“He will ask if you are comfortable. You say yes.”

She pauses to take a long drag from her cigarette.

“He will ask if it feels natural. You say yes.”

A long exhale, sinuous smoke.

“He will ask if it hurts. You say no.”

The cigarette drops to the ground.

“You do whatever he asks of you.”

She grinds the toe of her left pump.

“You will probably get angry at him. Throw things.”

She lifts her her chin slightly. A faint scar appears.

“Later you see the picture.”

She changes position, adjusts a strap, readies herself.

“You will be gorgeous.”

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For an upcoming wedding, The bride and I were discussing when to start with  pictures and the best way to time events given other constraints. I figured if I had the liberty to define this brief period in time, I would try to do so with as much detail as I could muster.

INTERIOR. AFTERNOON.

Tropical Hotel Suite.

03:00
Brooding, auteur photographer enters the hotel suite. Bridemaids swoon
and exchange glances. Then giggle. He appraises the room and its
occupants, deems them worthy of photography and prepares himself and his
equipment.

03:04
All the occupants of the room have been dressed, mostly stockinged-feet
dart about. They are donning final accoutrement and attending to each
others hair or makeup, or often, tidying the area. Our stealthy
photographer has begun to capture details around the room, an
intelligence gathering mission in disguise.

03:10
The wedding dress is captured near or far from where it hang, perhaps
adjusted slightly, perhaps not. Other details begin to take shape:
rings, flowers, shoes and the activity that accompanies the anticipation
of a special event.

03:15
The bride is in the last stage of makeup. She is stunning, as all brides
are. The remaining touches highlight the key features that define our
unique heroine.

03:20
The bridesmaids have assembled in another room with glorious light to
prepare the bride's dress for a delicate installation.

03:22
The bride enters, an attendant closes the door slowly behind her. The
photographer is left in the hallway, tapping his foot. politely.

03:28
The photographer finds optimum vantage points and deftly records the
last few moments of the bride's transformation.

03:30
Attendants gracefully fall away from the bride in awe, leaving her basking
in a shimmering sunlit glow.

FADE TO BLACK.

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