After the Ceremony: A Novella

What should have been an idyllic destination wedding, reception and a honeymoon in paradise went awry due to a free-flowing champagne fountain at the reception and an unpredicted tropical storm that swept through the Hawaiian isles. Returning home a day late and bedraggled due to the storm’s upheaval, the newlyweds, Penny and Phil Hinton, can’t take time to recoup. They face scheduled post-nuptial events – the bride’s ‘wrap-up’ luncheon and the groomsmen’s round of golf.
Arriving at the luncheon, Penny is anxious to get through the “honeymoon from hell” photos and onto the ones of the wedding and the reception. She has assembled a digital slideshow of a few of the honeymoon shots. As Penny, her relatives and friends view the devastating results of the storm’s impact on the isles, they are reminded of the truth of the old adage, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’.
Not wanting to linger on what Penny considers a nightmarish experience, she moves on to the slideshow of the wedding and reception photos. Noticing the uneasiness of the women, she senses that she isn’t the only one with a story to tell. Quickly scanning the traditional, staged wedding photos, the group focuses on the candid shots from the rehearsal and dinner, and the reception. Penny’s interest and apprehension level are piqued . . . as well as the group’s discomfort. As the back stories are revealed, Penny learns that she and Phil weren’t the only ones with a tale of events that occurred ‘after the ceremony’.