B.J. Walker and Warren Lockridge's wedding

The weddings of Santa Barbara
B.J. Walker and Warren Lockridge

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In the distance, waves of the ocean come to hit the rocks with an ever-renewed violence. In the distance, the wind blows over the cliff, taking with it the white foam hanging on the rocks. In the distance, the clamor of the city does not succeed in disturbing neither nature nor the soft music that circulates between the arcades of the hotel terrace.

In the foreground, Warren Lockridge looks at B.J. Walker, not worrying about the guests around them. Focused on her delight, B.J. dives her eyes into her husband's. Only the wind and music envelops them in a protective veil that isolates them from the world. And while they are looking in each other eyes, B.J. feels that a part of her life is escaping : shadows and claws that had been lacerating her for so many years slowly transform into dust grains that dissolve in the air. Warren found the words, the gestures, not to erase the past, but simply to make it bearable; to only keep the part of strength that made them be able to give themselves totally to each other and to love each other fully. To love each other physically. To love each other intellectually. To love each other and to surrender...

As she takes his arm to go dancing, B.J. cannot help but looking at Warren again and read in his eyes, on his face, all the depth of his love. B.J. knows that Warren loves her. He has proven it to her many times. For her, he has braved the obstacles so many times. For her, he refused the traditions : a first cancelled wedding in haste in her parents' home of and the choice of her wedding dress...

A dress for an engagement...

Hidden at the hotel to escape the city chaos, Warren and B.J. came here to isolate themselves to try to find inspiration. After his first book, Warren suffers from the Blank Page syndrome, with words deliberately escaping his mind. A calm B.J. is working on the script inspired by her tragic story. Both are struggling to find the right words. Both of them scratch and doodle until the sound of a hammer forces them to leave their state of almost frustration. As they leave their room, they find a worker in the hallway who is putting up a poster for an auction to be held in a hotel lounge. The poster immediately attracts B.J.'s attention : the object of the auction is, strangely enough, a wedding dress. As Warren tries to get the employee and the noise away from their room, B.J. cannot take her eyes off; she is almost possessed by the design of the dress.

Subjugated, she asks the employee to show her the dress, the real one, made of threads and fabrics. There, in front of the dress worn by a model, B.J. is taken with the charm of this 1930s dress. Cut from a white satin fabric, the dress radiates in the corridor, awakening and sharpening B.J.'s senses. She explains to Warren the charm of the last century, the chic of this line close to the body, the touch so particular of satin, the finesse of the neckline made of fine embroidered flowers. In her eyes, the dress does not need more decorations, its elegance being based simply on the purity of the lines. She is adorned with a coat with a short drag. At a distance, Warren observes B.J. being carnally impregnated by the dress. And although it belonged to Carole Lombard, Warren understands from B.J. that it was made years ago for her, for B.J. Walker... It is a bit like in fairy tales, where a strange godmother would have given life, years too early, with a magic wand, to the perfect dress for B.J..

Back in their room, B.J. cannot concentrate on her script. Warren, his head elsewhere, also has difficulty returning to work. His thoughts have gone astray; they wander through the corridors of the hotel, guided by a dress, towards a wonderful destiny... His book no longer counts. The present moment is quite different. So, he leaves the room under a false excuse and, guided by his feelings, lets himself be carried away by his fate.

Warren finds, a long time later, B.J. in the gardens of the hotel. His gaze is fixed on the young woman, with the profound certainty that his future can only exist with her. Certain of his choice, he shows her what he is holding in his hands : the white satin dress... B.J. cannot believe her eyes. Happiness lights her face. As she takes the dress in her hands, the promise of a wonderful future is looming in her mind. And if the heavens become, after all these trials, more lenient for her ? Suddenly, Warren's touch against her, his words to her ear, bring B.J. back to reality. She has only one word to say. Just a little word to accept the happiness that reaches out to her. In a breath, in a whisper, in a kiss, B.J. says yes... Yes... She does not want to hesitate anymore. She does not want to be afraid anymore. Tomorrow will be a very good day... No, it will be the ideal day. So, in the setting sun, by the ocean, it is with a tender and passionate kiss that they seal the wonderful destiny that is written for them...

...A wedding for a dress.

In the hotel, B.J and Warren find themselves for a last stolen moment before the big moment. Warren comes with tenderness to make sure that everything is fine for B.J., that she does not have fear. B.J. reassures him with a smile and a kiss. All her being, all her face radiate with an immense joy. She has no anxiety. She has no doubt. Everything is perfect. She could not have dreamed better. For perhaps the first time in her life, B.J. feels a real serenity, because everything is at its place in her life. And as Warren moves away to give way to traditions, certainly to Reese and Jodie who are watching over, B.J. lets go to the happiness of each of the seconds that pass and will lead her to the altar to become Mrs. Warren Lockridge.

From inside the hotel, some music notes are released. The ocean in the distance slows down its waves to match the music. On a terrace overlooking the sea, Reese waits. A certain anxiety grieves his heart : his little girl today becomes a woman. Like any dad, he is not really ready for this change. And when B.J. comes down the few steps to join him, he cannot stop his heart from tightening. He looks at her. He admires her. He finds her so beautiful. He still finds her so small and so frail... As he hugs her, Reese too is imbued with B.J.'s certainties. Dazzled by B.J. with her dress that fits her figure, Reese realizes that his little girl has become a butterfly. Both to support her and to give herself courage, Reese gives her the most beautiful of certainties : he will always be her dad. He will always be there for her. He is so proud today to be his father, to be that man, and to occupy in her heart such a special place.

Driven by contradictory feelings, Reese questions B.J. about her possible doubts. If she chooses to get married, she must have no doubt, because getting married is the most sacred vow, the unique covenant between two beings that can never be broken. So if she has doubts, he offers to help her to escape... But B.J. is full of certainties. As she tells her father, only a lightning bolt that would strike her now would prevent her from being at the altar with Warren. So, Reese takes his daughter's arm, exchanges a frank smile with her and begins to head towards the place of the ceremony.

Warren, for his part, is already near the altar. Anxious. Worried. He waits for the ceremony to begin. Lionel comes to reassure him. They watch the guests arrive. First, it is Minx on Sawyer's arm. The wind from the ocean fails to calm Warren. He is uncomfortable in front of all these people from the city who have come to attend his wedding. He fears that they have only come to witness his ridiculousness. All the fears of the future groom crystallize in Warren. He would have wanted to marry in Las Vegas, on a throw of the dice. He already does not remember his vows : too many words... Lionel reassures him : everything will dissipate when he sees B.J.. arriving, then they will be as alone in the world. Warren even proposes to his father to change the program : they could serve the meal right now and so he could have a ceremony with just the family... Lionel, who knows his son well, understands the fears that sting his mind. As the priest comes towards them, Warren asks his father why some men face several times wedding ceremonies...

In the distance, the ocean accepts that all eyes turn away from it. Higher up on the cliff, in the hotel gardens, another event captivates and attracts all eyes. Lily Blake Capwell is the first to pass under the arch of leaves and flowers. The violins are heard. As a bridesmaid, Lily has the heavy duty to open the ceremony. As she walks down the aisle, she exchanges a smile with Gina, her mother, but also with Ted, her new husband. Then she takes place next to the priest, just like Lionel who stayed close to his son.

Suddenly, the bridal march rings out and everyone gets up. Reese and B.J. approach. They walk down the aisle covered with a white carpet. B.J. holds a bouquet of white flowers in her arms and Sawyer closes the march. Reese offers his daughter's hand to Warren's arm. The priest welcomes them and asks if they promise to love each other and remain faithful all their life. Then he looks at them and asks them to make their vows. He turns to Warren. Warren remains frozen, as if paralyzed. Lionel tries to bring him back to reality with a shoulder-stroke. All eyes are on him, even B.J.'s. Indifferent to everyone, Warren seems literally absent. Jodie and Reese stare at each other, puzzled and worried. Minx tells Gina that she knew it was coming. B.J. then calls him, trying to get his attention. Lionel stimulates him by telling him to say some first words, the other ones will follow. But nothing seems to give back presence to Warren...

Nothing but the look of B.J. on him. After a few seconds, he turns to her, certain that he can speak, certain that he will dare to express his love for her. He frees himself and dares to speak of the confidence and security that he has found by her side. Warren promises to love her, but above all he promises to continue learning from her, for him, for her and for the being they make up together. B.J. admits to everyone that their meeting is a miracle, simply because she knows that Warren cares more for her than he does for himself. He carries with her his choices, his ambitions, accepting them all.

At the priest's request, Lionel gives a ring to his son. Warren slips it on B.J.'s finger. Lily gives a ring to B.J., which in return she slips on Warren's finger. And, as the tradition is, the priest then declares them husband and wife, the two constituents of one whole.

In the distance, wind and ocean hold their breath as Mr. and Mrs. Warren Lockridge walk up the aisle.

A dress. A wedding. A dance.

Moved, relieved, Warren and B.J. isolate themselves for a moment from all the guests. Jodie and Reese, like C.C. and Sophia, come closer to each other, weaving a draft of a reunion.

In her satin robe, B.J. huddles up to Warren. The distant sounds envelop them with a light veil. B.J. gives in to Warren and the promise of a future, letting the shadows of the past fly away in the evening wind. As the music spreads along the porches of the terrace, touching all the guests in turn, Warren and B.J. are dancing a waltz. They are soaring for the beginning of a life together, for the beginning of their lives...

Last wedding of the show, Warren and B.J. 's wedding ends the show started in July 1984. Shot on location, this ultimate wedding is a perfect example of what the show has become over time : emotion, drama, passion... Humor, a characteristic element of the show and lost over the years, is not present in this wedding. We remember that humor was present at the most romantic of weddings, with the mud fight between Gina and Keith. It is perhaps this which is at the origin of the death of the show, much more than the storylines and actor changes...

Text written for this site by Lilian