"We’re not so sure what we have in mind to be honest," I said apologetically.


    "That’spletely ok. You might not believe it but many of our clientse in feeling the same way and that is precisely why we are here to help you out. I assume that you’ve seen our portfolio and based on that something must have caught you eye or attention which led you to choose to work with us, right?" Lucy said with a knowing smile.


    "I guess…" I mumbled, although I wasn’t sure what it was in their portfolio that caught my eye in the first ce.


    Lucy just nodded as she took out arge hardcover booklet before she opened it and slid it over the table towards Hayden and me. I could see that there were photos from the various other weddings that thepany had organized before.


    "As you can see from the various wedding photos here, we specialize in a more fairytale type of vibe and the key factor is the usage of smoke from dry ice and lighting to create the right atmosphere during the entire ceremony from start to finish," Lucy exined as she pointed to the various photos in the booklet.


    "I see. It might be a little too fancy…" I murmured, feeling unsure.


    It does look pretty and captivating, but it does seem excessive and expensive. Were these effects the thing that drew me towards choosing thispany?


    "It’s fine. Let’s go with all that lighting and stuff," Hayden decided without hesitation.


    Well, that was easy. Smoke and lighting approved and done.


    "Right. I think I get the overall picture now. So for the next step, I will get you to simply pick between two or three photos based on what you like best. Just point to the photo that you like or the one that you think matches better for what you have in mind for your wedding. This will help me understand your tastes more," Lucy exined as she prepared two stacks of photos.


    The first pair of photos that she ced on the table was very different indeed. One had flower decorations everywhere possible in the church while the other had no flowers but gold ornaments instead. I nced over at Hayden exactly when he turned to look at me.


    "What if we don’t pick the same thing?" I asked.


    "We can alwaysbine your tastes. It’s not like we can’t makepromises on the choices," Lucy replied encouragingly.


    "Malissa, you choose," Hayden instructed.


    "Ok…I’ll go with the flowers…" I replied.


    "Ok, sure. Next," Lucy said, clearly satisfied.


    The next photos showcased weddings with very different color tones. One was in the warmer tones of pinks, oranges, and reds while the other had cooler tones of blues, purples, and greys. I was immediately drawn to the brighter colors. After ncing over at Hayden, he just nodded at me for me to make my decision.


    "This one…" I said as I pointed my finger towards the photo with warmer and brighter color tones.


    "Right. Next please," Lucy said as sheid out another pair of photos.


    The process repeated itself until Lucy ran out of photos from her piles of photos. I had a slight headache from making so many decisions when the exercise came to an end.


    "Perfect. Onest thing, about the budget that you have in mind for the event…" Lucy asked before smiling gently at us.


    "Unlimited," Hayden replied without a second thought.


    Huh?


    "Hayden…" I whispered his name in shock.


    Shouldn’t we set a reasonable budget for these things? Telling them that we have an unlimited budget just didn’t make sense. Lucy also had a look of pure shock on her face as she stared back at us.


    "Unlimited. I’ll pay whatever just to make sure that the wedding turns out just like how she wants it," he repeated firmly before pointing a finger my way.


    That’s…crazy…


    "Alright then. Thank you so much. That is it for today. I will work my hardest to send to you a proposal includingputer graphic mockups of all parts of the venue. The venue will be at the church that you mentioned during our phone call earlier, is that still, correct?" Lucy asked with a broad smile.


    "Yes, that is correct," I reaffirmed.


    "Awesome. Thank you very much for your time. I will be in touch soon," Lucy thanked us again before leading us out.


    The long day wasing to an end with Hayden driving us back to the mansion. I watched the scenery pass by from the car window as I enjoyed the orange ray of the setting sun. It felt good to be outside even though I couldn’t yet meet up with anyone. Hopefully after we get married, things will turn out for the better and my ban from going outside would bepletely lifted.


    "You shouldn’t have told her that you had an unlimited budget. I don’t think that it’s necessary to overspend on the wedding," I voiced my concern softly.


    "I’ll rather pay to have a perfect day. Nothinges for free and if we underspend, the old man willin endlessly, and I don’t want to deal with that…ever…" Hayden argued back.


    Since I knew that arguing with him would probably get us nowhere, I decided to let it slide and focus on the little time that we had together outside.


    "Can we get dinner together outside?" I asked in a sweet pleading voice.


    "Hmm…if you want," Hayden replied passively.


    "You can pick the ce. I’m good with anything…" I quickly added before he would change his mind.


    Thest time I had dinner outside with Hayden seemed like half a lifetime ago. Since I left it to Hayden to pick a ce, we ended up eating at a very upscale and extremely private restaurant. That didn’te as a surprise to me at all and I had absolutely nothing toin about. I was just too happy to finally get a chance to eat dinner out with him again.


    The restaurant that Hayden brought us to was more like a private residence that served only a few tables.


    "This ce has good steak," Hayden said as we sat down.


    "Oh, really. I would like that," I replied cheerfully.


    "Some wine?" Hayden asked.


    "No, thank you…" I declined politely.


    --To be continued…