The morning of her wedding, Emily wakes up with butterflies dancing in her stomach. She rushes to check on her dress because it’s the one thing that has to be perfect. But the living room where she hung it so carefully is empty.
The hanger sways alone. Where did her dress go? You know that feeling when everything in your life is finally falling into place?
That’s exactly how I felt the week before my wedding. I’m Emily, and at 27, I was about to marry the love of my life, start a new chapter, and leave behind all the uncertainty of my twenties. I’d been planning this day for an entire year.
I’m talking spreadsheets for everything, including the guest lists, seating charts, and vendor timelines. My friends used to joke that I was more organized than most wedding planners. But I wanted everything to be perfect.
This wasn’t just any day. This was THE day. The dress hunt had been the most stressful part of the process.
I must have tried on 50 different gowns across three different states. Some were too fancy, while others were too plain. Some fit wrong, while others cost more than my car.
I was starting to panic when I walked into this little boutique downtown. That’s where I found the dress that stole my heart. It wasn’t some designer masterpiece or anything that would make people gasp.
But the moment I slipped into that dress, I knew. It was like she was made for me. “That’s the one,” my mom had said, tears in her eyes when she saw me in the mirror.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
The night before the wedding, our house was packed. My parents were running around making last-minute preparations. My brother Jake and his girlfriend Sarah were helping with the flowers.
My fiancé Mark was there too, even though people say it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. And of course, my twin sister Stacey was there. We’re fraternal twins, but people always said we looked nothing alike.
She’s got dark hair and sharp features, while I’m blonde with softer edges. The biggest difference? She’s older by exactly ten minutes and has never let me forget it.
“As the older sister,” she’d always say with that smirk, “I should get married first.”
But that night, she seemed genuinely happy for me. She helped me hang the dress in the living room, making sure it wouldn’t wrinkle. “You’re going to look amazing tomorrow,” she said, smoothing down the fabric.
“Mark’s so lucky.”
I hugged her tight. “Thank you for everything, Stace. I love you.”
“Love you too, little sister.”
I went to bed that night thinking about how perfect everything was going to be.
My dress was ready, my family was there, and in less than 12 hours, I’d be a married woman. I fell asleep smiling. The next morning, I woke up at 6 a.m., way before my alarm.
I was too excited to sleep. My heart was racing with happiness as I tiptoed downstairs to check on my dress one more time. But when I got to the living room, my heart stopped.
The hanger was there, swaying slightly from the ceiling fan. But my dress was gone. “Mom!” I called out, my voice cracking.
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