It’s a bright and sunny day. A perfect day for Celeste and Maxim to get married.

The wedding is being held at a ritzy Scottsdale resort and golf course, McCormick Ranch. The ceremony is outside, on an emerald lawn framed by Camelback Mountain and McCormick Lake as its backdrop.

The scenery includes a large wooden arch adorned with beautiful flowers, with the reception to be held later in the palatial West Lawn Pavilion. Celeste certainly has good taste.

Gavin and I sit down next to Veronica and Isaac, among other guests, in one of the rows of white chairs. There’s an adorable baby sitting in Veronica’s lap; she has red hair tied in two yellow mini pigtails that stick up on top of her head because she doesn’t have hair long enough for real pigtails.

“Oh my gosh, she’s so cute!” I exclaim. “Is that little Flannery?”

“It sure is,” Veronica says.

“Nice to meet you, little Flannery,” I say, immediately ascending my tone into a high pitched baby voice without even thinking about. “You really are so very cute.”

Wanna hold her?” Veronica asks. “I need to re-apply my lipstick.”

“Sure!” I answer, “although I’m rather surprised you’re trusting me with your baby when we’re still practically strangers.”

“Oh, please,” Veronica says, with a wave of her hand. I love how chill and laid back she is. “I know good mom material when I see it.”

“Great,” Gavin says, as Veronica passes Flannery to me. “We just got engaged and now she’s going to want a baby already.”

“Don’t be silly, honey,” I tell him, as Flannery smiles up at me and I smile back. “I don’t want a baby just yet.”

“Not just yeeee-eeeeet,” I repeat, tickling Flannery’s cheeks as she coos at me.

“Oh, I really can tell,” Gavin says sarcastically.

“We need to enjoy being newlyweds first,” I tell him, as Flannery starts blowing raspberries at me. “Before we settle down into the big responsibilities.”

“That’s what you say now,” Gavin says. “But just give it a month or two of being engaged.”

“Yeah, when is your wedding going to be?” Veronica asks. “Maybe we can come to that too.”

“You’ll definitely be invited,” I tell her. “But we haven’t set a date yet.”

Flannery laughs at this and I bounce her up and down on my leg, saying, “We haven’t set a date yet, we haven’t set a date yet, we haven’t set a date yet,” in a sing- songy voice.

“Well, I have to admit that’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” Gavin says. “I guess maybe we shouldn’t wait too long to have a baby.”

“See?” I tell Veronica. “I knew I’d convince him soon enough.”

“I think he was already convinced,” Veronica says with a wink. “Seems like someone’s got him wrapped around her little finger.”

“You mean Flannery?” Gavin says, reaching out a finger that the baby readily grasps. “Babies sure can be cute.”

“She obviously meant me,” I say with a laugh, waving my ring finger around. “Because clearly I already have this big rock wrapped around my finger.”

We laugh but then the music starts so all of us fall quiet, except for Flannery who is still blowing raspberries, oblivious to the seriousness and reverence of the situation.

Maxim walks down the aisle and stands waiting for Celeste. His groomsmen then join him. Maxim looks dashing in his tuxedo, but also kind of like a nervous little boy. I can’t really blame him. It’s obvious that he’s so in love with Celeste.

A pretty young woman walks down the aisle, carrying a bouquet of flowers. I look down at the program— Flannery tries to grab it out of my hands as if she thinks it’s a game— and see the name “Rachel” listed as Matron of Honor before Flannery manages to snatch it away.

I smile at her and shake my head “no,” but I let her have the piece of paper anyway. Gavin’s right. Flannery’s got everyone wrapped around her cute little finger.

The violin string quartet begins playing A Midsummer Night’s Dream and everyone stands up. Celeste is escorted down the aisle by her parents. She’s wearing a beautiful ivory dress that shows off her hourglass figure, hugging her curves in all the right places. She is simply breath taking.

As she stands with Maxim and they say their vows, I can’t wait for my own wedding day. I look down at Flannery still sitting in my lap and wonder what else is in store for Gavin and me in our journey. I can’t believe we ended up here from where we started, but I guess Celeste and Maxim are probably thinking the same thing right about now, and look at them.

The couple who started all of us off, getting married and making it official. And Gavin and I are next… eventually.

He takes my hand in his and I look down at my sparking ring, wanting to remember this day forever. As he winks at me while Celeste and Maxim are pronounced man and wife, I know he’s thinking the exact same thing.

We are a match made in heaven, even if our heaven was a little less traditional than most.