 |
| Google's Doodle for the Royal Wedding! |
|
I grew up with Princess Di. She got married when I was seven or eight and died in 1997, a couple of years after I graduated college. I believe it was my sister that got up in the wee hours of the morning to watch her wedding but maybe it was me. I need to ask her. I remember following Diana through my life and being intrigued by her. Her life seemed so ideal on the outside. You would see pictures of her watching Prince Charles play polo or leaning against a fence in the English countryside. Then we discovered how tragic her life really was and the unhappiness that lay behind her beautiful smile and acts of kindness to other people. I think I may have been interested in English royalty and history possibly because of her.
I remember her death almost like it was yesterday even though it was close to fifteen years ago. We were getting ready for church and had gotten a newspaper for some reason - maybe we were actually subscribing at that time. We opened it up to see the mangled car wreck. I was dumbstruck. I truthfully thought it was a dream or somehow a joke. Silly questions went through my head. What was she doing in a car? She should have been in a limo, not in the front seat of a car. Was she really dead? We turned on the news and started watching all of the events unfold. Over the next few days, we were still impacted by her. I remember a girl in our Sunday School class standing up during church prayer requests on Tuesday evening and saying we should pray for Princess Di's family. When she said it, I thought it was odd, embarrassing even. Then I felt ashamed that I didn't think it was something I should pray for. How selfish. I watched the funeral. I don't remember if I watched the wedding, but I watched the funeral. I remember watching her little boys walk behind the casket and feeling so sorry for them. Public eyes, always watching, even in grief. I do remember that they had their own private funeral at the graveyard. At least they were given that.
Now, that little boy isn't so little. This week William and Katherine got married. I hadn't planned on getting up. But I just happened to be awake.....
It was so exciting. Kate's dress was exquisite. Simple and beautiful. She is a "commoner" and she put her own touches on the wedding. She wore her hair down and did her own makeup. She wanted her groom to recognize her. She smiled radiantly as she got out of the car. She waved at the crowd as her bridesmaid straightened her practical nine-foot train (as opposed to Princess Di's 25-foot train). She walked nervously down the aisle with her father. She smiled lovingly at her groom, whose brother Harry had already peaked and prepared Will for her beauty. She said her vows in front of millions around the world. leaving out the word "obey."
Nonetheless, I was amazed at how Christian the wedding was. It talked about sacrifices and love. They sang hymns and the preacher spoke about the importance of God in a marriage.
As the wedding bells pealed, Will and Kate walked hand in hand out of the chapel just as Ashley came down the stairs, having woken up early. She was instantly hooked. She watched the carriage ride to Buckingham Palace and was so excited. She ran upstairs and got dressed as quickly as she could and came down wearing her tiara. All three girls were up by that time watching. They were entranced. It was all they could talk about. After dance rehearsal, we got home around 9:00 pm and Jordan and Ashley wanted to see the kiss and watch the documentary. We watched how Will and Kate created new traditions of a second public kiss on the balcony and driving their just married car around Buckingham Palace. Jordan and Ashley choreographed a wedding dance where Ashley was Kate and Jordan was Will. And so a new generation becomes entranced with royalty.
And I went to sleep a little after 10:00....having been awake since 3:30 am. I don't think I've recovered quite yet still!!
 |
| Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and his new wife. It had been a long time since I'd seen Prince Charles and I was amazed at how grey he's become. At 85, the Queen looks great. |
 |
| I just loved the simplicity of the bridesmaids' dresses. The pageboys look cute too. |
 |
| Kate arriving at the church. This was the first time the dress had been seen and they finally released the name of the designer when she got out of the car. |
 |
| She looks so happy here. |
 |
| Despite all of the formal ceremony, it seemed so real. |
 |
| Because the cathedral is shaped in a cross, I don't think a lot of guests actually got to see the ceremony. |
 |
| I thought it was interesting that the bride's father was there through most of the ceremony. To Will's right is Prince Harry who is apparently quite the jovial sort. He had smiles on his face almost the entire time. |
 |
| I was shocked that the ring was a simple gold band. Prince William chose to not wear a ring at all. |
 |
| They signed the wedding license in a small room with all of the family watching. Then the ceremony was over and the bride and groom walked hand in hand back through the cathedral - after the new princess Kate curtsied in front of the queen and they all sang "God Save the Queen." |
 |
| This was where Ashley came down the stairs and joined the party. It was just about 6am our time. |
 |
| Will and Kate - riding the beautiful carriage through the streets of London on the way to Buckingham Palace. |
 |
| Ashley was immediately awake when she saw what was on the TV. |
