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“Sure,” her mother finally replied. “Let’s just start trying the dresses. We’ve already been here for half an hour.”
With a sullen look, Aurora turned her attention to me, and then she smiled.
“You can get started,” she said. “I’m going to try a few dresses on, so please watch me a bit and capture these moments. I'm sure it will be apparent on my face if I find the one I like among the most, and I'll also make sure to be as expressive as possible so that you can also capture all the ones I think are absolutely ridiculous, which will be most of them.”
She said the last part louder than was needed, but when I saw her eyes go to the matron behind us, I understood and couldn’t help but be amused. I liked her even more.
“Sure,” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll get started immediately. Just act as usual and try to forget that I’m here. I’ll handle it all.”
“Alright,” she replied and returned to her seat.
I went to a corner to pull out my equipment and camera, and soon I was set up and ready. I watched as they held the dresses up to her one by one. They debated about the rest, but Aurora didn't actually get to try any one of them, even though the women kept insisting that if she did, she would like it even more. Instead, she kept a frown on her face and kept drinking the non-alcoholic champagne they had delivered to them.
I captured it all—the brooch on the table, her frowned and slight slouch, and the way her mother watched through it all. Then, of course, I didn’t miss how Madelyn, the matron, stared at me multiple times as though I was a complete eyesore. As a result, I made sure on a particular shot to turn on my flash with the hope to linger with it. She blinked at the sudden brightness and seemed to be even more annoyed. But when Aurora's mom finally put her foot down and insisted that the dress she was holding on to had to be tried, she turned to her mother and smiled. Aurora turned then to look at me, and I knew that she was asking for my opinion, which made me wonder if she had any true freedom.
I gave a glance at the dress, and although it was a little bit more ballgown than I would have preferred, it was still a gorgeous dress that I thought would be extremely flattering. So, I nodded in support.
“It will give us more pictures to create a story out of,” I said, and she smiled and rose to her feet.
“We’re not creating a story here or whatever,” Madelyn cut in rudely. “This is serious business. There will be more people than you can even?—”
I shut my ears off to her nonsense and lifted the camera to my face to continue on with my work. She was tired out, I was focused, and I enjoyed every minute of my work.
Five minutes in, and I could no longer decide which dress I liked the best. And so, even though Aurora still looked very reluctant, I doubted that it was because of the difficult circumstances surrounding her wedding. Instead, it felt as though she, just like me, was falling in love with every single one and almost not even caring anymore that the direction of the wedding was not according to her wishes.
But these dresses! I couldn’t stop pausing in between shots just so I could look at them with my own eyes. Each time she looked at me and I nodded, almost in a trance, and began to even imagine myself in them.
Eventually, though, she took a seat, exhausted, and I smiled and took her photos in this state as well.
“So, what do we think?” her mother asked, looking down at her probably impeccable notes.
“I have no idea,” she said. “I like all of them but I don’t know yet.”
I was in the same predicament as her, but I did have a suggestion.
“I could work on these photos today and send them to you,” I said. “I took photos of you wearing each one, so this might help.”
“Thank you,” she said, her gaze lighting up. I smiled as well, obsessed with my photos as I flipped through the screen.
“We have to choose the menu and desserts in a few days as well as meet with the event planner in the wedding hall,” her mother told me. “Will you be coming along as well?”
I lifted my head then, but before I could even look at Aurora with the question, she nodded and proclaimed her response.
“Of course, she will be,” she said. “She will be accompanying me throughout the entire process. So, she’ll be there as well.”
“You should speak to the event planner about this,” her mother said, and this time, I was on her side.
Aurora looked at me and then her mother.
“She’s not the one getting married. I’ll let her know beforehand so that she doesn't give Evelyn any trouble, but on this one aspect, I’m not budging for any reason.”
Sighing, her mom stood to her feet and then grabbed her purse. The attendants, as well as Madam Madelyn, also came over, ready to escort her out of the bridal shop.
“I guess we’ll see you then in a few days. Today was successful enough.”
We watched her leave, but just before she was no longer within earshot, she thanked her.
“I was happy having you here, Mom,” she said. “Thank you.”
