Letter: From a Nervous Bride with Love

Posted on Wed Jul 16th, 2025 @ 3:52pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

1,209 words; about a 6 minute read

My Vance,

This is the last letter I’ll write to you before I become your wife.

I wanted to tell you that the promise I made to you years ago, when you gave up trying to kiss me-- I've not gone through with it. I've not told the officiant to change the wording of the ceremony from ‘you may now kiss the bride' to 'you may now stare longingly and awkwardly at the bride from a respectable distance’.

Anyway, by the time you read this, I’ll be hours away from walking down the aisle, ready to stand before the man I’ve loved in ways words can barely touch but you know me– I’m Italian; I’ll try anyway.

Vance, you’ve always had this way of seeing me, the real me, even when I tried to hide. You barged into my life with that cocky smile and a charm that made me roll my eyes– only to turn around and steal my heart completely. From the moment you told me I’d be your future wife, something inside me shifted. Maybe I didn’t believe you then, but part of me wanted to.

We’ve been through so much, amore mio. There were times I thought that I had lost you forever. Times when the stars seemed so cruel, keeping us apart and then teasing me by bringing you back to me without your memories. Yet somehow, here we are, ready to promise ‘forever’.

I want you to know that marrying you isn’t just a choice– it’s my greatest honour. You’ve seen most of my scars; you've experienced my stubbornness; you've been both victim and witness to my fire; you chose to save me after I betrayed you. Instead of running, you stayed. You loved me, even when it was hard, even when the universe seemed determined to keep us apart.

Today, I’ll walk to you not just as Adrianna Baciami, the woman you fell in love with, but as someone ready to build a future with you. I promise to love you unapologetically and passionately, the way I always have and always will. I promise to stand with you when life feels heavy and to laugh with you when it feels light. I promise to hold your hand through the chaos and to remind you that we are better together– always.

This morning, I woke up knowing that tonight, I’ll fall asleep as your actual wife– as Mrs Adrianna Nani Baciami-Adams. That thought alone makes me the happiest woman in the galaxy.

I’ll admit it– I’m nervous. Not the kind of nerves where I doubt us, because I don’t, not for a second, but the kind where my heart is racing, and I keep wondering if I’ll cry the moment I see you waiting for me and it all becomes a reality after so long. I know you’re probably feeling the same, even if you’d never admit it. You’ve always been good at pretending you’ve got everything under control, but I know you too well. I know your hands are probably fidgeting right now, and that you’re overthinking every little detail. You've probably redone your tie a million times and wondering why cufflinks were invented too. So– my final pre-wedding gift for you…

Let me ease your mind, amore mio.

I know you, Vance, and I know your mind is already counting. So, let me save you the trouble– I’ve worked it all out for you. In fact, I've spent two days with a stopwatch and calculator…

From the moment the door opens and I step out onto the vineyard, it will take me exactly 168 seconds to walk down from the house, onto the vineyard and down the makeshift aisle to stand beside you. I know you’ll be watching every step, and trust me, I’ll be counting them too, not in seconds, but in heartbeats. I have walked it eight times both with and without my father, and in my wedding shoes, and timed it.

From there, it’ll be 549 seconds– 9 ish minutes– into the ceremony when we exchange rings.

Another 237 seconds after that, we’ll be pronounced husband and wife.

And then, just 6 seconds later, you can kiss me for the first time as your legal wife. So, if you’re counting, know this: every single second is leading us to forever, and I wouldn’t want to spend them with anyone else but you.

I even counted a few more things for you, just in case your mind wanders…

It’ll take the band 43 seconds to start playing once we’re announced as husband and wife.

The dinner that my mother and aunts have prepared will be served 3,600 seconds– one hour– after the ceremony ends, which I know you’ll appreciate because you always notice when food is late.

The sunset, the one I know you’ll keep glancing at during the ceremony, will take 10,800 seconds– three hours– to set fully.

We will say our “I do’s” 5,400 seconds into that which will mean that the sun will flash behind the mountains surrounding the vineyard, and go below the horizon behind us as we kiss.

And from the moment we kiss to the last dance of the night, there will be exactly 18,000 seconds to soak it all in.

Every one of those seconds will be ours, Vance. Count them if you want, but don’t forget to live in them too.

Of course, I couldn’t stop there… and this is pre coffee…

From the moment the ceremony begins to the first glass of champagne we toast with, it’ll be 2,400 seconds– 40 minutes– because I know you’d want to know when the alcohol related celebration starts so that we can both ease our nerves.

The journey from the vineyard to our reception table in the courtyard is 118 seconds– two short minutes to soak in the cheers and laughter of everyone who loves us.

And the dance floor? Our first dance will last exactly 211 seconds– just over three minutes– but I promise that I have no intention for it to be our only dance tonight, but it's the only song I know the exact length of because I asked.

After the music fades and the guests leave, we’ll have 21,600 seconds– six uninterrupted hours– until the first light of dawn finds us.

And, if you're still counting, Vance, know this: there will be 31,536,000 seconds in our first year of marriage and I am looking forward to spending each one with you, starting our new adventure and setting us up for our future ahead.

I am praying that I have done enough maths to help ease your mind, even just a little bit. But, remember this: today isn’t about perfection– it’s about us. Whatever happens, it will be perfect simply because it’s our day, our true beginning.

So take a deep breath, and remember: not even the universe could keep us apart.

Ti amo, sempre.
The Soon-To-Be, Unapologetic, Mrs Baciami-Adams
(As foretold by you exactly 126,230,400 seconds ago (at the time we say I do) at a high stakes poker game on Freecloud)
XXX

 

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