Still, it was a destination wedding, and like Justin had said the night before, it was presumptuous to ask guests to travel such a distance to watch someone get married.
This was the kind of place a couple escaped to when they wanted to elope. Or maybe the BFFs came along and everyone hung out for a long weekend while two people just happened to get married.
Shannon pushed the thoughts from her head and angled down the beach to the site of the wedding ceremony.
Already chairs were set up and a florist worked with a team of three people, decorating the space. On each side of the chairs, long benches sat framing the ceremonial space. Shannon frowned as she tried to maneuver the cramped area.
Ida, the event coordinator, was instructing several men when Shannon found her.
Shannon introduced herself and got straight to the point. “The benches are going to get in the way of me moving around to take the photographs the couple want.”
“Without the benches, we don’t have enough seating for the guests. I explained to the bride that seventy-five to eighty was the perfect number. We could accommodate up to a hundred. Somehow that turned into a hundred and twenty-five.”
Shannon looked over the space again.
She’d have to make it work without walking past the guests on the outside lane. Which meant she’d be walking up and down the aisle quite a bit. A distraction to those attending. Hopefully Corrie and Victor wouldn’t notice.
The thought of the bet she’d made the night before gave her head some peace. Even Victor’s own brother didn’t think the marriage would last, which meant the work she was doing would be burned when the divorce papers were signed.
Not that she would let that stop her from doing the best she could.
“I’ll make it work.”
Shannon walked over to the hotel where Corrie, her wedding party, and immediate family were staying. The party at the beach bar was in full swing. Everyone except the staff was clothed in as little as possible to beat the heat and bronze their skin. It was obvious that not all the guests at the hotel were there for the nuptials.
The paths between the bungalow-style rooms were dotted with palm trees and tropical flowers, all of which would work beautifully for pictures with the bride right before the ceremony. She timed it to arrive an hour and a half early, leaving the last thirty minutes while the guests were arriving to take a few snapshots of Victor and his party. Which Shannon wasn’t looking forward to. But she would hike up her big girl panties, paint on a smile, and make nice with the man.
And then photoshop out his horns in the pictures when she returned home.
She found the two-bedroom bungalow that shared a small courtyard. Corrie and her girls took one room, and Mr. and Mrs. Harkin had the other. She heard the girls chattering before she reached the door.
Her knock was answered with a shout. “If you’re the groom, go away!”
“I’m not him.”
Laughter preceded the door opening.
The room was an explosion of clothes, shoes, half-empty suitcases, and old trays from room service. The girls were in all states of undress. Two wore strapless bras, while Corrie and her maid of honor wore corsets.
Corrie sat in front of a mirror while a stylist worked to add tiny flowers to her hair.
“Good afternoon,” Shannon said to everyone as they buzzed around.
Corrie smiled briefly at her through the mirror.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked.
“I’m fine. Nervous. But no rain, so that’s good.”
Shannon kept a smile in place. “I was just next door. Everything looks fabulous.”
The wedding party introduced themselves, but the names that stuck in Shannon’s head were Barbie, Bitsy, and Bimbo. Their high-pitched singsong voices didn’t help. “How close are you to putting on your dresses?”
Melia was the name of the girl she’d met the night before, Corrie’s maid of honor, who answered, “Ten minutes.”
“Perfect. And your parents, Corrie?”
“Dad’s ready, but you’d think my mom was the one getting married today.”
Shannon encouraged the girls to clean up the room enough so that she could get a few pictures of them getting ready without the distraction of panties in the background.
One by one, the bridesmaids slipped into their gowns and helped the stylist with Corrie’s.
Shannon focused in on the bride as she watched the others working around her. Her tight smile made the shots fall flat. “Your dress is beautiful,” Shannon complimented, focusing closer to capture a true grin.