Matilda was standing in the dressing room she had been shown to, her mother, aunt, and sister-in-law flanking her sides. All three of them had made the journey from Vancouver to Evergreen, bringing their husbands to them. The Moore family was no stranger to The Vow Inc., with members of their family using the service. Her aunt had married a few years before, her mother quite a bit before that, and Oliver being the last to use the service, having met his wife Karla. All three women were buzzing over the newest member of the family to use the service. Of course, it would have come soon enough. At this point, Matilda had gotten the feeling that not using the service would throw her parents in a loop. Besides, her Aunt Holly had been the one to really pester her about it. She had met her newest husband through it, and hadn’t been that happy in a long time. They all hoped that Mattie would find bliss through the service, and hopefully, would not have to use it for a second time. Mattie was sure it wouldn’t come to that. Either her and Steve would be happy together, or Mattie wouldn’t use the service a second time. She was only willing to go through the motions once.

Her dress had been one they had found at a bridal boutique in Indianapolis, after going through eight other dresses. It was one that Mattie had fallen in love with, one that hugged her curves and elongated her already tall frame. They had found matching shoes at a nearby store, and the necklace? It was one Mattie already had, and though it wasn’t gold like the other parts of what would be her bridal outfit, she didn’t want [i]everything[/I to match. Her hairstyle had been one picked out by the three women, and had been kept a secret until that morning, when Mattie had gone to her hair appointment. As for the bouquet, they were her favorite flower, and she would have gotten a bouquet of Steve’s favorite flowers—if he liked flowers—but she didn’t know what they were. She had been the one to select his ring, since it was a basic ring, and she didn’t know what his preferences were.

Their wedding was scheduled to take place at 1:20pm, and they had said it would last for ten minutes at the most. Mattie had most of her things packed up in her Kia Sportage, and her mother was supposed to follow later, bringing the rest of her belongings. As she stood in front of the mirror admiring herself for a minute or two, Mattie’s mind was racing. She knew nothing about the man she was going to marry, except for his name, age, and a few other miscellaneous details. She would be expected to learn the rest on her own, which wasn’t what she was afraid of. She was afraid that the entire thing wouldn’t go well, and that she would have to be in Evergreen alone. Being single in a town filled with married couples was a bit disheartening, if nothing else. It wasn’t that long before a church attendant popped her head in, informing that Mattie needed to finish up. Mattie sighed and grabbed her bouquet, made sure her mother had Steve’s ring, and proceeded to head toward the front of the church, the women following her.

Steve was getting married. He was actually getting married. And no one was there to see it. He looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look too bad if he could say so himself. He found himself really wishing his mother and father could have been there to see this but his mom couldn't afford coming from Germany and his dad was on some business trip to China. And Steve had to admit that this had been rather sudden so he wasn't all that surprised. Still, he felt a little sad they couldn't share this with him as he put a white Daisy on his suit. He knew his mother would have been happy for him, if a bit worried. She'd asked him over the phone if an arranged marriage was what he really wanted. But he didn't know how else he was going to meet someone serious. He'd tried dating but only met women who wanted to have fun, didn't look for anything serious. Maybe he was boring who wanted to settle down?

Steve thought about his soon to be wife. He knew her name was Matilda, that she was younger than him but not much more. He was a little worried the age difference would be to big, that she would be bored with him. He'd never been one for parties or living the high life. He liked when things were calm. He thought about children as well. It was early, too early for them to even be thinking about getting them and he knew that. But He couldn't help it. He really wanted a family. He smiled at the thoughts of having a couple of kids. Even the hard things like putting them to bed when they didn't want to sleep seemed sort of sweet to him. He grimaced, it really didn't help to think about that now.

Steve gave himself one last look in the mirror and then went to the altar. He knew Matilda should be there soon and he found himself hoping she hadn't gotten cold feet. Waiting really was torturous. Until the doors opened and she stepped through. She was really beautiful, he had to admit that. She had really chosen the right dress. He bit his lower lip for a second in a sudden onslaught of nervousness. He wanted this to work out. He really did. As she got closer he offered her a small smile. He wasn't entirely sure what was the appropriate thing to do in this situation. So he leaned forward and whispered softly. "You look really beautiful."

The fact that Mattie was soon to be wed still hadn’t soaked in entirely. Sure, she had risen from slumber that morning—to the sound of her alarm blaring at her—and she had remembered that today was the day. Her boxes had been a sure sign of it, since there were a few packed ones in her room, and a couple of boxes that still needed to be filled. Of course, she hadn’t been alone long before her mother and sister-in-law had arrived, and together, they had filled up Mattie’s car, and had also filled up most of her mother’s car. All three women had been surprised at how much stuff Mattie owned, but then again, she was twenty-five already, and had been living as normal of a life as she could. At least she was sure the house Steve and her would be sharing wouldn’t be so empty.

Mattie was happy to have such a support system, and to know two wonderful women who had each used the marriage service. Both of them had seemingly struck gold with their matches, and although Mattie was hopeful for the same, she knew she had to settle with whatever she was given. The Vow Inc. was very strict on signing up for the service a second time, and they only allowed it under certain circumstances. She was sure she didn’t want to end up at the Eternal Chapel a second time, unless it was for another reason. She wanted this marriage to be her one and only, even if they decided to move away from Evergreen.

Mattie had found herself a little nervous as she stood behind the sanctuary doors, knowing that Steve was on the other side, waiting for her. She was a little reassured by the presence of two family members, and she wondered if Steve would be as lucky. Was there anyone to support him? Friends? Family? Mutual acquaintances, even? She had the feeling most people who did this did it alone. When the doors finally opened, she saw his face for the first time. He was no Brad Pitt, but Mattie didn’t want someone like that. She wasn’t the sort to really care about looks. As long as he was a good man who wanted a family and would treat her well, Mattie was a little more confident that they would almost live happily ever after. An actual happily ever after ending wasn’t possible, since humans certainly weren’t perfect. She walked down the aisle to the music, and when it was finished, she was standing a mere couple of feet away. She hadn’t exactly expected to blush—knowing it wasn’t something she did all that often—but his complement had produced the telltale redness in her cheeks, and it had brought about a smile on her face. “Thanks,” she said quietly, then taking a step up to stand on the same level as him. The minister then began the ceremony.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses, to join Matilda Josephine Moore and Steve Morgan Engelbrecht Dalton in holy matrimony. Though I know these circumstances are slightly odd, the hope of those present is that, someday, love will fill every inch of your lives. In marriage, we not only say, “I love you today,” but also, “I promise to love you for all of our tomorrows.”

“Steve and Matilda, in the days ahead of you, there will be stormy times and good times, times of conflict, and times of joy. I ask you to remember this advice: Never go to bed angry. Let your love be stronger than your anger. Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend than to break. Believe the best of your beloved rather than the worst. Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it. Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. Give your spouse the same courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends. Say “I love you” every day.”

“Steve and Matilda, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong commitment, and a challenge to love one another more completely each and every day. Please join hands and look into each other’s eyes.”

Matilda took Steve’s hands as directed by the minister. She then smiled, her nerves becoming more and more calm.

“Steve, with this understanding, do you take Matilda to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, and to be faithful only to her, so long as you both shall live?”

(Link to wedding script - here.)

Steve tried to concentrate on the ministers words. It did help with the nervous feelings. He didn't get nervous an awful lot but this time he seemed to be. He was marrying a complete stranger so maybe that was to be a expected. She looked kind though, Matilda. He hoped a little that she wasn't a crazy partier but he had told the company that he was a calm person. So he was sure it would be fine. She looked kind, if you could tell those things from just looking at another person. Mostly he was sort of worried that she would be bored with him. He wasn't very exciting after all and he did like things best when they were comfortable.

He knew he would make an effort to make this marriage a good one though. He simply wanted a companion through life. Someone who could maybe one day be his best friend, someone who would be there for him and who he could be there for in return. He didn't expect it to do effortlessly but he had hopes that they would want the same thing and make it work. Why else would they have signed up for the service in the first place?

“Steve, with this understanding, do you take Matilda to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor her, and keep her, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, and to be faithful only to her, so long as you both shall live?”

Steve looked at Matilda and his smile widened a little."I do." He said simply, but with conviction. It wasn't hard things to promise. He knew he would comfort her and honour her and be faithful. And he knew he would love her eventually. Maybe not the traditional kind of love, or maybe that sort of love would grow but he was sure there would be some. How could there not be if they both committed to eac other.

"Matilda, with this understanding, do you take Steve to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to him, so long as you both shall live?"

He thought about what it would be to have someone like that and decided it was a nice thing. Yes, he'd done the right thing signing up for this, he was sure of that. He wasn't exactly an expert on meeting women on his own and he'd always wanted a family. He really hoped they would be one one day.

The longer they stood there, the more Mattie’s nerves were subsiding. Getting married was rather stressful at times, and getting married with such a short engagement was even more anxiety-provoking. But, in the end, there was always the hope that the efforts of both groom and bride would prove to be useless. In the end, the goal was a happy, successful marriage, giving each side the chance to grow old with one another. That was what Mattie wanted. She wanted to share her life with someone, and through her own efforts, it hadn’t begun yet. Her previous relationship with Travis—her ex-boyfriend—had obviously proved to fail, which was part of the reason why Mattie had made the move from one country to another, all to trust her love life with a service…that seemed to only work part of the time, according to some of the longer residents.

”Matilda, with this understanding, do you take Steve to be your wedded husband, to live together in marriage? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, forsaking all others and to be faithful only to him, so long as you both shall live?”

Matilda thought about the words the minister had said. Obviously, they were going to be living together, and they would be married. That was what The Vow was all about. Though Matilda didn’t love him right now, she was sure that in time, that would change. She knew she’d comfort him when something was wrong, and as for honoring him, she would try her hardest. She would care for him and stick by him in the good times and the bad. As for the faithfulness part, she wasn’t really the type to cheat. She had never been, and she had been appalled when her brother had cheated on his wife. So, she knew she could agree to it an actually mean it, doing so with a soft, “I do.”

“Wonderful!” the minister exclaimed, with a little excitement in his voice.

*Three or four minute time skip – exchanging of rings*

Matilda looked down at her left ring finger, which was now adorned by a beautiful ring given to her by Steve. Luckily for her, she had chosen a ring for him that was of the same metal, allowing their rings to match.

“By the power vested in me, by God, and by the state of Indiana, I now pronounce you man and wife.” Matilda then looked at Steve, unsure as to how strongly he planned to kiss her.


(Hopefully, that'll speed things up a bit!)

Steve relaxed a little as he heard the I do from Mattie. He hadn't known he actually worried about it, her saying no and leaving him here. He hadn't wanted to take anything for granted though. Steve knew he wasn't the most handsome bloke in town, far from it really so there had been a chance of him disappointing her. But she didn't seem revolted at least and that had to be a good thing. She was beautiful, he had to admit that. He found himself wondering why she had signed up for this. There couldn't have been any trouble for her to find a date. Then again, finding someone serious and who was ready to settle down seemed to be the real problem. Even he had found dates but very few who wanted something serious.

He was glad to see that their rings did match. He'd been so nervous about that, choosing something she would hate. But he had figured that if she had really hadn't liked it they could always change them later. He glanced down at his own ring, rubbing over the cool metal with his thumb. It felt strange somehow, that something so small could symbolise something very big. He looked over at Mattie and offered a small smile.

Then he heard the minister pronounce them man and wife. So this was were the kiss came in. He would lie if he said that he hadn't thought and worried a little bit about this. What if he kissed her too intimately, or too cold? And which would be worse? Maybe a kiss on the cheek would be more appropriate in their situation. He cleared his throat and leaned in, whispering softly. "I hope this is alright." He leaned in the last bit and just very gently pressed their lips together. He only held it for a second or so before pulling back, a faint blush on his cheeks, hardly noticeable. It wasn't like he'd never kissed before or anything like that but he would have preferred a first kiss being something more private.

Then the music started again, signalling that it was time to move out. Steve smiled a little wider and offered his arm to Matilda so they could go outside. He figured it was time for photos now and then some sort of meal. It wasn't a big wedding so he guessed there wouldn't be any kind of big party afterwards and that was exactly what he was hoping for. Just some food and a nice time. Because he had been a little too nervous to eat properly so that would be nice now. And then he understood that they would be moving into their new home.