Open A Treasured Moment

[Elliot Briar]

Open to anyone who knows Elliot or Alice after Daphne posts with Alice. Feel free to PM if you're not sure!

Elliot had been stuck on an emotional seesaw for what felt like months, oscillating between giddy excitement and stomach plummeting fear in the lead up to today. There were so many things that could go wrong, from the mundane like forgetting to invite someone, ordering the wrong flowers right up to the life ruining. Like Elliot realizing he really was just like his father and not made for marriage.

Ultimately, it hadn't mattered in the end. Looking at Alice, Elliot realized even if things went wrong, he'd have her. They'd have each other. Maybe they could handle things together. Even if Alice's nieces and nephew kept trying to stick their hands in the punch bowl. Big and small things, Alice had always been that person Elliot could talk his fears through with, even back when he'd been a tiny first year still figuring things out. He'd just have to trust her if he thought he couldn't trust himself to be brave enough to weather things. He could do that.

He squeezed Alice's hand, already trying to siphon some of that strength from her as the reception got in full swing. The ceremony itself while harrowing, had almost been the easy part, Elliot knew exactly what to expect then. Now, let loose to eat and mingle at a party where they were arguably the center of attention had Elliot sweating in his suit.

"You think anyone would notice if we left early? Is there like a minimum on how long we're supposed to stay?" He asked her quietly, unable to resister the urge to trace the new ring on her finger where their hands were joined. Maybe he could stay just a little bit longer..

 

[Alice Briar]

Alice's cheeks hurt from all the smiling she had been doing today, but she couldn't stop. She wasn't the type of person who had always imagine her dream wedding since she was small, but she had been thinking of this day a lot since she had dated Elliot.

The ceremony had been wonderful but also went by in a blur. Now that it was over, she felt like she floated down to the ground. Her family was here, her friends were here. Everyone she loved was here to celebrate them. She beamed at him as the music started playing and the party started in earnest. Then she laughed when he suggested leaving early. "We're not leaving our own wedding party. At least not until we have celebrated properly." She told him firmly.

 

[Katy Miller]

It was so weird so see Elliot getting married. In some ways, Katy still felt like a big kid, never really settling down, still feeling like everyone else around her was more adultier adults than she was at 19, at 29. It was strange to see Elliot up there with Alice, look like one of those adultier adults with their lives together. Though really, it suited them both. And at least Elliot had good taste, Katy liked Alice, she liked seeing her cousin happy.

"Aw, look at you two," Katy said, taking the chance to congratulate them both properly before things got crowded, smacking a kiss to Elliot's and then Alice's cheek as she threw an arm around them both. "I'm going to go dance and take advantage of the free food, but I'm happy for you both, really. You look right together," she said, giving Elliot a bit more of a squeeze, quiet, fond approval, before slipping away to see if she found the bar or the dance floor first.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose felt incredibly proud and happy as she watched her sister get married, though it was strange as well. Alice had been her youngest sister for so long that Rose still thought of her as the baby of the family sometimes, even with Lucy now a teenager. She knew the older unmarried sister feeling bitter was a cliché, and she hated it, but she did feel a little conflicted. Out of all of them (Lucy excluded), Rose was now the only unmarried one. She wasn't unhappy, she liked her job and she liked her life, but she did feel like she was a little stuck. She had been considering something to change that, but she still wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to go through with it. It was a big step. She put it from her mind for now, as she headed over to congratulate the couple. She gave Alice a big hug before letting her go and heading out to grab herself a drink. On her way there, she spotted Elliot's cousin and nodded in greeting. "Hi Katy." She said brightly. "This must be strange for you too."

@Katy Miller

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe wouldn't admit to crying a little at Alice's ceremony, not even under torture. She now made her way to the snack table with her spouse, giving Charlie a serious look. "Not a soul, you hear me?" She asked, prodding them in their side jokingly. She couldn't believe her baby sister was now married, though she had kind of been married to Elliot in a way since they were still teenagers. They had always seemed like the most stable and normal relationship out of them all, her and Charlie excluded. Well, she supposed that meant she was just comparing her to Diana's mess of a situation and it wasn't easy to be more stable than that. "I guess Diana and her husband are on speaking terms today." She commented to Charlie as she nodded in the direction of Delaney. It wouldn't have surprised her if he hadn't even been here because he and Diana had had another spat.

@Charlie Madison

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana had mixed feelings about today, and she was already on her second drink because of it. She would congratulate Alice later. Probably. It wasn't like her younger sister was likely to notice. She looked like a princess among her adoring fans and Diana was a little bitter about it. This had been what she wanted, not the drunken wedding with Delaney that she could barely remember. They had thrown a little wedding party afterwards so she could put on a nice dress, but it still wasn't the same. She somehow also doubted Alice would get saddled with twins the way she had, and if she did, she definitely wouldn't have to raise them basically on her own like Diana had. Elliot looked like the sort of guy who read parenting books before becoming a dad. Ugh. She downed the rest of her drink and set it down, glancing in the direction of her husband in annoyance. "Are you just going to let Dylan and Dahlia run wild? Dahlia is going to ruin her new dress." She said, mostly just so she had something to snap at him for.

@Delaney Hollis

 

[Claudia Holland]

Claudia wasn't even pretending to keep her eyes dry during the ceremony. She was so happy to be here, to see Alice take this next step. She had full confidence in this marriage. Alice and Elliot were a rare pair who were so obviously made for each other. It was beautiful to see them together and it reminded her of herself and James. She had squeezed her husband's hand tightly during the ceremony and she wondered if he had feeling back in it yet now that the reception was in full swing. She headed over to her daughter and her new husband, focused only on them. "Oh, congratulations you two." She said with a bright smile as she hugged them both in turn, holding onto Alice just a little longer than was strictly necessary. "That was beautiful."

@Elliot Briar

 

[Simone Moreau-Chen]

Simone was starting to think she could start to put 'professional wedding guest' on her resume after how many she had been to over the years. Not that she was one to turn down a party but there was something about getting older while the people getting married we getting younger. Not that Elliot was that much younger than her but from her memories of him he would always be a kid to her. The ceremony was beautiful and appropriately emotional even if she had trouble focusing through all the sincerity. There was a nice turn out too even if it seemed to be mostly on the bride's side, was he marrying into some kind of cult? But as the party got started she knew she had a very important job, drinks. She let Katy go off to congratulate the happy couple while she found the bar. With her hands full of as many shots as she could carry she found her date and someone she was pretty sure was related to the bride. "Drink up!" she commanded as she lazily looped her arm around Katy's shoulder while not spilling a drop. "We have some newly weds to celebrate!" she said cheerfully. @Katy Miller @Rose Holland

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars was married and yet, the idea of a wedding was still strange to him. He barely remembered how he had made it through his own. It was a blur, a happy blur though. He did remember Elliot's doubtful expression at the wedding, how he clearly had his misgivings. Lars couldn't even blame him for that, but he had never doubted that he and Blake would work out. They were here together now, and Lars stayed close to his side. Elliot was a close friend, but he had also been his first boyfriend. It was a little strange to stand here and watch him get married. "Let's congratulate them when it's a bit less crowded." He murmured to Blake as he watched the former Minister of Magic hug Elliot.

@Blake van Houten

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley had mostly gotten used to watching people she remembered as customers grow up. Mostly. Hiring Elliot six years after selling him his wand had been a surreal feeling, and now here she was. At his wedding. Ainsley didn't know the bride well, but she distinctly remembered Rose Holland from school. Thankfully, Alice seemed to be a... tamer kind of person. Ainsley wasn't sure the world could handle more people like Rose's friend group, though she had always been on good terms with them. They were just... a lot.

The wedding had been beautiful though, and Ainsley had kept Amber's hand gripped tightly in her own the whole time. Their own wedding still felt like it had only just happened, though they had been practically married since fifth year. She remembered what it felt like, to hold someone you loved and promise to love them for the rest of your lives. It felt natural, easy, right. She planned on dragging Amber onto the dance floor later and saying all sorts of mushy things about their own wedding, but for now she was holding it in, instead settling in with Amber and Emmett to wait for a better time to congratulate Elliot and Alice, and make sure her business partner didn't run off without doing so. "Such a sweet ceremony." She smiled fondly, taking a sip of her wine. "When did Elliot get so old? I swear he was a teenager yesterday..."
@Emmett Lancaster @Amber Chou Wilson

 

[Charlie Madison]

Charlie hadn't been to many weddings in their life, but they were fairly sure that this had been a good one. Everything was almost overwhelmingly beautiful, and they felt more confident in the decision to elope than ever. They had to admit the sight of Phoebe crying had been kind of fantastic though, and couldn't hold back a mischievous grin when she brought it up. "Oh, I'm telling everyone." They teased, poking Phoebe back. "Big staunch Unspeakable seen blubbing at her sister's wedding. Totally ruins credibility. I've already drafted the owl to Edmund in my mind." They added with a small snicker.

Admittedly there was something nice about such a big wedding, as overwhelming as it was. It really highlighted how big the Holland family was, and made Charlie's three siblings feel positively sparse by comparison. Charlie knew there were a lot of them, between siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles, but this was a lot. They stuck close with Phoebe as they got a glass of wine for each of them, handing one to their wife as they looked in the indicated direction. "Must be Tuesday." They said with a raised eyebrow, looking around to see where the twins had run off to. Though they felt a little guilty to think it, Charlie was waiting a little desperately for Diana and Delaney to divorce. Their wedding had obviously been a mistake, and Diana was clearly sticking with it more out of stubbornness than love. "Can you see the twins anywhere?"
@Phoebe Holland

 

[Emily Madison]

It was normal to blub at your best friend's wedding. In fact, it would be weird not to blub at your best friend's wedding. So, Emily wasn't really embarassed at all as she sniffled and hiccuped and sobbed her way through the whole ceremony. It was beautiful, and Alice was beautiful, and everything was beautiful, and love was beautiful. She'd had to nip off to the bathroom to fix her makeup after the fact, but it was absolutely worth it. She wouldn't undo a single tear. Alice was married, and Emily had to not think too hard about that or she would start crying again. Their love story was beyond perfect, and Emily could only hope she would find the same kind of love some day. Hell, maybe she would find it today. Now that would be a fairytale. She'd hoped to go congratulate the couple right away, but Alice's mum had gotten there first and Emily knew better than to interrupt the former Minister of Magic. Though she was just as important, really. But there was plenty of time to find Alice later, and getting a glass of wine first wouldn't hurt. Or maybe it'd make her cry harder, but that was a future problem. She gave Charlie and Phoebe a friendly nudge and grin as she scooted past them to get a glass, but was content to leave her sibling & their wife to their own business for the moment.

 

[James Holland]

It was starting to feel like every time James blunk another one of his daughters was married. Married. This felt different though - maybe because Alice was the first to have a real ceremony, or maybe because for so many years before Lucy, Alice had been the baby, the littlest one, his princess. Having been the parent to stay home with Lucy, James had almost immediately regretted working through his younger children's childhoods. They grew up so, so fast, and he had never had enough time with Alice or any of her older sisters before they had been adults, out and away into the world, getting married, having children, starting their own lives.

And now here she was. Alice Briar. A married woman. James had clung tightly to Claudia's hand throughout the ceremony, and managed to only cry a little bit. It felt like there was no time left at all until Lucy would be out in the world starting her life too, and James' nest would be empty for good. Something about his original youngest daughter getting married had just driven that reality home. He went with Claudia to talk to the couple right away, pulling Alice into a tight, lingering hug once Claudia was done. "We're so proud of you, sweetheart." He said softly, holding her tight, his little girl just for one more moment. "So, so proud." Finally letting Alice go, James quickly wiped his eyes before pulling Elliot in for a hug as well, far briefer but just as tight. "Welcome to the family, officially. Though you didn't take the name - Elliot Holland has a real ring to it..."
@Claudia Holland @Alice Briar @Elliot Briar

 

[Nell Night]

It felt as though Nell's school social circle were just getting married left and right these days, her own wedding still fresh in her mind all through the ceremony as Nell watched with Jasper's hand tight in her own, Ruby settled comfortably in her lap and thankfully choosing to keep quiet the whole time. Married, parents, successful in their careers - everyone she knew was making all kinds of moves, and yet something about so many school friends being together again made Nell feel like a teenager again. She could see Lars and Blake, Clifton Ward, Lily was no doubt floating around somewhere... it was like a mini reunion, and the juxtaposition felt surreal. The people she had played spin the bottle with, fought and made up with, the group who had all managed to date each other in some kind of intricate web - it had all led them here, into adulthood acting as though they didn't all have those kids still locked in there somewhere. With the ceremony over, Nell sighed in relief as she gently handed Ruby over to Jasper. "I'm gonna get us some drinks, can you take her for a minute?"
@Jasper Night

 

[Clifton Ward]

Every classmate's wedding made Clifton feel further and further behind in life. His brief relationship with Simon had fizzled out shortly after October's wedding, and... well, here he was. The only single one left from his... what could generously be called a friend group, still working the same job he had as a teenager. He still loved it, thankfully - there was something so soothing about getting settled in to follow the same routines, producing perfect pastries one after another, lined up identical and neat on a tray. But as far as anyone from school was concerned he hadn't gone anywhere, wasn't dating anyone, didn't have kids or a family or a life... he was just... drifting.

It was hard not to dwell on throughout the ceremony - Elliot and Alice looked so happy, so complete, two halves of the same whole. And the beginning of the reception really confirmed how far everyone else had come. Lars and Blake were inexplicably still together, Nell and Jasper had had a baby, apparently, he already knew Lily had been seeing someone forever. A professional Quidditch player, of course. His relationship with Lily had been doomed start to finish and they were much better as friends, but something about being replaced by a professional athlete really felt like he was living the stereotype of every nerd in every movie ever. It was a depressing thought, and Clifton had found himself alone in a corner without even really thinking about it, already working on his second glass of wine while everyone else was still on their first, figuring that once he had found time to congratulate the couple he would just let loose and make sure he wouldn't remember the rest of the night.

 

[Blake van Houten]

It felt like Jasper and Nell's wedding had just been yesterday, and here Blake was at another classmates' wedding, sat comfortably at Lars' side. He knew they had gotten married early, that the rest of his schoolmates had left it until a far more reasonable time, but he couldn't bring himself to regret a thing. Maybe down the line they would have some kind of vow renewal ceremony when they were older, find a reason to celebrate all over again, but for now each of his classmates' weddings just made Blake think fondly of his own, of every perfect moment they had shared.

It was a relief when Lars wasn't eager to go congratulate the couple right away - they looked busy, but more importantly Blake needed another moment to brace himself before congratulating his ex girlfriend on her wedding. It had been a disaster, of course, doomed to fail before their first date, but Blake had never really felt like he had been able to apologise properly; not in a way that mattered. It had all worked out in the end, but Blake knew he had hurt far too many people on the journey to himself, and it still felt uncomfortable and painful to face those people. He did his best to put it out of his mind, squeezing Lars' hand with a smile. "Can't wait to drag you onto that dance floor..." He murmured instead, focusing on the part of the evening he was looking forward to.
@Lars van Houten

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor had long since stopped being scared of his cousins (though he was still a little nervous when he spotted that Gryffindor girl Alice hung around with) but he still felt a little out of place going to such a big family wedding. There were so many people here, more than he could remember being in a room with since his graduation, and part of Connor was counting down the seconds until he got to go home. Thankfully he was fairly sure neither Alice nor Elliot knew any of the people from school he had been desperately avoiding for years, but that didn't make the crowd any more bearable.

The ceremony had been beautiful at least, and Connor had felt a small flicker of amusement at the realisation that he was watching his first crush marry his cousin. The tiny version of him who had looked up to Elliot so long ago felt like a completely different person, but there was still a faint sense of nostalgia watching Elliot give his vows. Connor made a beeline for the drinks as soon as the ceremony was over, counting down the seconds until he could leave without being rude.

 

[Lucy Holland]

Lucy's favourite sister changed on a day to day basis, but today it was definitely Alice. Mostly. She still couldn't quite forgive her for letting Diana's twins take Lucy's flower girl spot, but she had still gotten to be a bridesmaid at least. And Alice had had an actual wedding, for the first time in Holland sister history. It was completely unfair that half of her sisters had gotten married without Lucy present, and Diana throwing a party afterwards didn't make up for it. (It might if Diana had married someone worth marrying, but she hadn't, so she was in Lucy's bad books.) But Alice had had a real wedding, with a real ceremony, and so she was top of the sister tier list today. It didn't even matter that Lucy was going to have to think of something new to bully Elliot about now.

As soon as the ceremony was over she bounced over to Alice and Elliot to congratulate them, beaten only by her parents. "ALIIIIIIIIICE!" She wailed, flinging herself into her sister's arms as soon as Dad let her go. "That was so beautiful, you're beautiful, everything's beautiful, and you're married now!" She babbled, clinging tightly to her sister and realising for the first time that she was almost coming close to Alice's height now. Not quite, but she had obviously grown a lot over the last year of school. It felt surreal, being so close to being on the same level as her sisters, all of whom had been adults for as long as Lucy could remember. When had she come so close to being their equal? "I'll even forgive you betraying us, Mrs. Briar." She added, putting as much stink on her sister's new name as possible. At least Phoebe had stuck with Holland, and she was definitely second in the sister rankings today.
@Alice Briar @Claudia Holland @James Holland @Elliot Briar

 

[Avaria Lockwood]

Ava was so excited for this- being the maid of honor in one of her best friends weddings was absolutely the greatest thing ever, and seeing Alice married and happy was another one of the greatest things ever! She was in such a good mood. The kids were at good ages, too- the twins were nine and Plum was five, all of them old enough they could be generally well behaved. She'd brought Vader along, Aurora was busy dancing with Plum and trying to drag Nico with them, and Ava had set her sights on her Vader. "Come on, lets dance!" She giggled, holding out both hands to try and summon him to her. @Vader Hume

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily was nervously excited for this. Elliot was one of her closest friends, he had always been. Still, big crowds like this always got her. She made it through the wedding, honored and even more nervous that he'd asked her to be his best maid. She managed to make it through the ceremony without letting her own nerves show, wanting to be there for Elliot like he'd been there so many times for her.

It was harder than she expected, not reaching out to take his sleeve. But that was such a childish thing to do, she couldn't keep relying on it when she was nervous. Eventually the reception began, and she was able to slip away. She left Elliot and Alice to their own devices, knowing they'd be busy with people. Hands shaking she found what she hoped was a secluded little corner and leant against the wall. Part of her wanted to find AJ, but she also didn't want to push her own insecurities onto him. She'd made such amazing progress, and yet here she was again, still feeling like a lost little kid.

It might not help that Clifton was here, reminding her of what they'd been and how she'd not been enough and how she'd ruined it all. Or how she was at yet another wedding for her friends and a little part of her couldn't help but feel like she was being left behind.

Honestly, Lily was half tempted to just leave, but she didn't want to draw any unneccesary attention to herself. She shrunk back, trying to hide in a shadow, just overwhelmed and needing a minute to breathe as she twisted her braid in her hands, eyes closed as she tried to take a few deep breaths to try and still the furious pounding of her heart and the stinging of tears in the corners of her eyes. @AJ Ari

 

[Melrose Miller]

Melrose felt very outplace here, and not just because he was convinced he was going to spill something on his nice shirt and get yelled at. Most of the people here were way older than him or way younger than him and Melrose didn't feel comfortable trying to talk to either of them. He could see Aunt Katy already getting into some drinks near the dancefloor with some people and wondered idly if he could convince her to give him some without anyone yelling at him before quickly discarding the idea. He'd be so worried about getting in trouble there'd be no way he could possible enjoy it.

There was one other girl here closer to Melrose's age and he tried not to stare as she shot across the room to accost the bride. She had colored streaks in her hair and a level of confidence Melrose could only dream about and he couldn't look away, aware he was definitely staring like a total creep as he practiced four different ways he could try to introduce himself before immediately discarding them. Maybe he should give up and take his chances talking to some of the toddlers instead.

 

[Emmett Lancaster]

Emmett may have been in attendance at Elliotts' wedding more so out of professional obligation than personal preference, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't at least a beautiful ceremony. It was a surreal experience, watching the young man grow over the years, from just another customer coming in for his first wand, to perhaps one of his most valued employees. Emmett's eyes roamed the sea of faces, strangers, all of them, yet so many of them familiar in some way. Friends and family who had at one point or another stepped foot into his and Ainsley's store. He could name the wands some of them carried, even though he was sure he didn't know half of their names. Over there, fourteen inches of cedar wood, slightly whippy, with a hippogryff feather core. Two tables away, eight inches of vine, sturdy, a vampire blood core. And of course over there, eleven and a half - "Hm?" Emmett responded to Ainsley's comment, roused from the mental musings keeping him from suffering through the rest of the reception. That and the wine. Plenty of wine. "Mm. Very sweet." He muttered into his glass. Ainsley and her wife were perhaps the only others in attendance Emmett was at least somewhat familiar with, though he was perhaps a little surprised to spy the former Minister of Magic. "I asked myself the same thing. Where did the time go?" He said. It didn't seem right, and he had to remind himself Elliot was closer to thirty than twenty at this point. They weren't getting any younger, either. Events like these were sometimes uncomfortably confronting, as sweet as they were.​

@Ainsley Lynch @Amber Chou Wilson

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber loved weddings, even when she didn't really know the couple all that well. She remembered the Holland sisters vaguely, but had never been particularly close to any of them. Elliot she just knew as Ainsley's coworker, though she liked him. She was just here as Ainsley's date, and she enjoyed that. She laughed softly at Ainsley's words. "I think we're just getting old, dear." She teased.

@Ainsley Lynch @Emmett Lancaster

 

[Delaney Hollis]

Delaney knew he was pushing it today, slouching in his seat all throughout the ceremony and generally acting 'surly' as Diana would so helpfully put it. It wasn't like it was a huge hardship to watch Diana get all dressed up and enjoy some free food and a chance to cut loose, though the twins no doubt put a damper on that part. As did the not so subtle disapproval of Diana's entire family for his existence, which he usually thrived under, but had become grating over the years. There was only so many times he could stomach being dressed up and trotted out in front of everyone before he figured he earnt the right to be a little surly.

"What's it matter, she had like 40 others," he said with a sigh, dropping his head back and groaning at the ceiling, ignoring the unsettling way Dylan frowned at his sister nearby in a way that reminded him exactly of Diana. "Can we forget about looking perfect for two seconds and just enjoy something for a moment?" He asked, half pleading, setting his glass aside and running a finger down Diana's exposed shoulder. Sure, he hated getting all dolled up for silly little events like this, but he wasn't immune to the results when Diana did it.

@Diana Hollis

 

[Oscar Brooks]

The last few hours for Oscar had felt like cresting the hill on a roller coaster, spending half the ceremony waiting for the inevitable drop at the end. But the drop had never come, or at least, not the one he'd been expecting.

Things with Elliot were still off, Oscar should have known Elliot wouldn't never go as far to exclude him from his wedding, but he was still walking on eggshells the entire ceremony, not wanting to ruin a day that was so important to his son. And it had been magical, if he was allowed to use such a word around so many actual witches and wizards, to see his son so happy. For all the ways Elliot had taken after him, Oscar really hoped being prone to divorce wasn't some how hereditary. Or that Oscar wasn't jinxing them simply being here and thinking it.

He'd made a break for it as the reception started, aware that as much as he wanted to stay safely suction cupped to Miles all night, he should eventually talk to his son and then immediately chickening out as various other friends and relatives beat him to it. Maybe he could send a card? People sent cards right? Waylaid from Elliot and Alice, Oscar turned to find an appropriate corner to hide in, abashed to find one of Elliot's friends had already beaten him to that too and having to awkward loop back towards Miles instead.

"Talk to me so I can pretend like I came back here for a reason and not because I chickened out about talking to my own son, please," he said weakly to Miles, pasting on a tense smile. "He does look happy though, they both do," he added, chancing one more glance over his shoulder at the pair, the smile become more sincere.
@Miles Cresswell