Dear Diary

October 17th

Dear Diary,

Okay, so NO ONE is going to believe this. Like, seriously. I’m writing this down because, like, I need proof that it actually happened or else I’m going to think I dreamt the whole thing, which would be the WORST. Today… today was INSANE. In the best way possible, obviously. But also in the way where I think I might have actual sweat tears from stress.

So, it’s the day before my wedding. THE wedding. To Liam. Liam! Can you even believe it? I’m going to be Mrs. Gallagher. It sounds so grown up. Too grown up, maybe? My stomach feels like it’s full of a thousand butterflies doing synchronized flips. And not the cute, fluttery kind. The kind that are doing backflips and triple somersaults and probably breaking things.

Mom kept saying, “Sydney, deep breaths! It’s just the day before, it’s normal to be a little worked up.” Yeah, Mom, a little worked up would be forgetting to pack my toothbrush. This is more like, what if I trip down the aisle? What if the cake falls over? What if Liam’s mom decides she hates me right before we say our vows and tries to tackle me? I swear, Mrs. Gallagher has been giving me these looks all week. Like I’m not good enough for her precious Liam. Ugh. Boys. And their weirdly intense mothers.

Anyway, the morning started out okay. Ish. My bridesmaids, which is basically Chloe and Jessica, came over with a giant box of donuts and a playlist of all my favorite cheesy pop songs. We blasted them and ate way too much frosting. Chloe, bless her heart, kept trying to teach me this TikTok dance she learned. “You need to be relaxed, Syd!” she kept saying, while doing this weird hip wiggle I could never master. I was like, Chloe, my entire future is riding on this day. I don’t think a viral dance is going to help my nerves.

Then, the dress. Oh. My. Gosh. The dress. My mom and Chloe and Jess all helped me put it on. It’s this beautiful, sparkly thing that makes me feel like a princess. Like, a real princess, not one of those fake ones in movies. It has this long train that trails behind me, and when I walked around my room, it swished and sparkled and I swear the light in the room got brighter. I actually teared up. Mom did too. Jess was just saying, “OMG Syd, you’re gonna make Liam cry!” I hope he cries. Happy tears, obviously.

But then the drama started. Because of course it did. My aunt Carol called. Aunt Carol is… Aunt Carol. She means well, I think, but she has this way of making everything about her. She called to ask about the seating chart. “Sydney, honey, where am I sitting? Am I near the cake? Because last time, at your cousin’s wedding, I was practically in the next county. And who am I sitting with? Tell me who I’m sitting with, I need to know if I’m going to be stuck next to Uncle Gary.”

I tried to explain that everything was finalized and that she’d get her seating card at the venue. But then she got all huffy. “Well, it’s just that I don’t want to be on the ‘singles’ table again, Sydney. It’s so awkward. I’m not married, but that doesn’t mean I want to be paraded around like some… leftover.”

It took me like twenty minutes to calm her down. Twenty minutes I could have been practicing my vows, which, by the way, I still feel like I might mess up. Liam wrote his own, and they’re so sweet and perfect. Mine are… okay. They sound mostly like a bunch of clichés. “You make me a better person.” “My love for you is infinite.” Ugh, so cheesy. But I guess that’s what weddings are for, right?

And then, the flowers. My bouquet was supposed to be all white roses and baby’s breath. Simple and elegant. But when the florist delivered it this afternoon, there were these… hot pink carnations mixed in. HOT. PINK. CARNATIONS. I nearly had a meltdown. My mom was freaking out, Chloe was trying to pick them out, and I was just standing there, looking at this monstrosity, thinking, “This is it. My wedding day is ruined by a rogue hot pink carnation.”

Thankfully, the florist rushed over with a replacement bouquet, and it was exactly what I wanted. But for a good hour, I was convinced my wedding was going to be remembered as “the one with the hideous pink flowers.”

The rehearsal dinner was… an experience. Liam’s parents were there, obviously. Mrs. Gallagher smiled at me, but it was more like a baring of teeth. Like, “I’m going to be polite, but I’m secretly judging everything you do.” Liam, thank goodness, was his usual amazing self. He kept squeezing my hand under the table and whispering things like, “You’re going to be amazing tomorrow,” and “I can’t wait.” He’s just… he’s the best. He makes all the stress worth it.

We practiced walking down the aisle, and I sort of tripped on my dress. Liam laughed, but it was a sweet laugh, like he was just amused by my clumsiness. He then pretended to catch me, which made everyone giggle. See? He’s perfect.

After the rehearsal, my parents had a moment with me. My dad gave me this little, velvet box. Inside were my grandmother’s earrings. They’re tiny pearls, and they’re so beautiful. He said, “Your grandma would have loved Liam, Sydney. She would have been so proud.” Then my mom hugged me so tight I thought my ribs were going to snap. She just whispered, “You’re going to be so happy, sweetheart. Remember to always talk to each other, even when it’s hard.” I love them so much.

Now, everyone’s gone. My room is a disaster zone of hairspray, makeup palettes, and discarded tissue paper. Chloe and Jess are staying with my parents tonight, to keep me from spiraling. Which, let’s be honest, is a very real possibility. I’m sitting here, in my comfy PJs, trying to get my brain to shut off. But it’s not cooperating. It’s replaying every single possible disaster scenario.

What if I get food poisoning tonight? What if it rains SO hard the outdoor ceremony is impossible? What if I forget Liam’s name during the vows? That would be SO embarrassing. Liam Gallagher. Not Liam Johnson. Not Liam Smith. Liam Gallagher. Got it.

I keep thinking about the moment when the officiant asks, “Do you Sydney take Liam to be your lawfully wedded husband…” And I have to say the words. The big words. The forever words. It feels so… permanent. And huge. And terrifying. But also, so right.

Liam feels like home. He’s the first person I want to tell everything to, good or bad. He knows all my weird quirks and still thinks I’m awesome. He makes me laugh more than anyone else. And he’s seen me cry a million times, and he’s always been there to hold me.

I just want it to be perfect. But I know it won’t be. Nothing ever is, right? There will be little things that go wrong. Maybe Aunt Carol will loudly complain about her seating. Maybe Mrs. Gallagher will give me a death stare from the front row. Maybe I’ll spill champagne on my dress.

But through all of that, there will be Liam. Standing there, looking at me like I hung the moon. And that’s all that matters.

Tomorrow, I get to marry my best friend. Tomorrow, I start my forever with him.

I’m going to try and sleep now. But probably not.

Wish me luck, Diary. I’m going to need it.

October 18th

Dear Diary,

Okay. So. I’m officially married. And I didn’t trip. And the flowers were perfect. And Liam didn’t run away. And Mrs. Gallagher actually smiled at me, like, a real smile. So basically, it was the most perfect day ever.

The morning was a blur of hairspray and makeup. My bridesmaids were amazing, keeping me laughing and reminding me to eat something. I managed half a bagel. My stomach was too busy doing gymnastics. The dress felt even more magical in the daylight. And the veil! It’s so long and floaty.

Walking down the aisle was… surreal. The music started, and suddenly everyone was looking at me. It felt like slow motion. I saw Liam at the end, and he was smiling, and for the first time all day, my butterflies calmed down a little. They were more like… gentle flutters.

He looked so handsome. My handsome groom.

The ceremony was beautiful. When it came time for our vows, my voice was a little shaky at first, but hearing Liam’s voice, so steady and loving, made me feel brave. He said his vows, and they were even more perfect than I remembered. Then it was my turn. I took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and said mine. And then…

“Do you Sydney take Liam to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

And I said, “I do.”