I've known Carol since we were kids, like about six years old. Our parents were friends, and used to go on holiday together and nights out to the pub, etc. We once had a kiss when we were about 13, but that was it. I always fancied Carol, even then. She was always beautiful.
Fast forward a few years, and we'd lost touch after my parents split up, so didn't see Carol for ages, until she popped up on my facebook, and I eagerly accepted her request.
About 2 years later, Carol started posting photos of her and a new guy, who she'd met on some dating website, and within about 2 months was flashing a very tiny diamond engagement ring.
So obviously I offered to photograph the wedding, just for costs, and arranged to go & see them with sample albums and so that Carol & her fiancΓ© could view my previous work.
When I arrived, it seemed like he'd drunk a number of cans of lager, judging by the stack of empty cans next to him, and although he was reasonably friendly, there seemed to be an edge about him all night -- like he was just trying to pick a fight, and Carol spent the night keeping the peace.
Fast forward to the wedding day, and I arrived at their house to do the pre-wedding shots -- firstly him in the garden with his best man, on his own, best man straightening his tie, that sort of thing. All the while I was taking the shots, he was downing cans of lager and I had to ask him to put them down whilst I was taking the photos he'd asked for.
Then I went up to see Carol, and knocked on the door of their bedroom -- "Hi Carol, its Paul. Are you decent? Can I come in?"
Carol laughed and replied that I could come in, she was just doing her makeup.
I stepped into the bedroom and Carol was in her wedding gown, at her dressing table and was just starting her makeup -- not that she needed any, because she was still as beautiful as she'd always been to me.
So we started taking the photos she wanted, and I got her laughing and relaxed. Then she said "God, I wish life was this easy with Adam" which surprised me, normally brides are totally in love on their wedding day so to hear my childhood crush starting to have doubts was a bit...off.
"Are you ok Carol?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm sure its just nerves or something" she replied.
Just at that point a loud laugh came from outside, from Adam and his best man. Carol looked out of the window at the pair of now drunken idiots staggering over the back lawn. "Or maybe its just the wrong man" she murmured.
I jollied her up, saying that maybe he was as nervous as she was, and it'd all be fine, and it really would be a waste of such an amazing dress if she backed out now! We laughed and I asked if we could go in the garden to do some more shots.
When we got into the garden, the groom and his best man had disappeared, so I managed to get Carol to pose for some great shots. Carol at this point was 28 years old, around 5' 6" and was thin with a fabulous bubble butt, and pert maybe 36" breasts. Brown should length hair with blonde streaks, and understated makeup. Suffice to say it was all in proportion, and in her cream wedding dress with just a hint of cleavage she looked amazing.
We head off to the Church, and the groom is in the car in front of mine. I lost count of the number of empty cans and cigarette butts that flew out of the window and I'm starting to see that this wedding has the word DISASTER written all over it. I'm now only 50% confident that the bride will turn up, and if she does then I'm only 50% confident that she'll say "I do".
But she did.
Church photos completed, off we go to the reception, and I'm now struggling to get the groom to be anywhere other than the bar. This guy is absolutely trollied, and I can see that he is turning into Angry Drunk.
I ask Carol if I can take her into the hotel gardens to take some shots of her, and she mentions that there is no way that Adam will be able to come because he can hardly stand up. So I lead Carol out into the garden and down to the waterfall, taking lots of great photos of her. I've brought her a drink along because it's a warm day, and I pass it to her as I notice a tear rolling down her beautiful cheek. "Hey, what's the matter?" I ask, and she looks up at me and says mournfully "I've made a massive mistake haven't I? This drunk idiot offers me the world, and he can't even stay sober until the first dance. I'm a fucking failure, the first guy in many years to tell me he loved me and I fall for it hook, line & sinker."