As the groom’s hand met hers, the bride’s eyes filled with tears. The guests smiled at what they perceived as tears of emotion and happiness. The priest began the service as the young woman’s eyes swept the faces of those gathered to witness what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. He wasn’t there.
As her futile search produced nothing, she began again only to receive the same result. With a glance at the attentive man who held her hand, she realized what she had just done. Before her was this man who loved her and would take care of her, and yet she still searched for the man she wished she was marrying. He wasn’t there.
The steadiness of her voice when she said “I do” was a surprise to her even as her lips formed the words. When their mouths met in the kiss that made them man and wife, she had to close her eyes. The kiss didn’t feel right, she had always thought that a husband’s kiss should make his wife go weak in the knees and make her heart race, but this one didn’t. The young couple ran out of the church and toward their awaiting limo; the bride’s eyes overflowed as they reached the car, her decision was final.
Her new husband wasn’t The One, but he loved her, would take care of her and she cared about him. She would be content but no matter what he would never be the man she had wanted forever. The man she married didn’t own her heart, but he was there and the man she loved wasn’t.