The Rowle Wedding (tagged, invite)

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On the rolling grounds of the Rowle estate, a large marquee had been assembled to contain the wedding ceremony, the wedding breakfast and the reception. While the exterior had been decorated with elaborate garlands, water features and ribbon bunting, the interior was where everything came alive: large flower displays that touched the top of the canopy, ice sculptures, reupholstered seating, centre pieces, chandeliers; it was very clear that this couple was rich and they had no modesty about it.

The guests were already arriving for the ceremony, welcomed in with a live band playing tasteful, classical music. Ptolemy greeted each and every guest as they came through, shook hands, excelled in his pleasantries, smiled so much that his cheeks hurt. In just under an hour's time, Alayna and her bridesmaids would be ready. They were all currently inside the house doing finishing touches, he assumed. Ptolemy hadn't seen her since the night before.

"So lovely to see you, Mrs Selwyn. Mr Selwyn - a pleasure..."

As he gushed and fawned over the guests, his best man stood very stiffly next to him, murmuring at best. When Mr and Mrs Selwyn had passed through and there was a gap in the arrivals, Ptolemy turned to him in annoyance: "You could at least try to be less like a board, Burke," he hissed at him, out of the corner of his mouth. "People will think they're coming to a bloody funeral."

@Melanthius Burke  @Carina Malfoy @Alayna Nott @Millicent Bulstrode Burke  @Minnie Bulstrode  @Astrid Eriksson  @Aquila Malfoy  @Orion Black  @Andrea Herrera  @Idina Herrera  @Scorpius Malfoy  @Cecelia Burke  @Mackenzie Riddle  @Persephone Rowle  @Meredith Riddle  @Pandora Carrow  @Medea Riddle  @Katherine Riddle  @Gabriella Riddle  @Doran Riddle  @Dahlia Travers  @Mason Riddle  @Jeneva Avery  @Vidar Eriksson

"That's not how dragons fly!" Comarth hissed hangrily at the little boy, whose eyes went wide before he burst into tears.

"Scorpius is attending as his sister, Carina, is the Maid of Honor, Cecelia. I can't just enjoy the wedding as you'll be tempted. If our tables are near each other, which I've requested them to not be, you must avoid sitting near him and making eye contact or any kind of conversation with him. As you're underaged, alcohol consumption shouldn't be an issue. Do you comprehend, Cecelia Ramona Bulstrode Burke?"

@Cecelia Burke

Hearing her child cry a few feet away, the mother excused herself and ran right over to soothe her child. She was hoping he'd have some playmates so that he could get through the wedding without being bored to tears.

"Oh, my little boy! Did you get a boo-boo?"

"Well," Daphne said, sniffing but turning pale. "All your other wishes will be coming true today, at least. I can hardly believe you will be Mrs Rowle! How fancy that sounds! And you have a kind, handsome husband..."

She smiled weakly.

"Just don't think on it, Alayna. This really marks a new beginning for you."

@Alayna Nott

Taking a brief break from greeting to get a drink of water, Ptolemy saw the scene with Selwyn and narrowed his eyes.

"Selwyn... don't bully my cousin, please," he sighed impatiently, bowing apologetically at his Mother before grabbing Comarth's arm and (gently) shoving him away.

"Do you want an important job to do, Barnaby? I don't feel anyone else is right for this job." Leaning down, he whispered to him that there was some biscuits in the kitchen that the elves hadn't brought in yet, and that he could fetch them and have as many as he liked.

Beaming shyly, the little boy hugged his Mother and darted out on the 'errand'. Ptolemy smiled at his Mother, apologised for Selwyn, and went back to greeting.

Having been pushed away, Comarth peered at the back of Rowle sourly. So the kid was allowed to stuff himself with biscuits while the rest of them politely stood around, thinking about food?!

This was one of the many reasons why he'd never get married!

Now that she had been out of the sun for a while, Jeneva's long, floral lace slip dress with wider straps, to be sophisticated for the occasion was fading to an off-white after staring out as a hydrangea pink hue. She sat at her seat sipping water rolling her eyes at the hangry Selwyn. Weirdo, much?

After being greeted by Ptolemy, Louis took in the sight of the place, thinking he'd never seen anything like it in his life. Alayna will be very pleased, he thought, smiling around at all the guests despite rarely receiving any recognition in return. As far as he was aware, none of his other family members were at the wedding: not even James, which he was surprised about, given that he was Atticus's partner.

"Hello Jeneva," he said brightly, waving to her as he passed, then he greeted Atticus who wasn't too far away from her. Atticus almost immediately smothered him in a tight hug. "Are you okay, Atticus?" he asked, chuckling.

@Jeneva Avery

"Watch this."

Barnaby, the little boy, face covered in chocolate crumbs, stared as Bellona encased one of the biscuits in a crystal shell of pure ice. She had already arrived but wished to make an entrance with Melanthius, so instead she was hanging around the side of the Rowle manor house showing this boy some tricks. He seemed to be entertained, for the most part, but she was beginning to grow weary of standing around.

Then again, at least she wasn't sitting. She wasn't going to be sitting for very much, she decided, as her dress was uncomfortable and far too restrictive. Also it was a duckegg blue sort of colour, and she didn't feel too much at home wearing it.

Ugh, how long was it until the ceremony started? Did her makeup already smudge any? Just as she pulled out her rose-shaped compact mirror, Jeneva noticed Louis walk by and awed at him briefly through her mirror until he was out of its sight.

"Hi, Louis..."

At least there was somebody cute here even if he was a Weasley!

@Louis Weasley

He ended up arriving to the estate last following the rest of his family; he took his sweet time getting ready for reasons. After what happened in the family gardens not too long ago, Thius wanted to be sure that he didn't have to worry about a surprise appearance. He had to tread carefully, toe the lines, don't do anything to draw negative attention. Thius did feel more confident that he could be more affectionate around his family now that they've met her. He'd just have to figure out the lines for this stage of the courtship, and all would be fine.

With a pop, he showed up not too far from the bounds of the manor. From a vague distance, Thius could hear his mother lecture Cece on her behavior, but his first and only priority was finding his girlfriend so they could enter as a couple. He couldn't sleep at all the previous night as his stomach was making backflips in excitement. Not so much for the wedding, but for Bellona.

Walking towards the manor, he caught her along the side of it and decided to then apparate behind her. Thius smirked as he touched her shoulder and whispered, "Guess who?"

@Bellona Lestrange

As the boy was asking her repeatedly to perform these tricks, it wasn't long before she felt like a circus monkey. Just as she was about to tell him no more, however, something popped from behind and gave her a start. As she swung around vengefully, she gave Thius a playful whack on the shoulder as a greeting.

"Don't - do - that!"

Barnaby giggled.

Boys ganging up on her - great. Her cheeks flushed pink.

"One of Ptolemy's Dutch cousins, I think," she explained, nodding towards Barnaby. "He's sort of sweet. Shall we go in, then?" she added to Thius, her eyes sweeping over him in his suit.

@Melanthius Burke

Chuckling, Thius smiled at Bellona and jokingly remarked to the boy, "I don't think my lady liked that too much..." Then his laughter grew harder as he teasingly stuck out his tongue.

He waved at the young boy and wondered, "Which cousin are you? Hm, perhaps I can find out later." Thius had some familiarity with the Dutch branch, but not enough to confidently know their names. Thius looked over at his girlfriend and nodded, offering her his arm. "Yes, let's go in. Perhaps they'll have some refreshments out."

He was a bit hungry after breakfast earlier in the morning as he prepared himself for what was, hopefully, going to be a good enough feast. Wetting his lips, he glanced down at his girlfriend's dress, surprised by the color choice, although she, as always, looked astonishing in it. It hugged her figure quite nicely...

@Bellona Lestrange

"You did all of this by yourself?" he asked Atticus regarding the beautiful cake, as he finally allowed him to breathe. "Wow, I can't imagine ever being able to do something like that. It's really great, Atticus. Alayna and Ptolemy will be very happy."

Beaming brightly, he turned to Jeneva again as though she had been part of the conversation the entire time. Well, Louis thought she was. They were standing close together, so really they should be talking together.

"You look very pretty, Jeneva," he said, beaming, "Are you here with your family today?"[/b] he asked her kindly.

@Jeneva Avery

Looking on as Jeneva greeted Louis Weasley, he couldn't help but notice how she actually said hello to him without saying eew. What was that all about?

Anyway, he was preoccupied with looking at Jeneva's dress. The flowers on it were beginning to look like salad garnishes, and he found himself salivating thinking about a nice bit of steak with salad.

Damn weddings.

@Jeneva Avery

"Don't I always look pretty?" Jeneva boasted, feeling vibrant with the validation of her naturally stunning looks. At least Louis Weasley acknowledged it. Why couldn't everybody else? Don't they have eyes?

After checking her mascara, she snapped her compact shut and turned to look at Louis. "Yeah, they're around here somewhere." And they didn't stop her from wearing that dress. They were enabling. "Did you come with anybody?"

@Louis Weasley

There were quite a lot of Rowle-looking people, and others that weren't so Rowle-like but still markedly good-looking. At one time she would probably wish for one of them to notice her, but now she was thinking about how they didn't compare to Thius. It was just a sea of similar fish, and she already had the best catch of the day.

"Maybe drinks, but I doubt any food before the ceremony. That never happens."

They walked inside together, and there was Ptolemy standing with Hector. Bellona smiled at him, her arm resting on top of Thius's. "Congratulations Ptolemy. Are you nervous at all?"

@Melanthius Burke

"Yes, you are always extremely pretty, Jeneva," he agreed unabashedly.

Atticus was rolling his eyes somewhere behind but Louis hadn't noticed. He was being very quiet.

"No, I didn't come with anyone today," he said brightly, knowing it would be a good opportunity to get talking to all sorts of different people. "I was so happy that Alayna invited me. We're all good friends, it's just such a shame I won't be seeing all of them like I used to. I'm sure they'll be lots of other weddings like this to look forward to."

@Jeneva Avery

"Well, we'll just have to eat dessert right after. That's what they get for starving us."

Nodding to Ptolemy and his brother, Thius gave them a small smile, his hand desiring to wander around Bellona's waist. "Congratulations, I always sort of figured you'd be married first out of the three of us, Ptolemy."

There were a few reasons for that, but the Burkes just enjoyed dragging all of the stages of a relationship out. Somehow that helped it feel more formal.

"What kind of beverages are being offered currently?"

@Ptolemy Rowle @Bellona Lestrange

"Our little Louis is here, Medea!" Matilda cried, swaying over to her. "Awh - just look at him! Doesn't he just make you want to... mmn. I don't know. I just feel so naughty whenever he's around..."

She bit her lip while looking at him.

@Medea Riddle

"Our Louis is here?"

Her focus was totally taken off the band as she gazed at him with her twin. Her mouth opening and closing as if she couldn't figure out anything to say. "How long has he and Cartwright been broken up?"

Grabbing her hand, Medea began putting down each finger one-by-one. "He loves me..."

@Matilda Riddle

Ptolemy smiled at the two of them together.

"Thank you, and welcome. It's a pleasure to see you both again," he said, chuckling at what Bellona said. "Not nervous - no. Excited, thrilled and impatient to see how she looks. You say you thought I would be the first to marry - I always thought Hector would be the last."

Urgh. Melanthius. Beverages? Really? He'd only just bloody got here! Still, he said without a hint to the previous thought:

"There are jugs of water and lemonade available now, then after the ceremony you will be served a drink of your choosing."

@Melanthius Burke

The wedding wasn’t exactly how she wanted to spend her day. She had so many other things that she could be doing but instead her parents had insisted that they all attend the ceremony and who was she to tell them no. She was already skating on thin ice with her refusal to just be a proper young lady instead of continuing with her current business plan. She had no desire to settle down and pop out children. She wanted to be successful in her own right. And her father frowned upon that. Not that she cared.

She wore her hair down in loose waves and a classically pretty dress, she thought she fit the occasion well enough as she entered behind her parents. She sure hoped this day wouldn’t be completely dull. Then she saw Hector looking like he would rather swallow a pail of razor blades than be there at the door greeting the guests and a wry smirk came to her lips as she greeted him. ”Would it hurt you to smile a bit, Hector? This is a happy occasion, isn’t it?” she said quietly, trying to lighten his mood just a bit. It was the least she could do, right?

@Hector Burke

"I'm sure the wait will be worth it, Ptolemy." Thius was looking forward to the reception most of all. Finally, he'd have the pride of being coupled up with the most amazing woman in all of magical Britain. He wouldn't have to be randomly paired up with a peer for the dances anymore! He could just gaze into her eyes all night, feel the iciness of her hands, and be satisfied.

He glanced at his brother, remarking, "Now it appears Hector will be the next of us to be wedded." And then he and Bellona, if only because she would still in Hogwarts for two more years after him. "So, I suppose I'll be last."

No alcohol right now? Thius nodded, pleased enough with that answer. It was bad enough dealing with Minnie sober. But to deal with an inebriated Minnie? It'd be a miracle if she didn't somehow shove the entire estate into her bag or do something equally stupid with one of her novelty wands.

"Shall we go and get ourselves situated, Bellona?"

@Ptolemy Rowle @Bellona Lestrange

"Oh, there'll be more weddings come up." When? She didn't know, but she was at an age where many of her childhood peers were old enough to get married and start popping out kids so the lineages can continue to prosper. "But I don't know whose."

Jeneva was waiting for either Bruce or some other guy who'll let her be a trophy wife. If she was given money to spend whenever she wanted with her main duty being to look pretty, she was going to be a happy camper. "Maybe my brother."

If her brother had the next pureblood wedding, Jeneva would be happy as it would allow her to be as glitzy as possible. His bride would just have to not be envious of her!

@Louis Weasley