Selma first noticed the other white dress. It stood outside the hall beside a bouquet belonging to nobody in her wedding party. The other bride, Nina, held a phone and spoke so calmly that Selma immediately knew something was seriously wrong. Both had booked the same large hall that day. The owner promised one that the other group would leave before she arrived.
He had told neither beforehand. Selma's guests were leaving their bus, while Nina's already sat at partly laid tables. The owner tried explaining that Selma had misunderstood the time. She stated what had been agreed months earlier. She did not argue with Nina. She asked how many guests she expected and whether children or older people needed somewhere to sit.
Their partners began raising their voices at each other, as though the other wedding could be responsible for the owner's schedule. Nina stopped them. She said they were four people with one problem, not two camps. For the first time that day Selma breathed without feeling her dress constrict her chest. They called the service manager, who immediately admitted staff had learned of the double booking only that morning.
A smaller covered terrace stood behind the venue. It could accommodate one group only with a completely changed layout and dry weather. Nina had fewer guests. She offered to move there with clear compensation and sufficient staff. The owner tried accepting only the first part. Both women said the agreement must include everything before they began moving people.
The celebrations began late. They did not call the day perfect or claim the problem was a gift from fate. Some guests were dissatisfied, an aunt left early, and several times music came from the wrong side of the wall. Still, food arrived, older people received chairs, and nobody had to turn the other bride into the culprit for a bad beginning.
Before midnight Selma brought a slice of her cake onto the terrace. Nina gave her a slice of hers, and they sat barefoot on empty crates for several minutes. They discussed how they had imagined the day and what they actually learned about their partners when everything went wrong. Later they separately settled remaining matters with the owner and posted accurate public accounts without attacking staff. A year later they exchanged anniversary messages. Neither forgot the other dress outside the door or the relief of ceasing to be supposed rivals.