My sister-in-law really wanted to wear a white lace dress to my wedding, so I came up with a way to trick her.
2014 was a year full of big hopes and dreams. On a less traditional note, my partner and I, Leo, decided to get married. Instead, we planned a costume wedding with a Firefly theme. Still, not everyone was thrilled about our big day.
We were really excited about it and thought it would be a great way to show how much we loved each other and the show. Our friends and family were thrilled, and some of them started making costumes before we even sent out the invites. Leo and I weren’t the only ones who were excited. Our excitement levels were always high.
We all think about Leo’s one request: he wanted his sister Angie to be a bridesmaid. This didn’t seem right to me at first. My feelings for Angie had never really been the same. But I agreed because Leo loved her so much. He also had a big day in the end. From the start, we decided that each person in the wedding party would dress up as a different character from the show. I thought that was a pretty clear rule.
Angie was the only thing that didn’t go as planned. She didn’t seem to care at all right away. She would brush it off or move on every time the subject of costumes came up. I tried to calm things down by thinking that she just wasn’t interested in costume. But it wasn’t just apathy; it looked like she was trying to be difficult on purpose.
I suggested we watch Firefly one night while Leo and I were at her flat. It’s fun that you can pick a character for the wedding.
Angie just laughed and went through the Netflix choices. “No, let’s skip that and watch something else.” What about a love comedy?
Leo shrugged his shoulders when I looked at him. This kept going on for a few weeks. There were times when I tried to get Angie to take a stand, but she wouldn’t. After getting another call about what she should wear, I finally did something about it.
Saying, “I’ll email you some options” helped me hide how annoyed I was with her. “A variety of characters are there.” One will definitely work.
That night, I got through all of the shows in one sitting, pausing every so often to take pictures and make notes. Angie wanted to nurse quickly, and I thought about it—she did have a baby, after all. Characters on the cast included a realistic school teacher, a cute robot who likes comedy, and some of the show’s friends, each with their own style.
When I sent the email, I was both relieved and ready to give up. At least I did what I could to help.
After some days, Angie called. “Thank you for the email, but shouldn’t I just show up as myself?” Or maybe just a regular villager?”
I took a big breath in and brought my phone closer to my ear. “Angie, the plan is for each of us to play a different Firefly character. We really appreciate it, and picking from the list I gave you isn’t that hard.
After a short pause, she let out a sigh that was full of doubt. All right, I’ll take another look. I’m not sure I’ll enjoy any of them, though.
I wanted to answer her sharply, but I bit my tongue because of the way she spoke. “Please just let me know.” Much sooner rather than later. “Almost everyone else is taken care of.”
She said, “Sure, whatever,” and then hung up.
There was a never-ending list of things to do in the weeks before the wedding. People had to change their clothes at the last minute, decorate, and do a lot of other things. The outfit Angie wore was a surprise the whole time. Leo tried to calm things down by suggesting that I might be more flexible.
Among the piles of fabric and ribbon one night, he told me, “Babe, it’s just one costume.”
I said back, “But it’s the principle.” “She said it was okay with her. Not just looking the part, but also taking part in this with us is important.
He clearly wasn’t sure which of his sister and me to answer, but he seemed to understand what I was saying. Even though I tried not to get too upset, things were getting tense between us.
As the wedding got closer, Angie’s lack of interest in her outfit turned into a full-on story. We had talked, but every time we got to the annoying part, she hadn’t even looked at the character list I had worked so hard to make for her. The worry of planning a wedding and making costumes had worn me down to the breaking point.
“Angie, have you looked over the list already?” I sounded hoping that this time would be different when I told her on the phone, “There are lots of characters you could easily dress as.”
It’s true, I’ll investigate it tonight. This week has been really busy at work, and I had a lot of other things to do.
“But you’ve had it for longer than a week.” Dear Ang, I don’t want to seem pushy, but this is very important to me. I want you to give it some serious thought. Although I begged, I knew there was nothing I could do to get to her.
Angie called me while I was making the last flower girl gowns, which were cute little outfits based on the character River. It was a very tiring day. Are you willing to make the choice for me? She pleaded, “Please help me decide what to wear.”
I came to my senses quickly and made up my mind. “Okay, you’ll go as Petaline, the pregnant sex worker!” I yelled, referring to a small-part character who is known more for her part in the story than for her time on screen.
Angie said, “Okay, whatever works,” without really paying attention to the character. I hung up the phone feeling both relieved and angry. I felt bad about the hasty choice I made because Angie might not have liked it. One part, though, was too tired to worry. I had given her every chance to make up her mind.
Sad to say, my break didn’t last long. A week after the wedding, one of the other girls called me in a panic.
“Absolutely no reason to have her at your wedding, Zel.”
Do you mean? Who are you talking about?”
“Oh no!” “Have you seen what she in?”
No problem, that’s right. My advice was for her to be Petaline. Even though it seems like a weird choice, she wasn’t interested, and I was tired. I just said, “That’s how she would dress.”
“Petaline is a better choice than what she’s planning to wear.”
I didn’t like the thought of her showing up in whatever she wanted, without even asking me first. “What did she suggest?”
She’s picking out a white lace dress. like a wedding dress. “It was said to come with a veil.”
It goes without saying that I was livid. Despite this, I kept my cool. In other words, I had a plan.
When the wedding day finally came, there was a mad rush to get dressed. Friends and family dressed up in bright costumes that paid tribute to our best show, Firefly. They really got into the theme.
Angie walked into the room with confidence and wore a white dress. But the other bridesmaids caught her as soon as she got to the spot and led her to where she could change. They put her in the cutest Petaline outfit I had ever seen, even though she begged them not to. Even so, she agreed to wear her costume when I yelled at her, and she went on to talk to other people and laugh, blissfully unaware of the history of her part.
People didn’t find out the truth until a casual lunch after the wedding. A laughing friend of Leo’s brought up the figure while they were talking.
“Angie, you really nailed the look of a pregnant prostitute!”He raised his glass to a toast and said, “That was such a strange choice.”
Angie’s eyes looked at me with hurt and confused looks, and her smile went away. Do you mean? Did I say I was that person?
When I met hers, my own look was strongest. Yes, I agree. It was I who told you about your cover.
When the table went silent, you could feel the stress in the air. I could see the anger and shame rising up behind Angie’s eyes as she got red. Your help would have helped me learn more about her. Your actions made me look stupid!”
Stepping in, Leo spoke in a steady, serious way. Erin gave you numerous months to pick someone, Ang. She ended up doing a lot. You were required to ask more questions (job).
Angie pushed her chair back and shook her head. “I never thought she would really make someone like that for me.” It’s just mean. There was even an outfit I owned here!”
“It makes sense to say that you could have done your part better.” I replied, “And I didn’t think your wedding dress was appropriate.” My words were filled with the stress and pain of the past few months. “You knew how important this was to us.” You would have tried if you really cared as much as you say you do.
Angie soon after left, which ruined what had been a nice celebration. We agreed to gently invite her to hang out with us again after we talked about it. She finally said yes to the dinner invitation, even though I joked on it that jeans and t-shirts were the only clothes that would be acceptable.
Even with this small problem, the wedding was still a happy event in our lives. Even though there was a bump, it was still a happy memory full of love, fun, and a little space cowboy charm.
What would you have done to deal with this?
