Chapter 3: The Big Day

[Timothy]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?

I didn't see any foreshadowing with it, well, maybe another dance with the Volturi. But I never thought that Bella would have a child. In my mind, vampires couldn't have children.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?

I think she knew how special a day this was to both Edward and Bella. And while she doesn't agree with Bella's decision, she knows she will part of the family for however long.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?

I think she was just remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?

I've never understood fully why Bella hated the idea of marriage so passionately. I guess she realized the spectacle of the marriage and embarrassment in her eyes was just a small thing compared to the life with Edward.

[Brienna]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?
I think it's just Bella being Bella. Nothing more than that.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?
I felt that after Rosalie told Bella her story, Rosalie could have more peace with Bella wanting to become like her. She has told Bella everything, Bella now totally understands what consequences her choice will have for her entire life. Rosalie still doesn't agree, but she isn't as mad like she was before.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?
I think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?
Because she realizes she's going to spend the rest of her live with him. Off course, she already knew that, but marriage makes it final.

[Gochiruzeru]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?

Haha, Bella has so many prophetic dreams during the series, I'm surprised her power wasn't more like Alice's. I have a feeling that she had that dream before her wedding since she was close to the beginning of her sexual life with Edward, and the conception of Renesmee.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?

Rosalie probably decides to help Bella because she knows that Bella is going to be part of the family, and she's going to have to treat her like a sister.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?

I think it was just a remark.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?

Because it strengthens the bond between her and Edward, and makes their relationship more "official", I guess.

[Tornado]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?
I think it's more because of the constructs of the novel than anything else. It's a significant place to put this first dream. I'm sure there are plenty of justifications you could find for it, but that's the real reason.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?
I think she is trying to be nice because this girl is about to marry her brother, and she knows that they're going to have to put up with each other for a long time. She was trying to be good in Eclipse, this is an extension of that.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?
I think assuming that Renee's picked up on something like that with the Cullens is going a bit far. If that was the case, I would imagine she would be a bit worried about her daughter joining such a family.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?
Because she realised that it did express eternal commitment, and in a way that Edward appreciated. It meant something for him, and because of what it means for him, she is able to see what it means for her.

[thebookworm]

Thanks to jenni_elyse for the discussion questions!

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?

Bella is very intuitive. Her dreams feature right through the saga; The Edward and Jacob in dream in TW and the Dream she has about Jacob being a wolf in NM. Her dreams have always been a "round about" vision of what will happen in her life. In fact, as I was reading BD, I thought her special vampire attribute would be something to do with dreaming the future, so when she was a shield I kind of liked that surprise!

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?

I just think that Rosalie has come to understand Bella more. The relationship started to build in NM, when Rosalie was impressed by Bella's bravery and probably realised for the first time just how much Bella loves Edward. The chat they had in EC, was another step towards understanding each other. This is just another step of acceptance, I think.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?

It is what it is, Alice being Alice! She loves to plan and create events! Nothing more to it.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?

This is because she realizes that the wedding day is a means to an end, and really, it's not as embarrassing as she thought it would be. She realizes that the wedding is just a day and that the important thing is the meaning of the marriage; that they both, want more than anything, to spend the rest of their days together.

[adorey]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?

Bella seems to have very interesting dreams, that are similar to Alice's visions. For example, in New Moon she dreamed of Jacob turning into a werewolf before that actually happened, so i do think it's Bella being Bella.
Then again, she was thinking of the story of Tanya's family before she fell asleep, so she was bound to dream about that story in some way.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?

A heavy bribe...lol.
Nah, i think Rosalie might have been pulled aside by Carlisle or Esme and warned to behave on Bella's wedding day. I think she also realises that Bella is serious about becoming one of their family and i reckon Rosalie thought that she would rather get along with her future sister-in-law, rather than constantly fight with her (particularly as Rose wouldn't stand a chance of fighting Bella as a new born!). I think the main reason Rosalie didn't get on with Bella, other than being annoyed that Bella was throwing away the chance to have a child, was that Bella was constantly putting their family in danger. As a vampire, Bella wouldn't pose as a threat to her anymore.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?

I think it was more to do with Alice wanting to do things herself. Renee may be observant like her daughter, but i don't think even she could allow herself to think that the Cullens were vampires.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?

I don't think she knew how much of a commitment marriage would be. I think she always saw marriage as a contract on a piece of paper. Why would she need to marry Edward when she already loved him with every fibre of her being? 'Mrs' is just a title. It doesn't change the way you feel about somebody. Basically, what i'm trying to say is that i reckon Bella thought her love for Edward went beyond marriage and that a love so pure couldn't just be symbolized with petty things like rings and a title.
But when she was actually saying her vows, i think she realised how big a deal marrying Edward was. Marriage isn't about the pretty dresses, or the party or the guests watching as you walk down the aisle. It's about making an eternal promise to stand by your love's side through thick and thin and to promise to never stop loving the other.

[mainhoonemily]

1. At the beginning of the chapter, Bella wakes up from a nightmare about immortal children. As we know, the dream foreshadows the events to come later in the story. However, it seems coincidental that the first time she has this nightmare it is the night before her wedding. Do you think that there is any significance to this? Or, do you think it is just Bella being Bella?

Well, I mean, we know Bella's dreams always seem to foreshadow events in books, so I kind of assumed at that part that something related to immortal children was going to happen.

2.Bella is stunned when Rosalie offers to help Alice get Bella ready. She remarks, “I had never been Rosalie’s favorite person…and here I was, callously throwing away everything she wanted in life like it was garbage.” What do you think motivated Rosalie to be nice to Bella in this instance?

I feel like after Eclipse Rosalie feels like she's had her say, and can at least be at peace with Bella making a different decision than she would without being hostile about it anymore. And she doesn't dislike Bella. She just disapproves of her plan to become a vampire.

3.Renée says that Alice would not let her or Charlie do anything for Bella, except give her the hair combs from her grandma. She remarks, “Every time we tried, she all but ripped our throats out.” From Edward and Bella’s visit to Florida in Eclipse, we know that Renée is almost as observant as Bella when it comes to the Cullens. So, do you think Renée was remarking about how “attune” Alice seems to be with everyone’s actions? Or, do you think she was simply remarking that Alice wanted to do everything herself?

I think that was just one of those awkward remarks people make that they don't realize the significance of because they aren't in on a secret.

4.During the ceremony, Bella realizes that she had been silly about being afraid to get married. And, as Bella looks into Edward’s eyes, she says, “[I] knew that I was winning, too.” Why do you think she finally realizes that marrying Edward was a good thing?

Because I think deep down she wanted to get married to Edward. She just hadn't planned on it happening at age 18, so she panicked.