Except the tables were turned. Penny was the boss and Alexa’s job was to nod and agree to the task. “Here’s what you need to know. First, because we’re trying to execute the wedding on an accelerated timeline, there’s an availability crunch for me. I don’t have a lot of time in my schedule to spearhead this entire plan. My work client, the one with the boutique hotels all over the South, has given me an enormous project. It could make or break my career, Mom, but it means I must focus, focus, focus on that while you focus on the wedding.”

While you focus on the wedding? Who did Penny think she was talking to? As if Alexa didn’t have a business to run herself. This wasn’t how they usually communicated.

“Here are my initial thoughts,” Penny said, handing a tablet to Alexa, indicating to her mother that she would page through the electronic presentation that was part mood board, part pitch deck. Alexa stared down at the screen, absorbing both the words and the intent. It was beautifully designed, and for one second, she made a mental note to show the deck to her graphic designer. Maybe all their Odyssey quote documents should use this look and format? She was starting to get lost in her thoughts when Penny’s sharp voice brought her back. “Of course this will need to be refined and refined again. But this is a start for us.”

Penny then went on to describe the wedding gimmicks that she and Chase were rejecting: hokey wedding photos setups, matching and mandatory bathrobes for the bridal party, complicated choreography for the couple’s entrance and the first dance, tricky baubles to indicate the seating chart, treasure hunt–themed rehearsal dinners, party favors for guests, menu cards and ceremony programs, or any dogs at all. She ran through the list with such conviction it was clear to her mother that Penny had experienced all of these extras in her career as an extreme-wedding guest.

Alexa thought she might be witnessing traumatic recall. Penny’s peak sorority life at SMU resulted in a dozen weddings in her twenties. Summers and falls were packed with trips to Dallas or Vail or New Orleans. She had a closetful of pistachio one-shouldered bridesmaid’s dresses and pink shorty bathrobes. The hair and makeup costs alone totaled more than the down payment on a luxury car. She’d spent thousands of dollars on trips to Cabo or Nashville to celebrate with her Kappa sisters in an endless stream of bachelorette weekends that all looked the same on social media, despite the changing brides. There’d been gifts galore, in what felt like a never-ending cycle of showers. She’d been to too many to count, including baby showers, with more invitations piling up at home.