This wedding was proving to be a rather unusual event!
BY JULIE GOODALL
NANCY called Laura, Phil’s fiancée, back into the room.
Both had been interviewed separately.
Neither appeared to have been coerced, and they’d both been very forthcoming about the other’s habits and preferences.
It had almost made Nancy laugh.
She settled herself opposite them in her chair.
“How would you like your ceremony to go?” she asked. “Do you have any requirements that I need to know about?”
Laura looked her straight in the eye.
“Only the dove.”
Had Nancy heard her correctly?
“The what?”
“The dove. It’ll bring in the rings.”
Nancy stole a glance at the groom to be, Phil. He smiled at the love of his life.
“I know someone who owns a dove,” Laura said, twiddling her engagement ring. “She’ll bring the dove in once I’m at the altar.
“The dove will fly to Phil with the rings attached. Phil will take them and then we make our vows.”
“Ah!” Nancy ensured her voice didn’t betray her reservations.
She had so many questions and too many scenarios in her head.
“Is the dove trained for this sort of thing? It’s just that I’ve not come across this before,” she added quickly, seeing Laura’s frown.
“Pearl has done hundreds of weddings.”
“Hundreds?” Nancy tried to catch Phil’s eye, but he was still gazing at Laura.
Was he the type that went along with anything his fiancée wanted?
“Erin said she’s done a lot. It’s not her full-time job, as such. Erin, I mean. Not the dove.
“She works at the caravan park, so she does this for a bit of extra cash.”
Nancy nodded, making a note in her diary.
“I don’t want to be a killjoy, but will Erin clear up any . . . unwanted mess?”
“She says we won’t know Pearl’s been there.”
There was a part of Nancy that wished Pearl wasn’t going to be there at all.
It sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
“I’m sure you’ve already checked that none of the guests have a fear of birds?” Nancy asked.
“Yes, I’ve checked. Aunt Dee has a bit of an issue, but she’s going to join us after the ceremony.
“She’s not too worried. I haven’t seen her since I was twelve.”
“Right.” Nancy tried again to catch Phil’s eye, but he was having none of it, so she rounded things up.
She wasn’t too keen on birds herself, but it wasn’t too bad.
As a registrar, she wanted their dreams to come
