by Deidre Berry
The reception kicks off with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres out on the veranda, overlooking the rose garden and a twelve-mile-long lake.
After an hour of mingling and picture taking, two trumpets sound to signal the beginning of a sumptuous sit-down dinner.
Inside the eight-thousand square foot ballroom, there are so many fresh flowers that it resembles a botanical wonderland. And adding to the elegance are gold and crystal chandeliers that, all together, are worth millions.
In addition to the head table, there are forty round tables that seat eight, each one dressed in gold silk cloths with burgundy overlays, lit by gold four-wick candles, and topped with centerpieces made of lush red orchids and pink peonies in cut-crystal vases.
At each individual place setting, there are gold Tiffany charger plates adorned with gold-rimmed bone china, matching crystal goblets, linen napkins embroidered with our initials, and elegant printed menus that offer:
PISTACHIO SALAD
KOBE FLATIRON STEAK
WITH GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE
CHILEAN SEA BASS
ROASTED WHITE ASPARAGUS
LOBSTER MASHED POTATOES
SPICY SAUTÉED SCALLOPS
PASSION FRUIT CRÈME BRÛLÉE
CHOCOLATE FONDUE FOUNTAIN
ROTHSCHILD BORDEAUX 1997
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET CHARDONNAY 2002
VEUVE CLICQUOT CHAMPAGNE
Next to each place card is a snow globe containing a black Cinderella holding hands with her prince. The keepsakes are engraved with the words: ROLAND AND TORI—HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER.
So cute!
Immediately following dinner, the reception is moved into a separate ballroom where we have a round of champagne toasts, and then cut the seven-tier Grand Marnier chocolate truffle cake with buttercream icing that is adorned with fresh orchids and red rose blossoms made of sugar.
Roland and I dance our first dance as husband and wife while Ms. Patti LaBelle serenades us with her version of “The Best Is Yet to Come,” followed by “You Are My Friend.” (Yes, I got Ms. Patti! It cost a queen’s ransom, but hey, Mademoiselle LaBelle is worth every penny.)
Once Ms. Labelle wraps up, the DJ takes over, and we party hearty all night long to a mix of everything from Earth Wind & Fire to 50 Cent.
Hours into the festivities, Yvette takes center stage to sing Natalie Cole’s classic “Inseparable.” I made sure to schedule her performance waaay late into the evening with the hopes that everybody would be too tipsy to notice that the girl can’t hold a decent note to save her life. She had begged me to let her sing at some point during the wedding ceremony, which was a definite no-no; but since Yvette is my oldest and dearest friend, whom I love like a sister, I compromised and agreed that she could “sing” one song at the reception.
After partaking in Louis XIII cognac and vanilla-flavored cigars hand-rolled on the spot, we all gather outside for the grand finale, a huge twenty-minute fireworks display. The second that’s over, Roland swoops me up into his arms and we head off for a blissful month-long stay at a five-star luxury resort in Aruba.
Sounds like the start of a beautiful life together, right? Well, that was the way I envisioned my wedding day from start to finish. Unfortunately, though, things did not work out as planned. Not even close.
Those beautiful wedding invitations that I loved so much were quickly replaced with announcements that read:
Mr. and Mrs. Cedric Carter announce that the nuptials of their daughter Tori Lorraine to Mr. Roland E. Davis have been canceled and will not take place. All gifts will be returned. We are sorry for the inconvenience, and ask that the privacy of this matter please be respected. Thank you for your support.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2010 by Deidre Berry
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN: 978-0-7582-3835-1
