“Sometimes. In the winter it’s magical because we have the room at the back and with the lights and the glass it makes an intimate venue. In summer, people often prefer to be outdoors. We can cater for an elegant wedding, but if someone wants a more rustic theme I’ll sometimes use one of the local ranches.”
“Rustic?”
“Yes, but then they often want animals—not that I don’t love animals, because I do, but generally I prefer people to do what I say on the day so that things run smoothly, and animals tend to follow their own agenda.”
Maggie laughed. She hadn’t expected Catherine to be so much fun.
And she hadn’t expected to be able to laugh at wedding stories, when her marriage was on its last legs.
“People want animals at their wedding? What type of animals?”
“Sometimes a much-loved family pet. A couple last summer wanted their dog to carry their rings. Unfortunately, the dog was overexcited by all the people and carried the rings off down the valley. We had to improvise.”
They were on the edge of the town now, and Maggie had never seen anywhere prettier. Tiny lights edged roofs and windows, so that every building seemed to sparkle. Even the lampposts, rising up from soft mounds of snow, were wrapped in fairy lights and adorned with large red bows.
“It’s pretty. Festive.”
“This is nothing. I can’t wait to show you more of the place. We’re going to park here, and then walk. You’ll love it. It may not be home, but we do Christmas well, I think. Hard not to feel festive when you have piles of fresh snow to play in. But the town puts on plenty of activities. You can do everything from decorating a gingerbread house, to listening to live jazz. People think it’s a glitzy place, but there’s also a bit of a country vibe. We’re mountain folk.”
Rich mountain folk, Maggie thought as she climbed out of the car and noticed the number of designer stores. Did they even sell clothes for people on normal budgets? “How do you improvise a wedding ring?”
“I carry spares,” Catherine said. “And I’ve had to use them on more occasions than you’d imagine. But that’s the business. There are always challenges. One bride had her own horse and wanted it in the photographs. That worked out better than you might think. And the horse matched the color scheme perfectly. And then there are the llama weddings, of course.”
“Llama weddings?”
“It’s a growing trend. On the one hand llamas are quite calming which can be useful, particularly if there are young children involved, on the other hand they also have a nasty habit of eating everything in sight, including the wedding cake on one occasion.”
“What happens in the photographs?”
“You have a bride, a groom and a couple of llamas.”
“Are the llamas married, too?”
Catherine laughed and locked the car. “No, but they’re definitely in a relationship. I’m the first to admit that the whole thing is more country than classy, but it works for some.”
Maggie thought about Rosie’s asthma. “Please tell me Rosie and Dan aren’t having a llama wedding.”
“No. Rosie wanted something simple.”
That didn’t sound like Rosie at all. She was wildly romantic. Maggie would have expected something over the top. Not llamas, of course, but something dreamy. But perhaps the time frame didn’t make that practical.
“It’s kind of you to organize this at such short notice.” She felt stupid for ever feeling jealous. Rosie was lucky to be marrying into such a charming family.
“It’s my pleasure, and I mean that literally. There is nothing I love more than arranging a wedding, and when my son is marrying the girl of his dreams, then it becomes my dream, too.” She slid her arm through Maggie’s. “What sort of wedding did you and Nick have?”
The ache was back in her chest. “A simple one. It was the two of us, in a small church in Oxford, with my best friend as a bridesmaid and Nick’s closest friend as best man. We were married in winter and the church was freezing, so we exchanged vows as quickly as possible before one of us developed frostbite.” And laughed the whole time and kissed. Nick had tried to thaw her frozen hands by tucking them under his jacket, then made indecent suggestions of how they could both warm up. “Afterwards we went to the pub with the whole of his department.”