Chapter Text
Alderaan-Alderaan System
1000 Alderaan Time
4ABY
Now that there was a plan in place the preparations for Han and Leia's public wedding began a few standard months after the end of the Imperial occupation.
Of course they couldn't get started right away as there were things to take care of. Bail and Leia were needed on Courscant to help with laying the foundations of the New Republic, Han was helping the military with the last of the Imperial remnants and Breha had things to take care of on Alderaan.
Breha had public programs put back in place, people to release from prison, people to rehire in the palace and lost treasures to recover.
Many of the treasures kept in the royal family's private residences had been taken and given to Moffs and other such individuals including several pieces from the Crown Jewels of Alderaan, Breha's personal braaken glass collection, Bail's abstract art collection and the famous moss painting Killik Twilight that would hang in Leia's bedroom.
Breha was eventually able to reclaim the items and Han himself was the one to find the Killik Twilight after he had lead a successful campaign against Grand Moff Lillix who had received it as a personal gift from Palpatine.
At the same time Bail and Leia were highly involved in setting up the New Republic and were there for the signing of its constitution and for Mon Mothma winning the elections to become its first chancellor.
During this time the twins stayed at Cantham House, the private apartments owned by the Organa family that was part of the same complex on Courscant as the Alderaanian embassy.
Once Bail, Leia, Han and the twins returned to Alderaan the plans began.
Not only was there a wedding to plan and a planet to rebuild but they also had to make Han look like a suitable consort in the eyes of the people.
The House of Organa's majordomo Tarrik was to educate Han on court etiquette and other such matters with the help of Rouge, Celly and Tia.
Han hadn't been too thrilled about this but had gone along with it for Leia's sake. Leia's aunts ended up driving him insane about the whole mess and eventually Tarrik took pity on him and lent him an old paper copy of Par Ontham's Guide to Etiquette to help Han with the more minuscule aspects.
Han also had to get used to wearing more formal dress not just because he was Leia's husband but also because he was a New Republic general and war hero. Han decided he liked his formal military uniform the best as it meant he was allowed to wear his bloodstripes and his blaster. Sadly he had to wear traditional Alderaanian robes for the wedding to show his place as the future Viceroy of Alderaan.
Han did help out with the planning but mostly he left it up to Leia who was more fussed on the details than him. The wedding incorporated mostly Alderaanian traditions but Leia also made sure to include some Corellian ones as well.
Winter returned to Alderaan hand in hand with Tycho Cenchu a few months later to help though she stayed in the Cenchu family home rather than the palace so she could better equate herself with Tycho's parents and younger siblings.
Shortly afterwards Han had traveled with Leia and Luke to Naboo to meet the Naberrie family and tell them about their relationship. The Naberries had taken it relatively well all things considered and the women of the family had even offered to help with the wedding planning.
Then after months of planning the big day finally came.
Winter and Amilyn along with Leia's other bridesmaids Neena, Alana, Mina, Agira and Pooja helped Leia with her dress while Leia's attendant droid WA-2V was doing her makeup while Leia's hair was done solely by Breha.
Alderaanian wedding braids were traditionally done for the bride (or sometimes groom) by a female relative. Usually it was a mother or a sister but occasionally an aunt or a female cousin did them.
Leia had transformed her childhood bedroom into her bridal suite. Her mother had suggested getting ready in Breha's private dressing room but Leia had insisted the final preparations be carried out in her childhood bedroom.
The night before Leia had had a sleepover in her room with her bridesmaids while 2V watched over the twins in the nursery down the hall.
For Alderaanian weddings with a bride and groom it was typically tradition for the bride to have the groom's close female relatives in her bridal suite with her as she prepares while the groom has the bride's male relatives with him in his room. This was done as a way of showing how the two families were merging.
Han had no living close female relatives and the closest he had to that was Chewie's wife Malla who couldn't help uphold the tradition as she couldn't fit through the doorway to Leia's room. However Malla had made and sent Leia a perfume made of flowers form Kashyyyk to wear so that she could help contribute. Leia really liked the perfume and found that it was quickly becoming one of her favourites.
"Are you nervous?" Neena asked.
Neena like Winter was a ward to the Organa family though she had not been taken in by them till she was fourteen. She was a musical protégée and despite being unexpectedly on planet when the Imperials invaded had managed to convince them she knew nothing of the Rebellion.
"Not at all," Leia said honestly, "after all we're already married."
"So no unexpected surprises then," Pooja, Leia's cousin, joked.
Leia laughed loudly and cheerfully.
"Your Highness please stay still," 2V reprimanded her as she was attempting to paint Leia's nails.
"Sorry TooVee," Leia apologised still smiling, "but I'm just so happy about today. Aren't you?"
"Yes," 2V said as she finished painting Leia's pinky finger. "It will be nice to know I will be able to leave you two alone now as per my programming."
Leia almost rolled her eyes at the reminder. Despite Jaina and Jacen being obviously proof that Leia and Han had already slept together, on the few occasions Han had been allowed into Leia's room 2V had to stay as a chaperone due to her programming and being unable to update said programming.
"Your dress is ready!" Alana called as she had finished with the steamer.
Alana, Mina and Agira had been Leia's handmaidens on Courscant during her time in the Senate as well as good friends.
Leia's dress was made from green Alderaanian shimmersilk. It was floor length with a sweetheart neckline and long flowing sleeves. It was heavily embroidered along the bottom with Leia's favourite flowers and the House of Organa family crest.
Her aunts had been quite upset when Leia had informed them she would be following the Corellian wedding tradition of a green dress.
Unlike on other planets there was no set tradition as to the colour of the bride's dress but red was a popular colour and was the same one her mother and aunts had worn in their wedding days and her aunts had expected her to wear before being disappointed.
"Well why don't you just wear on of those garters that Corellian brides wear as well!" her Aunt Rouge had exclaimed.
Of course, Leia wasn't about to tell her aunt that she was in fact wearing a Corellian wedding garter that was ironically enough red.
Although Leia wouldn't be following the tradition fully it was going to be a nice suprise for Han when they were finally alone.
Once 2V was done with Leia's makeup and Breha was done with her hair she moved to step into her dress with the help of her bridesmaids.
Once Leia was securely in Breha moved to place a tiara on Leia's head. The same tiara Breha wore at her own wedding.
"Beautiful," Breha told her.
She then moved to help Leia put her necklace on that she had received from Han.
Another Alderaanian tradition was for the groom to buy gifts for the bride and her party to be given out before the ceremony and vice versa. Amilyn had been the one to deliver the presents to the groomsmen while Luke had been the one to deliver the gifts to the bridal party.
Han had given Amilyn a pack of body glitter, Winter a box of her favourite chocolates, Neena some sheet music, Alana a new charm for her bracelet, Mina a bottle of her favourite wine, Agira a box of sweetmallows, Pooja a new datapad and Leia a necklace with a golden falcon pendant.
Once Breha had put the necklace on she turned Leia around so that she could see her reflection.
"Are you ready?" Breha asked.
"Yes."
"Then let's go."
Pooja handed Leia her bouquet comprised of Alderaanian flame-roses, Alderaanian flame-lillies, arallutes and t'iils all tied together with gemweb.
Leia walked out the door, her arm linked with Breha and her bridesmaids behind her.
They walked down the hallway and were greeted by Bail who smiled tearfully at Leia.
"Lelila," he said full of emotion, "I love you so much."
"Papa," Leia said trying to contain her own tears, "I love you too."
Bail smiled at his little girl all grown up and moved to take Leia's other arm so that he and Breha could walk her down the aisle together.
As they walked into the throne room Leia took a look at the decorations that had been put up the night before.
The throne room was decorated with banners and flowers such as gingerbells, ladalums, starblossom blooms and starflowers.
Usually a wedding of a member of the Royal House of Alderaan the banners would display the family crests of the future spouses but as Han didn't have a family crest the banners currently hanging were those of Alderaan and famous lovers from Alderaanian history and mythology.
Her parents' golden thrones had been removed so only Han and the priest stood on the dais.
Han and Leia had wanted Luke to officiate their wedding a second time but it had been deemed inappropriate for the wedding of an Alderaanian princess by the High Council of Alderaan even if Luke was Leia's sister.
As Leia walked down the blue and yellow carpet with her parents either side of her and her bridesmaids behind her she looked at the collection of different guests.
She saw Mon Mothma, General Rieekan, Chewie and his family, that red head Mara Jade who Luke had become obsessed with, Jobal, Ruwee and Sola Nabbrie, Sabé, her husband Tonra and other former handmaidens of Padmé Amidala as well as some guests Leia could do without such as Threkin Horm.
But mostly Leia looked at Han waited for her at the end of the aisle wearing clothes he hated just for her and her home.
When Leia finally reached the end her parents moved her to stand beside Han as he took her hands in his.
Breha then gave Han a kiss on the cheek and Bail a pat on the back before moving to take their seats.
"Ready sweetheart?" Han whispered.
"You bet ya hotshot," Leia whispered back.
The wedding ceremony was beautiful though Han and Leia hardly listened to the words as they simply continued to stare at each other.
Then Han and Leia lead their guests into the palace's grand ballroom for their wedding reception.
The ballroom was decorated with flowers, tapestries and fairy lights. Tables were laid out for eating. There was delicious food made by Memily and the rest of the kitchen staff had made and fine wine made from grapes grown at the Organa's privately owned range and made at their winery in Alderaan's lake region.
As the music began Han surprised Leia with his new knowledge of the Alderaanian waltz. Apparently he had been taking lessons overseen by Bail and with Breha as Han's dance partner.
While everyone else stuffed their faces with food Leia, after the bouquet toss, lead Han out of the grand ballroom to one of the antechambers where there was a balcony with a magnificent view of Alderaan.
In a few hours they would leave with the twins and Threepio (much to Han's annoyance) for their honeymoon but for now Leia wanted to look over her home.
"You happy sweetheart?" Han asked.
Leia thought of Han, her children, her friends, her brother, her parents and her home.
"Yes," she said.
"I love you."
"I know."