My husband’s best friend wanted to find the perfect wedding venue and chose our home. I gladly allowed her to have her big day at our home for free. I spent months helping with decor, vendors, and even the cake. But the day before the wedding, she didn’t invite me…for the most ridiculous reason.
I stood in the backyard of our house and surveyed the venue where Nancy’s wedding was to be held the next day. White chairs were arranged in neat rows in front of the oak tree where she and Josh would exchange vows against a backdrop of rolling hills and a sparkling lake….
Peter and I bought this property three years ago, and it really was something special.
He said, coming up behind me and putting his arm around my waist, ‘It looks amazing, Evelyn.’ ‘Nancy’s going to love it.’
I leaned against his chest. ‘I hope so. I’ve been planning this for months.’
‘You’ve done everything possible and impossible. Most people would have just suggested the venue.’
‘Well, she’s your best friend. And I wanted her day to be perfect.’
Peter kissed the top of my head. ‘That’s why I love you…you’re always thinking of others.’
‘They should be arriving for rehearsal soon. I just want to make sure everything is ready.’
‘Trust me, it will be,’ he said, squeezing me reassuringly. ‘You’ve thought of everything.’
‘You really think so?’
‘I think so…you’re amazing.’
The sound of tyres on gravel interrupted our moment. Nancy and Josh had arrived.
‘They’re here!’ said I, feeling a rush of excitement. ‘I can’t wait to show her everything.’
Nancy got out of the car and her fiancé followed, looking, as always, slightly dazed.
‘There’s my beautiful bride!’ I exclaimed, walking towards them with open arms.
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Nancy gave me a quick, tight hug. ‘The chairs are wrong.’
I blinked dumbfoundedly. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I wanted them to stand in a semicircle, not in even rows. Didn’t you get my message?’
I pulled out my phone, checking messages. ‘I don’t see anything about a semicircle.’
She sighed dramatically. ‘It doesn’t matter. We can fix this. Where are the flowers?’
‘They’ll be delivered tomorrow morning, fresh, just like we agreed.’
Nancy frowned. ‘I hope they get the colours right this time. The sample bouquet was all wrong.’
Behind her, Josh smiled apologetically at me. We’d barely spoken since we’d arrived. A lorry rumbled down the driveway, followed by two more cars.
‘Finally,’ Nancy muttered, then raised her voice. ‘This way! Start unloading everything!’
She turned to me, her face suddenly serious. ‘We need to talk.’
‘Sure, what’s up?’ I asked, still smiling.
Nancy grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the others.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked, confused by her tenseness.
The look on her face became one I’d never seen before. ‘Look, Evelyn, you’ve given us a place…that’s good and all. But listen, I don’t want you at the wedding tomorrow.’
‘What?’ I stared at her, sure I’d misheard her.
‘You heard me,’ she said, her voice cold and detached. ‘I don’t want you there.’
‘I don’t understand. Why?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, you know WHY.’
I shook my head, genuinely embarrassed.
‘Why didn’t anyone tell me you were dating Josh?’ – She demanded.
The realisation of that fact hit me like a slap in the face. Josh and I had had a brief fling in college, but it had ended and we’d drifted apart. We hadn’t spoken to each other until Nancy introduced him at their engagement party, and even then our conversation hadn’t gone beyond a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hello’.
‘This? It’s nothing special. A silly student crush over a decade ago. We didn’t even have anything serious… It didn’t last long and we remained acquaintances. It’s not even worth mentioning.’
‘And I don’t care,’ Nancy snapped back. ‘It’s MY day, and I don’t want some woman who slept with my fiancé standing around and making a big deal out of it. So yeah, you’re not coming.’
The words hung between us as my mind tried to comprehend what was happening.
After all I’ve done – months of planning, countless hours spent helping choose decorations, tasting cakes and meeting with vendors… she’s not inviting me to a wedding on my own property?
‘Nancy, you can’t be serious. This is my home.’
‘And I’m grateful you let us use it,’ she replied, waving her hand dismissively. ‘Peter can come, of course. Just not you.’
‘After all I’ve done for your wedding?’
‘I appreciate that. But it’s out of the question.’
Before I could answer, she turned to the delivery crew and snapped her fingers. ‘Come on, start unloading everything!’
The way she casually commanded people on my property, right after not inviting me to the party, was just unreal. I froze, unable to form a coherent response.
Then I felt Peter’s hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch grounded me.
‘Everything okay in here?’ – He asked, shifting his gaze from me to Nancy.