Chapter 22: The Weddings

~~ July - Weeks 27 ~~

The brides and grooms were in final preparations.

The first three couples were in the tents that were constructed at the end of the aisle. They were getting pimped out for the final walk. They had tossed a coin to decide who got to walk down first and who was next. Sandra and Dave were first, and then Anita and Terry. Leigh and DT were bringing up the rear.

Dave wore a tuxedo and the other boys their military dress. The brides and their bride’s maids looked lovely in the dresses that Tammy had helped make.

The first wedding went off with few hitches. The funniest part was when a strong breeze lifted all the girls’ skirts, and they flashed their faerie silk underwear at the guests to many sniggers and a few wolf whistles.

The first group were married at 11:00 U-hours (Utopia time) with lunch at 12:00 U-hours Several weeks before, they had altered their clocks on the ship and the planet to match local time. There was even talk of altering their week as well as most of their rosters followed a six-day pattern as Sparky said the Utopian week was.

The cooks kept wedding-lunch light but interesting as the bigger feast was to be later. Andre’ had made the wedding cakes for all the couples. Since so many couples were being married, he kept them small, but each was unique to match the couples colour schemes and preferences.

As they had been a ‘dry ship’, no one was expecting alcohol. However, just before the speeches, the servers came around with trays of watermelon & grape juice in Debora’s wine glasses. The juices were laced with honey and carbonated. They also had a generous dash of gin added.

While it wasn’t champagne, nobody refused the drink, and nobody left a drop, even those who normally didn’t drink like Ram and Aishah. They decided to partake due to the spirit in which it was offered. Theirs just lasted longer than most.

Essco and Tammy had little trouble sculling down theirs. Of course, they both complained it should have been champagne, but still drank the gin. Essco complained more to not look out of character, than for any other reason. Frank and Ben also happily drank theirs, as they both agreed it was an excellent way to serve gin; it even had ice in it.

Pedro, Larry and Juanita had set the still back up. Under Pedro’s tutelage and modifications to the still, they had gotten busy. He had turned Rodgers crates of nondescript tasting high percentage alcohol into Gin.

(Note: gin usually requires juniper berries, but Magda had found a berry in Utopia that for all intent was a juniper berry as far as Pedro was concerned, the faeries had collected them for him).

He had also made Vodka, which made the Russians and quite a few non-Russians very happy. The Captain and Philip had even allowed them to make a ‘fruit punch’ as long as they didn’t go overboard, for the second wedding feast.

The punch was definitely a party favourite even if watered down alcohol wise. It gave a nice hit, and everyone relaxed, but no one got too drunk. As shot as Essco’s nerves were, he wasn’t game to drink too much. He even left early.

The second wedding was to be held at 18:00 U-hours and the dinner at 19:30 U-hours As the time grew close and everyone got seated, they still had not seen Lee’s or Kyle’s wedding apparel. They had set up a boy’s tent and a girl’s tents either side of a curtained off area behind the aisle they were to walk down.

Queen Sparky and Prince Ross, lead the procession down the aisle between the seats. They both wore white, but it was covered in minute sparkles, so the light rippled over the material and it appeared as if shimmering rainbows were running over their bodies.

Sparky had a beautiful crown, and Ross had a woven diadem made in five different bands of precious metals. They even had sprinkles of the fine mineral sand on their wings, so they too shone and glittered in the late afternoon light.

Sparky’s dress was in different transparent layers like petals with the white underlay that covered her feet. It had a triangle bodice narrowing at her tiny waist and long flowing sleeves. A high bat-collar was on the train.

It was pimped with tiny seed pearls and a long flowing train that was almost totally transparent. It looked like rainbow mist trailing after her. The two unmarried faerie girls Ciar and Taillte held it. They were dressed in flowing, sparkling, lilac frocks.

Ross also had the high bat-collar on his clock, and his suit was close-fitting with seed pearl buttons and decorations. The coat had low points in the front and long tails in the rear similar to the tuxedo’s the other men had worn. Everyone agreed the couple looked elegant and royal. The faeries got to the Captain, bowed their heads and then turned to watch the next couple come down the aisle.

Debora stepped into the aisle with her bridesmaid Bindy behind her carrying her train. She had elected for the ivory satin look. The bodice was of a sleeveless Victorian design and displayed her luscious breasts to their best. The waist was amazingly narrow, and the bodice ended in points over her cunnie and butt.

The skirt billowed out in two layers. The longer underlay a soft pink, the ivory overlay with scallops was decorated with little pink silk roses Tammy had spent hours making.

She had a larger rose between her breasts. Tammy had used the ivory lace to make a train. Tammy’s gold and diamond-studded tiara was used to hold the veil in place. The ensemble was completed with satin, above the elbow, fingerless gloves and satin slippers.

Behind her walked Tony and Kyle. Tony was in a Black Tuxedo with a pale pink shirt and a gold and pink tie. A yellow gold-coloured silk vest with a pink rose in his lapel and black shoes. He looked very handsome. To complement him in a splendid shimmering white silk almost Tuxedo, it was similar to Ross’, was Kyle.

Kyle too had the pink shirt but had a darker gold vest, no tie and white shoes. The suit was cut to show off his body, and the tails shaped his arse to perfection. He also had his bling visible. The tie would have clashed with his medallion. He had the pink rose in his buttonhole.

Debora bowed her head at the Captain and turned to see what the guests were ‘ohing’ at. She saw the boys and gasped at the sight of them. She couldn’t believe she was going to marry not one but two of the most handsome men she had ever met. She even loved the black and white contrast.

She was, however, a little confused about the gold diadem, the medallion and the gold baton on Kyle’s hip and the strange ring on his right middle finger. Kyle hadn’t worn jewellery as long as she had known him, except for the ring Sean had given him. To see him so dressed and that strange glow around him was a little intimidating.

Then Kyle gave her his million-watt smile, and Debora knew everything was just how it should be and returned his smile. The boys arrived on either side of Debora and turned to watch the last couple come down the aisle.

The wedding march started again and went through several bars before Lee finally entered. She was very nervous. She didn’t really like being the centre of attention, but she knew on this day, she was just going to have to grin and bear it. She put out her chin, pulled back her shoulders, tucked in her arse and started the slow steps in beat with the music.

The rows were hushed as she passed. She kept her eyes forward locked on the Captain and walked as her heart beat fast. To those in the pews, it was if a Warrior Queen had stepped out of the history pages and graced them with her presence.

She was a monarch who floated down the aisle, not deigning to look at those beneath her. For some, the glow coming from her was almost blinding.

Her long red hair had been turned into ringlets. They trailed over one shoulder with tiny white flowers woven into it. The platinum diadem was visible on her forehead. The Dress as such was platinum, and its over-skirt split at the point of her fanny flowed like liquid metal around her hips and legs. The delicate, soft white tissue-like petals of her underdress flowed around her feet as she glided down the aisle.

The full body-length bodice looked like a platinum breastplate that conformed to her every curve. It was covered with delicate scrollwork in a floral pattern. Small diamonds and rubies studded the design.

It had no sleeves, and her breasts just peeked above the firm breast cups. The medallion dangled between her breasts. Her train had a high bat collar and was pinned in the front like Sparky’s, but it was deep red with a transparent sheen and sat like a cloak across the front curves of her shoulders.

The train was decorated with a glowing fine red thread with the same scrollwork as her dress. It was just lighter than the colour of the material with small rubies dotting it. It looked like flames were running up and down the material as it rippled behind her.

It was held by Ide, Feme and Muirín. They were all dressed in deep red in a similar style to the other faerie bridesmaids. Lee also wore high-heel knee-high platinum boots, which peeked between the folds of her skirt as she glided down the aisle.

Lee also wore her bling visible like Kyle except hers was platinum, including her wand stuck to her waist. The small white bouquet that she carried hid the magical ring.

Behind her entered Sean and Gary splendid in full Australian Army military dress. Both men had a very impressive array of medals on their chests. Every piece of metal gleamed. Both had a dress beret on his head, Aiguillette’s on their right arms and spit-polished black dress shoes on their feet.

Both men had to smile when they passed Juanita, and she said loud enough to be heard, “There goes two of the finest arses in the Army.”

Lee bowed to the Captain and moved to the right. Sean stepped up beside her and Gary stopped at his side just behind him. Both men saluted the Captain, who acknowledged them with a bow of his head.

Sparky, Ross, Kyle, Debora and Tony all turned to the Captain. The faeries returned to their high perch with the others. Bindy and Gary stepped back and sat, and the Captain started the proceedings.