14. Sophie

CHAPTER 14

SOPHIE

T he office of the wedding planners, called Something Blue, was located downtown in the heart of Olympus City. Based on a recommendation from one of Noah's assistants, they had hired Kelsey Rain as their wedding planner. Apparently, she had planned some of the biggest celebrity weddings in the country. Sophie was nervous to meet her and had made sure her outfit was immaculate. She didn't want to feel out of place.

The space was light and airy, filled with white and gold accents, along with the occasional splash of baby blue. It was elegant and smelled fresh and floral. Definitely a high-end company.

The young receptionist confirmed their appointment before a perky blonde woman their age appeared from the back and introduced herself as Kelsey Rain.

The woman welcomed them back to her office, which was built more like a studio apartment. In one corner was her personal desk, adjacent to a small kitchenette. On the other end was a large white oval table and chairs and in the last corner was a set of white sofas facing a large portrait of a bride and groom. Upon closer inspection, Sophie realized that the bride in the painting was Kelsey herself.

Kelsey sat them at the large table, which was filled with large binders and an array of baked goods and sweets. She served them both a steaming cappuccino before taking a seat.

Noah didn't touch his coffee but Sophie sipped on hers politely. Now that she was pregnant, she had massively decreased her caffeine intake. Though she loved it too much to give it up completely.

"Beautiful ring. Do you mind?" Kelsey asked.

"Not at all." Sophie offered her hand and Kelsey observed the diamonds for a moment.

"Beautiful. Your fiancé has great taste." She winked at Sophie.

Sophie pulled back her hands, twisting the ring under the table.

Noah's lips tilted upwards, "I take no credit. Sophie picked it out herself."

"Well, with a taste like that, I'm sure we're going to get along just fine." Kelsey smiled, exposing her impeccably straight white teeth. "So, have we picked a date?"

Noah and Sophie shared a glance before he spoke. "I know it's a bit soon, but we were thinking September."

Kelsey clicked her tongue in a teasing manner, "I suppose I'm up for the challenge. So I guess the first thing we should discuss is the venue. It will be hard to secure a spot with limited warning. Do you have any ideas yet? What about a guest list? How many people are you expecting? That should help us narrow it down as well."

Sophie felt frozen. "Maybe somewhere outdoors or with an ocean view? I've looked at a few spots but I'm open to suggestions. And as for the guest list we really haven't discussed it. I know that I would need space for at least twenty-five to thirty people. My family and—" She stopped. Her parents.

She had forgotten to tell her parents that she was engaged. And pregnant!

Noah gave her an odd look but picked up where she had left off. "I've left the location, as well as the majority of the planning, up to Sophie. I am simply here for moral support. As for the guest list, it will be somewhere around two hundred and fifty people. I'll have my assistant add Sophie's guests to the list and send it over to you within the next few days."

Sophie couldn't believe she hadn't thought about it before. What would her parents think about her arrangement? Would she tell them?

"Great, well I'm already thinking about some venue options. If you're not super picky, I'll check out the dates and see what's available for you," Kelsey told them. "Now, Sophie. Tell me all your ideas. From dress, to flowers, to cake."

Sophie hesitated. Of course she had an entire vision of her dream wedding. But would she regret using it? Noah had said that their marriage didn't have to last forever. What if she decided to remarry one day?

Instead of revealing all her ideas, Sophie offered vague descriptions of what she did and didn't like, letting Kelsey guide her into different options as she flipped through her large binder.

When it was clear that neither Sophie or Noah had much to offer, Kelsey sent her home with a list of decisions to make before their next appointment. She also provided them with a list of recommended photographers, bakeries, and hair and makeup artists.

A lot of the things could not be decided until they picked a venue, such as themes, colors, and decor, so the list for now was simple: guest list, ceremony, reception plans, and menu.

Sophie tucked the list into her sleek black tote bag and thanked Kelsey for her help.

When they were walking back to Noah's car, he stopped her.

"What happened in there?"

"Do you want to have dinner with my parents?" she blurted. "I, um, haven't told them about us… about this yet. I totally understand if you don't want to, but I just figured it might be easier if—"

"Sure," Noah replied, cutting her off.

"Oh. Okay," she said, relieved.

He smiled. "It's only fair. Do you think you're going to tell them the truth about us or…?"

"I'm not sure yet," she admitted.

"Okay, well I will support whatever you decide."

She didn't think it would be so easy to convince him. "Thanks."

"You know, this is your wedding, Sophie. If you want to be more involved in the planning you should be. It looked like you were holding back in there. Obviously you're not obligated to plan it but if you want to, don't hold back, okay?"

Sophie smiled. "Okay."

Sophie spent the next evening reviewing some of the venues that Kelsey had sent over. She wasn't fond of the barn venues or ones that were too close to downtown. Instead she fell in love with the Rose Meadow Pavilion.

It was only a short distance from the water with large windows so you could see into the garden and out to the ocean. The inside, where the ceremony would be held, had beautiful white columns with carved statues and ornate gold accents. It had a larger room downstairs to host the reception as well. It even had access to the garden, so that the party could be both outside and inside.

Sophie texted Kelsey immediately, telling her to book it for September sixteenth.

It was perfect and luxurious. There would be ample room for all of their guests.

When she got the confirmation text back from Kelsey, she could have screamed with excitement.

Sophie texted Noah some details and photos of the Rose Meadow Pavilion.

It's perfect, he texted back.

Now that the venue was sorted, Sophie needed to start crossing the other items off her list. At first she'd thought the list was simple, but now that she really thought through each one, it was going to be a lot of work. Flower girl? Menus? Invitations?

Sophie tried to focus on the easiest one. The guest list. She wrote down her immediate family members along with her closest friends. When she finished, she had twenty-nine people in total.

She panicked at the thought of having to tell her parents but figured that it was best to get it over with. That way it wouldn't be a complete shock when they went to dinner next week.

Sophie picked up her phone and called her parents.