“That’s not how families work, Penny. You know that. But, yes, you should have some Diamandis family at your wedding. You’d regret not sharing your day with them. Not all the cousins, of course, but the core group,” Alexa responded smoothly, having thought out this entire presentation for this specific exchange. “After the Patmos party, you and Chase can slip off to someplace private for your real honeymoon. For your friends who want to stay longer, Odyssey can put together five days on another island, something sexy like Santorini, if they want to opt in. We are in the travel business, after all. With our connections and your uncles’ hotels and restaurants, it’s cheaper for your friends to go to Greece than to come to Montecito. They get a holiday and you get to include them in your new life as a couple.”

What Alexa didn’t say was that it was cheaper for her, too. Even with the generous help of the Widows, the wedding was still going to cost a small fortune. Redirecting the college friends and others to Greece and keeping the numbers in Montecito smaller and more manageable on every front was a win for Alexa, too.

Penny looked at her mother with a mixture of admiration and relief. “Mom, this is a brilliant idea. You’re a genius. And yes. Yes! This is the solution! Who wouldn’t rather go to Greece on vacation instead of sitting through another wedding? I’ll be a hero bride! But first, I have to talk to Chase.”

“Yes, absolutely. Chase should be on board. High season would be very expensive. Are you okay with June or September for your honeymoon?”

“June is perfect. Before the campaign gets overwhelming. Late June if we can so it’s a bit warmer.”

“And don’t worry, you’ll have the top team at Odyssey working on this. And the best trip leaders.”

“You mean you?”

“Oh, no. I’m too old for your crowd. I couldn’t keep up with the day drinking and the disco nights. Plus, I’m considering cutting back on work,” Alexa said, thinking of last night with Timmo and hoping she wasn’t blushing. “I tried to lure Madison away from the wedding business. But she’s committed to commitment, I guess. But she has another sorority sister who she thinks would be a great trip leader. I’ll get her up to speed, send her on a few low-stress trips before June.”

“I think this could be a giant travel trend, Mom. Maybe this is our new business avenue. Think about it. The Odyssey Wedding!”