The Wedding

The wedding of the century was about to happen. Okay, maybe not the century, but it is still a very important one.

Today is the wedding of Cecelia Marcellini and Bradley Bradshaw. Months, years even, of planning had come down to today.

(A bit delayed because of a certain little miss, but she's cute so we'll excuse it.)

Everything was set. The venue was decorated to perfection, the vows written, and the bride and groom were putting on the finishing touches to their looks.

After some discussion, Cece and Bradley decided they would have a military wedding, as Bradley was entitled to one after his many years of service. Anyone, guest or bridal party, that was in any branch of the military would wear their dress uniforms proudly for this occasion.

Due to the wedding being in the winter, the Navy dress uniforms were blue instead of white (the white is more of a summer into fall uniform). So Bradley, along with any other members of the Navy in attendance (aka the entirety of Dagger Squad) would be in their dress blues.

Cece, on the other hand, had free reign with her dress. And boy, did she choose the perfect one. A strapless, sweetheart neckline, with ruching until the waist. A small, beaded belt separated the bodice from the layered skirt. (Can you tell I watch a lot of Say Yes to the Dress?)

Her hair was pulled back into an elegant half-updo, held back by a beautiful pearl clip, handed down from her grandmother. Her makeup was simple, knowing she would more than likely end up crying at some point, she didn't want to waste mascara.

Her bridesmaids had gotten their finishing touches a while ago, Cat running a tight ship to make sure her best friend's day went smoothly. She really was the best maid of honor one could ask for.

Not to mention Natasha was pretty easy, since she was in her dress blues, her hair in a regulation bun, metals on her chest. She had been honored when Cecelia asked her to be a bridesmaid. (She wasn't just a friend of Bradley's, she was family. That made her Cecelia's family too.)

With the groom and his party, the men were done way sooner than the women. To be fair, they didn't have hair to get done or makeup to do. And the majority of them were in uniform anyways, so there wasn't much they could do.

Bradley's best man was trying to keep him calm. But really, how does one stay calm when you are about to marry the love of your life? Besides, Hangman had always been better at riling him up.

Initially, Bradley had wanted Maverick as his best man, but when he had approached the man about it, Maverick had a different idea. To him, it would be like Bradley having his father as his best man. Maverick was already a grandpa to Nikki, so it didn't make sense for him to be the best man in his mind.

And after the mission, with Hangman saving Mav and Rooster's lives, the two men had finally begun to settle their differences. They realized that they worked better as a team than they ever did separately. Especially now that Hangman had finally stopped leaving his wingman out to dry.

Phoenix still gets a laugh when she remembers how that conversation went. Secretly she was happy, always worried that her attraction and eventual relationship with Hangman would put a strain on her friendship with Rooster.

Soon enough, guests began arriving at the venue. Seats were filling up, people ranging from civilian friends, to military coworkers, to Broadway stars. There were a number of celebrities at this wedding, but today was not about them.

It was finally time for Bradley and Cecelia to tie the knot.

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The groomsmen lined up at the front of the venue, Bradley standing front and center. The guests all settled down and soon enough, the doors opened.

Coming through the door was Maverick of all people. But he was helping the cutest member of the wedding party.

Nikki was the flower girl for her parents, looking absolutely adorable in her little dress and flowers. But being only about 6 months old, she can't really walk on her own yet. So Mav, being the loving grandpa he is, escorted her down the aisle towards her father.

Needless to say, as soon as Nikki saw her daddy, he tried to run right to him. That got a good laugh from the guests and Bradley himself.

The bridesmaids began to walk after Nikki settled down, Phoenix proudly walking with her uniform as one of the only female Navy members there. Cat was the last to appear, looking so incredibly happy for her best friend, her sister. This day had been a long time coming.

And then finally, Cecelia appeared.

Arm linked with her father's, they began to walk slowly down the aisle as the guests rose from their seats.

Cecelia looked radiant as she walked towards her groom. Her eyes were practically glowing with happiness. And Bradley was the same way. Tears formed in his eyes almost instantly, breath taken away the minute he saw his bride.

It was clear to all in the room that these two were meant to be.

But nothing could prepare anyone in the room for the vows.

The couple had decided to write their own vows, so you can imagine just how emotional they were going to be.

Bradley went first, which in hindsight was a bad idea because Cecelia was crying almost too much to read her own.

"Cecelia," he begins, "when I met you, I never expected to meet the love of my life. I was just drifting through my routine, going from mission to mission, not really living. I lost my family very early on and you showed me what it was to find one. One that didn't replace the ones I lost but one that I could embrace with new experiences." He paused to take a breath, looking directly into Cecelia's eyes watching as they get misty with tears.

"You gave me a chance at the happiness I know my parents had. You understood the call I felt to the Navy and you supported me no matter how long I would be gone. You are someone I never knew I could find because I didn't know what I wanted. And then you came along and suddenly, everything became clear. I could see my future and I wanted it with everything I had in me." The tears were actively flowing down Cecelia's checks now.

"So, Cecelia 'Kaliope' Marcellini," he adds her honorary callsign, getting a laugh from all who know its meaning. "I promise to love, cherish, protect, and worship you for the rest of our lives. As long as you shall have me."

Cece literally couldn't talk and without a word, she simply grabbed him by his lapels and kissed him really quick, completely disregarding wedding procedures. The guests don't mind, because they are too busy trying to keep their own tears from falling.

Cecelia takes a breath, taking the tissue offered to her from Cat. "I don't know how I'm supposed to follow that, but I'll try," she says, chuckling a bit.

"Bradley Bradshaw," she begins, smiling right at him. "I'm about to lay out many cliches so bear with me. I genuinely don't think my life started until I met you. I've done theater since I could talk. I've played love interests for most of my life. I've had other partners and had what I thought was love. But I can honestly say that until I met you, I didn't know what true love was."

Now Bradley has tears in his eyes, doing his best not to cry because if he cries, Cece will cry.

"I knew what I was getting into when we met. I knew this relationship was going to be a different challenge than I had ever faced. But I wasn't scared because I knew I could do it with you. You give me such strength to do things that scare me. Things I don't think I could have ever done, without your help and support."

She took a slight pause, taking a deep breath before continuing. "So I promise to always love, cherish, support, and protect you for the rest of our lives. As long as you shall have me."

With those words, the two became one. They finally got to bare their souls to each other in a way never seen before. And so when the officiant finally catches his own tears from falling, he says those five words that cement this celebration.

"You may kiss the bride."

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Now everyone knows the best part of weddings is the reception. And when you have a wedding of a Broadway star, with family and friends also in the business, it's bound to be a PARTY.

The bridal party is introduced, but they were allowed to switch up partners because it just didn't make sense for Cat to walk in with Hangman when he and Phoenix are dating.

But when the announcer called introduced for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley Bradshaw, everyone erupted into cheers.

The couple entered in a very them fashion, Cece dancing her way along while Bradley walked calm and collected, wearing aviators, because why not?

Their first dance was one to remember. Cecelia had asked two of her good friends if they could sing for her first dance. Aaron Tveit and Karen Olivo, the original Christian and Satine from Broadway's Moulin Rouge were honored to sing an acoustic version of their song Come What May.

A beautiful slow dance was shared between the newlyweds, bringing even more tears to many eyes. And towards the end of the dance, they both walked over to their daughter and finished the dance as a family.

After a little while of dancing, dinner was finally served, something Cece was very happy for. She was starving, ready to tear her food apart in a very unladylike way, much to Bradley's amusement.

Everyone was quick to dive in, the food bringing near silence to the reception. When everyone is eating, no one is talking (trust from personal experience).

Now, the best part of the reception can be argued. Some say the food is the best. Some say the dancing is the best. Some say the speeches are the best.

And the speeches were honestly, the best part. I mean come on, Cat Diaz, Cece's best friend, her sister, is her maid of honor and Hangman is Bradley's best man.

Tales of their college years started Cat's speech, things Cece never wanted to see the light of day (in a good way). But when she got to the time period of Cece and Bradley, she choked up. Cat expressed how happy she was when she saw the two of them together. She had never seen Cecelia so happy before, regardless of her reservations with Bradley being in the military. (She was so worried Cece's heart would be broken in a way she could never repair if she lost Bradley on deployment.)

Hangman has a lot of people worried. Phoenix held her breath, ready to stop him if he went too far. But he surprised everyone with his speech. He takes about how he and Bradley did not get along for a long time. (That was an understatement and everyone that knew them nodded in agreement.) And he talked about his first time meeting Cecelia and hardly believing that the Chicken had such an amazing girl. (That got a laugh from everyone and a punch to the arm from Bradley.)

The dancing continued on after the speeches, a dj playing music with instruments available for the incredibly talented people surrounding the room.

Being so close with Kenny Ortega (who is also in attendance much to many people's awe) made Cece close with the young stars Kenny worked with. The cast of Julie and the Phantoms were some of the most recent up and coming stars Cecelia had worked with. After checking if it was okay, they were the first people to grab the instruments and play for the happy couple.

At some point, songs from so many musicals just took over the playlist. Mamma Mia was a big one, especially with Cecelia being Sophie at one point in her career. But the biggest surprise of the night was when Footloose came on and Bradley surprised everyone with his dance moves. His fellow members of Dagger Squad were both in shock and on the floor with laughter when he busted out those skills.

Another surprise for most of the guests was when Bradley winked at Cece before heading over to the piano himself. When he saw the questioning looks, he simply said, "do you see the family I just married into? I've got to carry my musical weight somehow!" Getting a laugh out of everyone.

And suddenly, Great Balls of Fire comes out of the piano with Bradley singing loud and proud. Without missing a beat, Cece and his Navy family join in, walking over to the piano. Cece quickly slid onto the bench and resumed their usual routine with his song, making everyone smile.

The reception didn't end until the early hours of the morning, many of the guests dancing and singing with just as much energy as the beginning.

This day would go down as one of the most memorable weddings to ever happen.

So, ladies and gentleman, let me, for the first time, properly introduce:

Mr. and Mrs. Bradley and Cecelia Bradshaw.

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Word count: 2,287

Oof. THEY'RE MARRIED!!! OUR BABIES ARE MARRIED!!

As you could probably tell, the photos I used were from Christy Altomare's ACTUAL wedding. What I didn't know was that while I was writing this story, she would be getting married in October of 2022. So I figured, why not just use her actual photos. (Please excuse all the Peoples Magazine markings)




I had so much fun writing this chapter, despite the stress that came from it. I had so many ideas that there was no way I could incorporate them all. Celebrities of all kinds were in attendance, but I physically couldn't name all the ones I wanted so I put in a few cameos I was set on to help a little bit.

I hope you all enjoyed this, finally getting to see our babies officially tie the knot! I'll leave some images below of what I imagined while planning and writing this.

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