The wedding of Santa Barbara Emily DiNapoli and Greg Hughes
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The end of adolescence is almost always an inevitable rite of passage. Entering the world of adults comes with great changes, and in order to discover the person you are or will become, it is necessary to let go a part of your being, like a shell that would protect the essence of the person to come.

Before turning 18, Greg Hughes lost his Sun, his guide, his compass : his mother, Megan Richardson, passed away, taken by leukemia. Before turning 18, Greg lost a part of his original personality, discovering a new identity, a new family, and a new father in C.C. Capwell. And the man who slowly emerges, breaking the shells of adolescence, lets himself be guided by love...

Greg : Love according to Megan Richardson

Love... At 17, Greg does not know much about love. Up until now, the image of love he knows is the one described by his mother in her books. Like any high schooler, he knows little about love. He imagines it, idealizes it through the filter slowly infused by his mother's words. He imagines it whole, absolute, shared, and above all, it is unthinkable for him that a young woman, in love, could go against it. So, when he asks Emily DiNapoli to marry him, he does not understand when she talks about high school, Harvard, youth, the Capwells... In his mother's novels, when a man (regardless of his age) loves a woman and is loved in return by her, the end is always the same : they marry and live many years of happiness...

Emily : Love according to Megan Richardson

Love... At 17, Emily does not know much about love. Until now, the image of love she knows is the one described by her author, Megan Richardson, in her books. As an innocent young girl, a high school student, she waits for love. She idealizes it, imagines it, and patiently waits for it. So, when her gaze lands on young Greg (who is also Megan's son), her heart races; an explosion of colors, flights of butterflies take control of her whole being without the slightest violence. Greg is that absolute, supreme being, that young and valiant knight described by Megan. Yet, when their passion becomes real and both of them are sure of their feelings, Emily has doubts. Getting married at 17, to a Capwell son... In Megan's books, the end would have been different : they would have fought the whole world, the young woman would have said yes, snuggling in her lover's arms... But facing reality, Emily doubts and does not react like the heroines in novels.

Love according to Greg and Emily

As Arthur Rimbaud wrote it, No one's serious at 17..., and yet, Greg and Emily, touched or struck by love, will lose the carefree nature of their youth to learn the seriousness and weight of adulthood. They are deeply in love, despite their young age. To win Emily's heart, Greg initially did not have to do much : being Megan's son was enough. Enjoying being a Capwell son, dates at the Country Club or walks on the yacht to make love, ultimately won the heart of the young woman. So, when Greg insistently asks her to marry him, she eventually agrees.

Curiously, Sophia is the first to learn the news of the engagement between the two young lovers. Although she is very happy about it, she advises them not to announce it to C.C.. Sophia knows the man and the father he is, and can easily predict his reactions when he is informed.

But at 17 and in love, no one's serious. Greg does not listen to Sophia's well-meaning words and decides to announce the news to his father. It is at The lair, in the midst of the election campaign for the district attorney position, that Greg announces the news to C.C.. Of course, he immediately disapproves of the idea. After Kelly, whom he fought against marrying Joe Perkins, then Jeffrey Conrad, after Eden and her idea of marrying Cruz Castillo, a Mexican-American policeman, after Ted who married Hayley to save her from the court, now his youngest son wants to break all his future dreams with a wedding proposal. Because this is what C.C. sees : shattered future plans. Despite Sophia's advice, he shouts at Greg to make him see reason : he is just a child, a child who must go, like every Capwell, to Harvard ! And Greg does not hear it that way... Like his half-siblings, he fights, opposes his father's tyrannical will. His final remark strikes hard : C.C. knows nothing about love; that's why he's alone...

Hurt by this remark and moved by Sophia's words, reminding him that he has already opposed his children's will and always lost, C.C. softens and accepts the idea of the engagement. He finds his son and Emily, and with touching words, admits that he makes mistakes sometimes and that he will not interfere in their engagement plans. The father-son conversation ends with a tender and sincere embrace. Greg is satisfied : his father has accepted the idea of the engagement, now he just has to make him accept the wedding...

Celeste's arrival at The Lair prevents C.C. and Sophia from leaving. Surprised, C.C. and Sophia wonder about her sudden arrival. Celeste does not seem to know about the situation. Greg takes it upon himself to reveal the reason to his father and Sophia : with Emily, they have decided to marry that night. Emily seeks refuge in her sister's arms and, under Greg and Sophia's watchful eyes, C.C. shows on his face, beyond surprise, a certain frustration. Greg also asks him to help with the wedding by finding a priest for the ceremony. Overcome with happiness, Greg and Emily share a tender and deep kiss; destiny is uniting them... almost like in a Megan Richardson novel.

The wedding takes place at the Orient Express, in the strictest privacy, with only Sophia (wearing a blue dress), C.C. (in a suit), and Celeste (in a gold dress) attending the ceremony. Greg is also dressed in a simple suit, while Emily wears a white dress that leaves her neck and shoulders exposed. Although at first, everyone is a little worried about the absence of the priest and Celeste, the atmosphere is relaxed. The intimacy of the moment allows Greg to speak more freely to his father, and he confides that he knows he loves Sophia and that Sophia loves him in return, and he is certain they will get close again. And just like his son, C.C. hopes so too...

Celeste finally arrives with the traditional gifts for the bride : something old, something new, something borrowed, and especially something blue. Then, Celeste pulls out of a box a short veil for a wedding dress, a veil passed down by their grandmother for her wedding day. Emily is very touched by her sister's delicate gesture. To let the two sisters enjoy the moment, Sophia steps away and greets the priest who walks through the restaurant door. The priest, a friend of the Capwells, is all smiles : he misunderstands the situation, thinking he was called to celebrate C.C.'s remarriage to Sophia. After this moment of tender conviviality, the ceremony can begin.

The priest calls the witnesses to stand around Emily and Greg. The priest's blessing is loosely inspired by a letter from St. Paul, which describes what love is and what love is not. And, in the background, love for Emily and Greg is outlined... The bride and groom, as well as the witnesses, are deeply touched and moved by these words, which evoke tender memories for each of them. Once the vows exchanged, Greg can finally kiss Emily, hold her in his arms, and feel bound to her, with her, for eternity.

After a glass of champagne, the newlyweds slip away from the restaurant, having noticed the beginnings of a kiss between C.C. and Sophia.

Over the course of the episodes, Greg has found his place within the Capwell family. One might have expected not just a subplot to enrich this wedding, but at least a storyline, beyond an exit strategy, for this young couple who has managed to become endearing.

Text written for this site by Lilian