august 28

[youfeelluckypunk]

Wedding planning is more stressful than he or Luke had imagined. It's not that they're having second thoughts, no, there's no chance of that. It's not even that they're worried they'd picked too soon a date, it's really more that there are so many more options in terms of things like cakes and suits and venues and catering and color schemes that they hadn't really been prepared for it. That's not something he's used to, being unprepared, but Reid hasn't had much exposure to weddings in the past so he supposes he should be fair to himself and admit he wouldn't have had a reason to do much reading up on the subject.

Still, he's on a mission today to come to a more conclusive decision about where he and Luke are going to get married. They've been trying to decide between two options since the day they'd gone cake tasting, and they haven't found anything to trump either of them so far. Granted, neither of them have really been looking for anything else because the two places they already have in mind seem so perfect but that's the trouble right there. In their respective ways, Kagura and the library suit them in terms of what they mean to each other, of what's special about their relationship, and Reid is having trouble deciding. Luke has promised whatever he chooses is going to be just fine with him, so it seems Reid is the one in charge of making the final choice. Luke, on the other hand, has been tasked with finding the rings, so they're just about even.

Today, he's enlisted help from the only close friend of his who's actually been married. T.J.'s supposed to meet him soon, at a cafe they both like, and Reid taps his foot against the ground as he waits. His coffee has remained untouched but for one sip so far and for the first time in maybe ever, Reid wonders if maybe it's a better idea not to drink it.

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[inablur]

It's strange sometimes to think about himself as being married. Not in any sort of a bad way, not at all, but even after a six month engagement, and all the planning and the wedding ceremony itself, the fact of actually being married is a difficult one to wrap his head around. This was never supposed to be his life, after all. Anywhere else and it wouldn't have been. When T.J. stops to think about it, it's a big fucking deal. When he doesn't, it just feels normal, like nothing's really changed all that much, which he figures is probably how it should be.

With all of that being the case, he's almost surprised when Spencer asks him for assistance, but he doesn't hesitate to agree. Wedding planning was a lot more work than he'd expected, and as bizarre as it is to be the married one in the little group of friends he's carved out for himself here, he might as well try to pass on some of what he knows.

Stepping through the door of the café, he smiles when he sees Spencer already at a table, lifting one hand in a slight wave as he makes his way over. "Hey," he says. "You haven't been waiting too long, have you?"

[youfeelluckypunk]

Reid sits up a little straighter when he catches sight of T.J., shaking his head at the question once his friend as approached the table. "No, no, not long at all. I haven't even had time to make a dent in my coffee."

He leaves out the part about how he's so jittery as it is that he's pretty convinced the caffeine hit will only make it worse. Luke would probably have been firm in removing the coffee from his reach by now, but Luke isn't here and a vice is a vice so he pauses to take a quick sip.

"Thanks for meeting me," he continues with a grateful smile. "Luke and I promised each other we wouldn't have any meltdowns over the wedding planning, but I think I'll get dangerously close to panicking if I can't figure out this venue situation."

Reid beckons for T.J. to sit, pushing the menu toward him. "Anyway, I'm sure you want something, take your time. It's on me."

[inablur]

"No, hey, anytime," T.J. says, shaking his head in turn, his smile a warm one. "I'm more than happy to share my expertise. I can't say this is something I ever thought I'd have any sort of expertise in, but whatever I can do to help." Before getting married himself, the most exposure he'd had to wedding planning was Doug and Anne's, and that hardly counts when his mother had tried to take over the whole thing, turning into what she wanted rather than what they wanted. It's certainly not something he ever saw in the cards for himself. But he has some idea of what he's talking about now, and if that will provide any sort of assistance now, passing that on is the least he can do.

Taking the menu, he skims it briefly, glancing up at Spencer over the top of it. "Well, first of all, do you have options, or are you starting from scratch on the venue front?"

[youfeelluckypunk]

"There's no pressure," Reid promises with a genuine laugh. This is helpful in itself, really, just having a friend he can turn to when he needs one. It still surprises him how quickly he'd been able to pick up a circle of people in this city he can count on when he'd been so hesitant to put his trust in people before he'd arrived. Maybe a lot of that had to do with the fact that he'd worked for the FBI, he hadn't had much time to build solid friendships with anyone outside of his team; but for the first time, he'd met people here who hadn't rolled their eyes upon hearing him go off on tangents or stared at him like they'd rather be anywhere but with him.

That T.J. would show up here today at all is something Reid doesn't take for granted, and he'd do the same for his friend. One phone call, that's all it takes. That's the kind of friendship Reid hadn't realized he truly needed.

"I'm trying to decide between two places," Reid says. "We came up with the library and Kagura, and I'm kind of in love with both but I do want to choose or the other. We want to get married in December so I have to figure it out soon so I can actually make sure we can book a date."

[inablur]

"Hey, narrowing it down is a big step," T.J. says, brow arching. They both sound like good venues for it, too, for different reasons. He's not sure he's ever heard of people getting married in a library before, which would make it something unusual, something unique. Kagura is one of the nicer places here, though, and for a December wedding, would definitely be fitting. As with anything about a wedding, he supposes it comes down to what they really want most out of it. Those might not necessarily be easy decisions, but even just being able to talk it through — and having outside input — might help. He hopes it does, anyway. This actually is something he knows a bit about now.

His expression grows thoughtful as he pauses, trying to think through where the best place to start might be. "Do you know what Kagura would entail?" he asks. "Like, if you'd have everything closed down for the day, or just one part of it, if you'd be able to make sure that random skiiers wouldn't just be walking through?"

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Definitely not everything," Reid answers, shaking his head emphatically. He's not certain they'd be able to afford that even if they wanted the whole lodge to themselves. It's a nice thought, certainly, but the idea of an entire lodge closing down for a day to cater to what's meant to be a rather small wedding in the peak of its busy season probably isn't entirely feasible. "But we can rent out part of it, keep it private so people can't just walk in and out for the ceremony. They have a good space for where we could hold the reception, too, and we thought it might be nice to give our guests a chance to stay there overnight if getting back home late is too difficult."

They're not going to provide alcohol for the reception, they have no plans whatsoever for an open bar, which he's sure he doesn't have to tell T.J., but that doesn't mean the guests aren't able to bring their own or get drinks at the lodge's bar. If they need a place to crash, they'll be in a good place to find one. Beyond that, Reid can picture it, mingling with his closest friends in front of a roaring fire on a beautiful winter evening. It sounds like a dream.

"Plus, it's really the only place to have a honeymoon, which you know well enough yourself," Reid says, smiling shyly, a faint blush showing on his cheeks. "It'd be good to be right there, to just start enjoying married life right away. I guess I'm putting a lot of pros in the Kagura column, aren't I?"

[inablur]

"Yeah, it… definitely sounds like you are," T.J. says with a laugh. He hasn't yet heard the pros for the library column, even if he can imagine what a couple of them might be, so he doesn't know if it's really going to be a tough competition, but as it is, there seem to be a lot of points in favor of having it at Kagura. It would definitely be seasonally appropriate for a December wedding, too, and maybe that much more special because of it, with the ski lodge only being open a few months out of the year. The library would certainly be something unique, but he'd imagine that Kagura weddings are probably fairly rare themselves. There are only so many available dates in a season.

Still, it does seem worth considering all options — Spencer called him here for a reason; it can't be that self-explanatory — so he asks, "What about the library, then? What would be the pros in that column? Just to make sure we're getting everything covered."

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Right, the library," Reid says, nodding. "So the library would be good just because it appeals to who we both are. We both love to read, we love to learn, Luke obviously owns the bookshop but that's not exactly a big enough space to hold a wedding. It's something different, which I always like, and it'd definitely be memorable. In a lot of ways, I think it'd be romantic, being surrounded by all that knowledge while promising to share the rest of our lives together."

As vivid as the image of a wedding at Kagura is in his mind, Reid can see an argument for the library, too. It'd probably be more practical to hold it at the lodge, which he and Luke have already discussed, but Reid wonders whether aiming for practical should be the primary objective here.

"Then again," he says, letting his head tilt to one side with a sigh, "Kagura is where we first talked about getting married. We spent Valentine's weekend up there, and it was incredible, going back for the wedding and spending our honeymoon there would bring it back full circle in a way." He bites down on his lip, glancing up at s T.J. "What do you think?"

[inablur]

"See, I was on the fence until you said it that was where you first talked about getting married," T.J. says, expression warm as his head tips to the side. "For me, at least, that would be the deciding factor. Obviously they're both places that are important to you, but... It's bringing it full circle, like you said. I think that would really make it special, even if the rest of the guests don't know the significance of it." Spencer and Luke would both know, and when it comes to something like a wedding, that's what really counts. At the end of the day, it's about the two of them anyway, and while Kagura may be a fairly common destination, both for events and weekend getaways and the like, it sounds like it's a place that holds a lot of meaning for the two of them. Besides, for a winter wedding, it really will be gorgeous.

"Plus, you know, having the staff there and all, it'd probably be helpful for planning the reception. I'm sure they've done stuff like that before, so you wouldn't have to bring in too many third-party people."

[youfeelluckypunk]

"Luke said the same thing," Reid tells him, nodding in agreement. "It would be awfully convenient, and I was thinking we could maybe even try to book the room we had for Valentine's Day." They're very familiar with it, after all, considering they'd barely left for the majority of the weekend. "And it'd be really beautiful up there in the snow. When I picture having our wedding there, it comes so easily, and you're right, it is like bringing it full circle."

Maybe he'd just needed to hear someone point out the things he'd already known. Getting married at the library would be unique, it'd be lovely, but Kagura is perfect for them. They don't want high maintenance, they don't want too much fuss or hassle, so having a one-stop shop for most of their wedding needs at the lodge would be perfect.

Taking a deep breath, he shakes his head then gives T.J. a shy smile. "Did you feel like this when you and Thomas were planning? Ridiculously excited yet overwhelmed all at once? I knew there'd be a lot to consider, I just didn't think I'd get so wrapped up in trying to make the decisions. But it's going to be one of the most important days of our lives so I guess it's not all that surprising."

[inablur]

"I felt exactly like that," T.J. says, letting out a laugh as he does. "And that's even knowing we wanted it to be small. It's still... There's more than you even think there's going to be, and you want to get everything just right. I never thought I'd have to learn so much about what flowers and colors were in season." He all but rolls his eyes as he speaks, though he's smiling as he does. In the long run, it had all paid off, and it still could have been a hell of a lot worse. He can only imagine what he would have been roped into if his mother were in Darrow, how big an event she would have tried to make the wedding. Not least because he never thought he'd want to get married at all, because it took him so long to come around to the idea in the first place, he's glad he didn't have to contend with any of that.

It doesn't make it any less surreal at times that this is actually something that's happened, that he's a married man. He feels that way about a lot of his life in Darrow, though — his relationship in the first place, his sobriety, some of the friends he has here. For all that he might have lost a hell of a lot, he's still better off here than he can remember having ever been. "But it sounds like you might have at least one thing out of the way now."