The birds just started chirping, created a beautiful melody in the morning. The sun hadn’t even rises yet, but the house bustled already. Under the lamps lighting, some people were working, making sure everything were ready.

Round tables covered with white cloths arranged in the yard, each of them had a vase of wildflowers, silver wares placed neatly along with the napkins. Each table rounded by eight chairs that also covered in white cloths, with a sweet pale blue ribbon at the behind. At the left, a makeshift wooden dance floor was placed. A makeshift stage at its side, completed with a grand black piano and band equipments.

Shifted to the right side of the yard that could be seen from where the tables placed, rows of chair that also covered in white cloths sat patiently, waiting to be witnessed the sacred ceremony. Each rows had two posts that topped with another vase of wildflowers at each sides. The rows of chairs divided into two columns, flanked the aisle that started with an arch of wildflowers. Another wildflowers arrangement also placed at the end of the aisle. White grand piano was put at the front in the right side.

The golden sunshine began to appear from afar, the chirping birds sounded louder. Morning breeze blown, bringing the sweet scent of the morning. The house became busier, foots steeps moved firmer and quicker, competed with the time.

In a room, a woman teary eyed watching her reflection at the mirror, suddenly missed her late mother. If only the woman who delivered her twenty three years ago into this world was given the opportunity to savor this moment with her. If only… but even when grown up she just known her mother from stories that her father told. The bride’s mother passed away since the bride was five. But let not recalled the memory. Today was about the happiness of the wedding. And deep down the bride knew her mother would be happy for her.

White gown enveloped her body – the cut was simple yet the lace made it very elegant. The hair was styled with a simple knot at her nape, leaving her long hair dangled until reached her back. Her face was painted with minimum makeup, emphasized her natural beauty. Her white stiletto wasn’t shown for the length of her gown that touched the grown, but when she tried to walk, its point peeked under the gown hem. And somehow she felt giddier.

“It’s almost the time,” she said while looked to the outside, seeing the golden rays appeared from afar. She was alone in the room, waiting to be summoned.

A knock at the door, and a second later it swung open, revealed her father who dressed in his best tuxedo.

“Appa,” she said smiling. But her smile quivered for seeing the expression on her father’s face.

“My baby is getting married,” the guy who raised her forced a smile, made tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

“Appa…”

“If your omma was given the opportunity to see this day, she’ll surely be happy as long as you’re happy, sweetheart. Even she’ll cry hard afterwards, but she’ll be happy.”

“Appa…” a tear escaped and flowed down her cheek. She stepped forward and touched her father arms.

“Hush now,” he pulled a handkerchief and wiped her tear away, slowly for afraid it would ruin her makeup. “You wouldn’t want to have puffy eyes in your wedding day.” He tried to joke, even his own expression wasn’t better. “I came here to give you this,” he pulled another thing from his pocket. Things.

A small velvet box and an envelope.

She reached the velvet box first and opened it. A pair of pearls earrings that she knew was belonged to her late mother. She saw it multiple times, the only pair of her mother jewelry which her father not handed to her. She lifted her head and looked at her father in the eyes.

“She must be wanted to be with you today. I’m sorry if all this time I never let you to wear the earrings. It just this is the only things that always she wore, and I can pretend if she’s around when I see them on the nightstand. I’m sorry, sweetie. You can have them after this,” He told her, drawn her tears back. “Oh, and I still have this,” he gave her the envelope, the added, “I wouldn’t even surprise if you told me you choose him because he’s a poet. I should leave and let you read it. Just keep the hanky I know you’ll be crying again. I’ll tell the makeup artist to come back later before the ceremony start.” And with that, he turned and walked to the door.

After the door closed behind her father, she put the box and envelope on her vanity table. She picked the pearl first and put them on her ears after removed the pair she wore before. Wiped her eyes with her father’s hanky, she let the vague memory of her childhood with her mother came.

“Omma,” she whispered, then picked the letter.

She smiled reading what her soon-to-be-husband wrote. She never knew he was such a romantic soul. When they were together, he was quite and she was always the talking one. Truth to be told, this marriage she was willing to enter was a big gamble, she didn’t really know him, didn’t really know his habit. Even so, her heart told her he was the one. He was the right person to her. And with that thought in mind, her smile got bigger.

Another knock on the door, and a girl she just knew for several months entered the suit. The girl was her soon-to-be-sister-in-law, the sister of her groom.

“Unnie, omo you’re very pretty. Oppa did a good job finding his bride,” she greeted her whit giggle.

She only could put her smiling face heard the girl.

“Before I become your bridesmaid, I’m a carrier pigeon here.” She shoved an envelope and a velvet box into her hand, the box was bigger than what her father brought earlier. “Open it,” she urged her.

“Thank you, Jiyeon-ah,” she told the girl who just two years younger than her.

“Neh, cheonman.” she answered. The pretty girl beamed with her dazzling smile.

As she was told, she opened the box and found a gold necklace with simple cut diamond as the pendant.

“Let me help you, unnie.” Not waited for her answer, Jiyoen took the necklace from the box. She had no other choice but turned her back to the girl and let her put the necklace. She looked at the mirror for her reflection. It was beautiful. And she loved it.

After Jiyeon left, she opened the envelope and found another handwriting card inside. She would definitely keep the cards later. And she would remember his handwriting.

“You’ll ruin your makeup if you crying,” said a mature voice, made her turned to the door direction and found a middle age woman in modern hanbok walked toward her entered the room. She didn’t hear her opened the door.

“Omonim,” she touched her cheek and indeed what the older woman said was true. Quickly she took the handkerchief her father gave her and wiped her tears.

“Welcome to the family.” The older woman stated with a small smile. “I only can hope you can stand on my son’s side, help him, cherish him, and love him. Our life maybe very different from yours all this time, but a mother wish is only her children happiness.”

She knew she was going to cry for the warm she felt in her eyes and her groom’s mother looked blurred in her view.

“Omonim…”

“Here, I don’t come to make you cry,” the woman said, showed her a vintage hairpin. “This is mine and I’ll let you borrow this for the day. I got this from my late sister, the only family that I had before I have mine,” she told her while walked around her and put the pin in her hair. The woman turned her body to the mirror so she could see the hairpin adorned the left side of her hair.

“This is very beautiful, omonim,” she told her, smiled at the woman reflection on the mirror. The woman smiled back.

“You’re beautiful and I can only hope you’re heart as beautiful as you.” She answered while handed her an envelope. She guessed whom it from, and one hundred percent she was sure she was right.

“I’ll leave you to read it. I don’t know why you two insisted for sunrise wedding but still pulling this stunt,” and with that she left her alone.

The words that written drawn her smile, certified she was falling for him, deeper.

“Aigoo, this namja will be the death of me.” She said to herself, both of her hands cupped her warm face. Her face must be red.

“Can I enter?” asked a voice, a moment later a head peeked into the room.

Her smile widened seeing who it was.

“Abeoji,” she smiled, walked to her father-in-law-soon-to-be, meet him halfway.

“What a beautiful bride I got for a daughter in law,” the man breathed, made her blush at the compliment.

“Thank you,” she answered, lowered her head for shy.

“From now on, you have two fathers and a mother to comeback, my wife and I just around the corner if you ever need anything, arachi?” she only can nodded her head in agreement. “We’re one family now, even if maybe you’ll find many flaws in us, but always remember we’re a family,”

His words brought back her tears. “Neh, abeoji,”

“Here, you should wear this,” he gave her a pair of pale blue gloves. “Even today is one fine day of summer, but the morning breeze might be colder than we think,” he said and with his help, she wore the gloves.

“Thank you, abeoji.”

The man then fished out his suit pocket and revealed a familiar white envelope that would be her treasure.

“From your groom, I don’t know what he wrote, but you read it.” he handed it to her and just like the others before him, left her alone.

“Crap!” if the previous cards weren’t success on making her cry, this one surely would do the job.

Wouldn’t want to be had ruined makeup in her wedding day, she wiped her tears away.

“Yes?” she voiced when she heard the next knock on the door. Second later, a familiar face greeted her with a wide smile.

“I’m wondering if I’ll see you before I walk down the aisle,” she pouted seeing her soulmate, the person who grew up with her.

“Yah, how can you doubt me!” the other girl marched into the room after closed the door behind her. “Aisht, look at your blotchy face, how can you have this kind of face at your wedding day?” she squited.

The bride panicked and quickly turned to the mirror to check her face. Seeing her reaction, the other woman laughed hard.

“Hahaha! Sorry… sorry… you’re still beautiful as always,” she said between her laugh. “I just wanted to kid you before you become someone’s wife.”

“Yah! Don’t kid me,” her pout was back, but only stayed for seconds and shifted with grimace. “How it is? You’re happy right?” she asked the other woman.

“Of course I’m as happy as I can be,” she answered at once. “And so you are,” she assured.

“But you fell in love with your husband since we were kids, while I just know him for three months.” The worry couldn’t be hid from her voice.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, you’re gonna make everything’s okay. Moreover we’re the Park sisters, right?” she nodded at this. “If I can have a happy marriage, you also can,”

“Thank you,”

“I’m bringing something from your soon-to-be-husband,” she showed the things that the bride didn’t realize them before, a charm bracelet and another envelope. “I’m grateful for what my hubby is was, but I really envy yours. Why can my husband be romantic like yours?”

The bride only smiled and shook her head. She didn’t answer her cousin and just put the bracelet in her left wrist. Then she took the envelope.

“Thank you, cous,” she said to her matron of honor.

“Back at ya, cous,” she got the answer before her cousin gave her a hug then retreated back. “I’ll leave you and call the makeup artist. The ceremony will be started soon.”

**

“I, Jiyong, take you, Sandara, as my lawful wife. I promise to cherish you with the best of me. I promise to love you, to hug you, to be there for you. I promise to give you all of me, forever.”

“I, Sandara, take you, Jiyong, as my lawful husband. I promise to cherish you with the best of me. I promise to love you, to hug you, to hear you, to cry for you. I promise to give you all of me, forever.”

“With the powers given to me, I will you as husband and wife...”

**