Chelsea is preparing to marry Rasmus, the man of her dreams. But when the wedding day arrives and no guests show up, Chelsea must figure out who canceled the wedding and whether her groom is right for her or not.I’ve always wanted a ‘Happily Ever After’ romantic existence. So, when I met Rasmus, I believed I’d finally understood. However, as my wedding day began to disintegrate, it appeared that I had received the nightmare version instead.
Rasmus and I met in a bakery. It was a beautiful little meet-cute, and I was confident he was the right person for me. We shared numbers over rye bread. “I’ll be seeing you around, Chelsea,” he remarked, clutching an artisanal loaf. He contacted me just as he was leaving the bakery, asking if we might have dinner together that night. Two years later, we were waking up on our wedding day.That morning, I bathed early, eager for my hair and makeup appointments. I recall sitting on the edge of the hotel bed, staring at my outfit and holding my breath. I could not wait to marry Rasmus. I could not wait to start our lives together.So the day went on—my maid of honor, my sister Jess, was with me, and we continued to prepare. “Where’s Mom?” Jess asked. “Shouldn’t she be getting dressed with us?” “No, we agreed it would be best if she and Dad met us at the site. “You know she doesn’t get along with Rasmus.” Jessica shook her head.”You’d think that Mom would have sorted out her feelings by now.” True, my parents loved me, but they couldn’t see Rasmus and me together.”There’s just something off about him,” my father would say. “But we respect your wishes to marry him.” As the time approached, Jess phoned for the hotel car, and we drove to the wedding venue.“Where is everyone?” Jessica inquired, mirroring my sentiments. It was a whole wedding venue with virtually no one in sight. There was no welcome sign, no welcome drinks, no decorations, no personnel, and no guests.Not even Rasmus. “Get Brenda on the phone,” I urged, referring to my wedding coordinator.I was starting to panic. I was fully dressed and ready to go. This was supposed to be my special day. “Brenda, where is everyone?” I inquired as Jess handed me the phone. “What do you mean?” Brenda’s calm voice echoed across the speaker. “I’m at my wedding venue, and there’s nobody here!” I exclaimed, my voice filled with terror. “Chelsea, honey,” Brenda explained. “The wedding was cancelled. The directive arrived at your email address barely three days ago.”My heart nearly stopped beating.How could I have cancelled my own wedding? I checked my emails, and sure enough, there it was.Dear Brenda, Due to unforeseen circumstances, the wedding has been canceled. Please notify all guests and vendors. But that didn’t make sense. It came from my corporate account, which my family had access to because we all worked at the family business together. My mind raced; had Mom and Dad? Can they really…? No, they could not have. They always maintained it was up to me to make my own choices. Even if they didn’t approve of Rasmus, they wouldn’t treat me this way. I needed to hear it from someone.But my folks were as astonished as I was. “We were on a flight, honey,” my father explained. “I had a business meeting, and your mother came with me. We had nothing to do with this. We received Brenda’s cancellation and merely wanted to give you your space.” “I didn’t see any email,” Jess said. “But you know how bad I am at checking my mail.” That’s when I realized Rasmus was the only other person who would have access to both my business and personal email accounts. The same man who was supposed to be waiting for me at the opposite end of the aisle.I asked Jess to drive me home, prepared for replies. I needed to know what was going on and how everything unfolded without my knowledge. I walked into our small flat and there he was. Rasmus is sitting on the couch eating breakfast. He had no intention of leaving the house because he was wearing sweatpants, spectacles, and had wavy hair. His normal armor of being well-dressed, wearing contacts, and sweeping his hair into his distinctive style was lacking.”You canceled our wedding?” I inquired before he could respond.Rasmus did not even bother to hide it. He had canceled the wedding because he realized three days ago that, as much as he loved me, he was not prepared for marriage. So he panicked. “I didn’t have the courage to tell you,” he told me. “I anticipated you’d think the wedding was on, and then when the slip-up occurred, you’d want to look into it. “I thought it would take the heat off me.” As I stood there, my wedding day in ruins around me, I realized my parents were correct. Rasmus was not the person for me. Even though it stung, I was relieved he did it. So, here I am, staring at my wedding gown, wondering what to do with it.