I Arrived Early for My Big Day and Found Out My Sister Had Planned Her Own Wedding—At My Venue
A Dream Turned Nightmare
The morning of my wedding, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach and a heart full of anticipation.
James and I had spent years saving for this day. Extra shifts, late nights, cutting corners wherever we could. Every dollar went toward making it perfect.
"Emily, just think, all the money we're going to save on takeout," James laughed.
"That's because we're on healthy eating plans," I grinned.
And now, after all that work, all that sacrifice, it was finally here.
The Unexpected Twist
I arrived at the venue an hour early, hoping for a quiet moment before the ceremony. I wanted to walk the aisle alone, soak it all in.
I just wanted to breathe, do my makeup, and drink champagne while I walked around, taking in the fairytale setting.
Instead, I saw a bride standing at my altar. She had her back to me, smoothing out her veil.
She wasn't just any bride. She was Sarah, my sister.
Dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress, watching the venue's staff run around with the final preparations. Some of the guests were already gathering.
Confrontation at the Altar
"Sarah?" I called out, my voice trembling.
She turned, her face lighting up with a smug smile.
"Oh! You're early! I thought I'd have everything sorted before you got here. Well... that ruins the surprise."
I couldn't even process what she was saying.
"Surprise?" I echoed, my voice hollow.
Sarah sighed dramatically as if I was the problem here. As if I was the one ruining something special. As if I was the one who was raining on her parade.
"Emily, come on," she said. "Why waste a perfectly good setup? Two weddings in one! Genius, right, sis? And you know how Mark has been pushing me to get married lately."
My stomach dropped.
"You... so you didn't just show up in a wedding dress? You planned on getting married at my wedding? Are you insane?"
She tilted her head, pouting.
"Mom said that 'insane' isn't a word we use, Emily," she rolled her eyes. "Be nice. And come on, don't be so selfish!"
Selfish?
Me? At my own wedding? The one place I was supposed to be selfish and controlling?
That word lit something inside me. Something angry. Something dangerous.
Sarah had spent her entire life taking from me. From borrowing clothes and never returning them to stealing my ideas and passing them off as her own. She would even whisper lies to get our parents on her side.
But this? This was next-level pathetic. This was next-level evil.
The Battle of the Brides
I looked around. My wedding planner, Olivia, was staring at Sarah like she was a live grenade. My guests, the poor souls who had arrived early, were whispering in disbelief.
Even Sarah's own fiancé, Mark, looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Sarah, you told me that Emily agreed!" he sighed. "I should have known better."
My vision sharpened.
I smiled.
Fine. If Sarah wanted a wedding, she could have one.
"Olivia, did you know about this?" I asked.
"No, not at all, Emily!" she said. "I was just making sure that the bridal suite was ready for you. Your hair and makeup team are setting up for the final touches right now."
I nodded.
"Thank you," I smiled at her. "Now, let's get to this double wedding situation. Please put my sister's ceremony before mine. But can you pull out your tablet?"
"Of course," she said, whipping out her tablet and unlocking it.
"Don't forget to add the harpist's final fee to our invoice. And as for the other issue, please make sure that Sarah gets billed for her portion first. I suggest that she pay before she walks down the aisle."
Olivia blinked and then grinned widely.
My sister's smirk wavered.
I crossed my arms.
"You added your own ceremony. If you planned a wedding, you'd know what that actually entails, Sarah. The officiant will need extra time for you, the musicians will too. Not to mention James's photography students—you'll have to pay them, of course. As for the food... I'm not going 50-50 with you there, sis. James and I catered for our guests only."
Olivia, ever the professional, turned to Sarah.
"Emily's right," she said. "But she did leave out a few details. We catered per head, so that means your guests are another story altogether. We're paying the venue by the seat, literally. So, for your ceremony, we're going to need extra seats. They're not cheap. There's a few other things we can go through. Would you like to sit down?"
"Wait... what?!" Sarah exclaimed.
Olivia's voice was calm and patient.
"You added a separate ceremony, Sarah. That fee has to be settled before we proceed."
Sarah laughed nervously.
"No, no, no! This is all one event! There's no other add-ons or whatever you're talking about, Olivia. Come on, Emily. Tell her."
I shrugged.
"Not according to the contract, Sarah. Your part wasn't included in the original agreement. Weddings cost money. If you want one, you have to pay."
Sarah's face turned bright red, and she dropped the veil she had been holding.
She looked around, expecting someone to back her up.
Nobody did.
Not Mom. Not Dad. Not even Mark.
"Mom?" she whimpered.
Our mother folded her arms. She looked livid.
"You planned this nonsense behind everyone's back, Sarah. Fix it yourself."
Sarah's lip trembled, and then she exploded.
She shrieked. She stomped her feet. She demanded that I "just share" because we were "family."
"You need to calm down, Sarah," Mark told her. "I can't believe that you lied to me and told me that Emily and James were happy about this. I'm leaving."
Sarah fell into a heap on the floor. Our father called security to escort her out.
I took a deep breath and smiled.
"Ready to slip into your dress?" Olivia asked.
I nodded.
"It's almost go-time, Emily," my mother said. "Come on, I'll help you."
A Day to Remember
The wedding went off without a hitch after that. It was perfectly romantic and intimate.
Without Sarah and her drama? The atmosphere was light, joyful, and electric.
Mom pulled me aside, wrapping me into a hug.
"I can't believe your sister actually thought she could get away with it," she said.
"Honestly? Neither can I!" I laughed. "I told James everything after our ceremony, and he was shocked. Thank goodness he missed the whole confrontation—knowing James, he would have allowed her to have her moment. Just to keep the peace."
"You've got a lovely husband, Emily," Mom said. "And don't you take that for granted."
Before we knew it, my dad walked up to us.
"She called.
