Here Comes the Bride

“Here Comes the Bride” is the musical cue for Emily West’s entrance at her wedding to Dane Bishop. Played by a string quartet in the garden, it marks the ceremony’s shift from waiting to arrival and accompanies one of the book’s clearest images of Dane’s happiness.

Use at the Wedding

The wedding follows preparations at Emily’s backyard garden: Geraldine West stays in town while the garden is put in order, and Dane and Benton Bishop have their tuxedos fitted. On the day itself, Benton stands on Dane’s left as his best man. The string quartet begins the processional as the two men face the back of the house.

The Bride’s Entrance

As the music plays, Emily walks across the grass toward them. Dane watches her approach, grinning so broadly that his face hurts; his heart feels full, and his eyes begin to water. Benton nudges him, drawing attention to the groom’s barely contained emotion. The phrase is therefore attached not just to the arrival itself but to Dane’s reaction as he sees his bride.

Narrative Significance

The processional gives the scene a clear ceremonial threshold: the music begins, Emily appears, and the couple’s wedding becomes present rather than merely prepared for. Its familiar bridal function is grounded here in concrete details—the quartet, the garden, Benton beside Dane, and Emily crossing the grass. The song’s entrance cue and Dane’s emotional response converge, making the phrase a marker of the joy with which the wedding is received.