Ten Weddings Planned
They had a double wedding with Xander and Anya, just because they could. Xander's parents complained, but when Willow offered to pay for the ceremony and part of the reception, they suddenly discovered their affection for their son's best friend.
So there were the Harrises, and the Rosenbergs, and the demons, and even Beth Maclay, who showed up with a weak smile, a battered suitcase, and an apology. Tara and Anya wore white, Xander and Willow wore tuxedos, and Buffy was their best man/maid of honor/person in charge.
And when the brides walked down the aisle, Willow and Xander cried.
Between researching a demon and her Advanced Latin class, Willow heard that San Francisco was offering marriage licenses.
She ran out of the library, grabbed a suitcase, threw in a few articles of clothing for both of them, and pulled Tara out of her Early Modern Literature class. "Sorry!" she told the professor. "It's an emergency!"
Tara was disapproving, especially when Willow got a taxi, then got plane tickets, then dragged her to a tiny little airport shop that sold cheap jewellery. "Willow...what's...?"
Willow grabbed a fake gold ring and held it out. "Tara Maclay, will you marry me?"
Dawn refused to let Willow see her bride, so Willow called Tara instead.
"The caterer brought the wrong kind of cheese and the flowers are dropping pollen all over the carpets and I don't know if the hotel'll charge me for that and Xander can't find the minister and do you know where my suitcase went because if we don't have my suitcase, then we can't go on our honeymoon and I really really want to be able to go on our honeymoon because we're getting married, and--"
"Sweetie," Tara said. "I love you. Calm down."
And everything was better.
They went to Vegas, because, y'know, everyone went to Vegas. And even though they couldn't actually get married, one of the chapels had a fantastic commitment ceremony-- you even got Elvis officiating.
Unfortunately, perhaps because they did it at midnight, or because it was just a commitment ceremony, or maybe it was just fate, they ended up with a trainee Elvis. Who was still perfecting his look, his accent, and said "Dearly Departed" when he was supposed to say "Dearly Beloved".
But after all the words were said, and "Love Me Tender" was playing, Tara and Willow's kiss was perfect.
"I'm nervous, okay?" Xander said, pacing. "I'm, like, scared nervous."
"I thought I was supposed to be the nervous one," Willow replied as she pulled on her dress.
"Ha ha," Xander said. "Mock me. But what if I lose the ring? What if it falls and rolls down the carpet and then ends up in the grate that nobody noticed? What if I stick it on my finger for safekeeping, and it gets stuck?" He started feeling his pockets. "And exactly where is it now?"
Willow pointed at the table, smiling. "Don't be scared, Xander," she said. "You'll be wonderful."
Cordelia adjusted herself in the dress for the fifth time and frowned. "You know," she said. "I seriously thought you got better taste when you got older. It looks like I was wrong."
Willow looked up. "Cordelia, you didn't have to be a bridesmaid, y'know."
Cordelia scoffed. "And miss my last chance to make fun of you before you settle down? As if!" She turned back to Willow and smiled. "Besides, if it's a choice between being more fabulous than you at your own wedding and fighting another gross demon? So about the wedding."
Willow shook her head and laughed.
Tara reached the altar, and smiled at Willow.
"We're here," Willow whispered.
"Uh-huh," Tara whispered back.
"No second thoughts?"
"Nope."
"No secret lovers I should know about?"
"Not so far."
Willow sneaked a look back. "No Dustin Hoffman shouting out your name and you running away with him?"
"Not this time." Tara smiled widely. "Besides, he's too old for me."
"And he'd have to fight me, y'know."
"He'd be terrified."
"Are you two done?" Anya whispered, frowning and clutching her bridesmaid's bouquet tightly. "We have a wedding to do!"
Willow and Tara smiled at each other, then faced the minister.
She slipped her arm into his, and took a deep breath.
"You ready?" Giles asked, looking at her with a slightly worried expression.
Tara nodded.
They tentatively took the first step down, and Tara looked at Willow standing at the altar. "Oh," she said in a small voice.
"Having second thoughts?" Giles said under his breath.
Tara ever-so-slightly shook her head. "No, just..."
"Overwhelming."
"Yeah."
Giles glanced over at his date, who looked back at him and smiled, holding up his hand in a vague wave. "But worth it," Giles softly said as he looked at Oz.
Tara smiled. "Yes."
They purposefully kept the ceremony small. Smaller ceremony meant less attention meant less possible demon attack meant goodness all around.
So there was Buffy, and Dawn, and Giles, and Xander, and Anya, and that was it. Willow's parents wanted to be there, but there was a very important conference, and Tara's father was purposefully not told about it, so there were just eight people to feed, and from what Willow had been told, this minister never stayed for food.
So there were eight people standing in the Summers' back yard, and they all cheered as Willow kissed her new bride.
When she was five, she had seven Barbies and no Kens, so all her Barbies got married to each other, wearing their long white dresses and kissing each other sweetly as all the other Barbies watched and silently applauded.
When she was fifteen, she used to stare at bridal magazines, trying to imagine what she would look like on Xander's arm, wearing white silk and carrying roses, with all the b-i-t-c-h-e-s in Sunnydale insanely jealous, and would always wonder why it never seemed right.
When she was twenty-five, she, like her Barbies before her, married the girl of her dreams.