The Royal Wedding

I got up at 4:45am. This was only 45 minutes earlier than my normal wake up time on a weekday, but somehow it felt a lot earlier. Maybe it was because I was so excited for Kate and Will to finally walk down the aisle and become husband and wife. I don't know them. I will probably never meet them. I am most intrigued because the royal couple seems so down to earth and normal. They met in college, became best friends, their friendship flourished into love and now they are married. I can relate to that. It's not like she was a royal; he was a royal - somehow they got set up and an obligatory wedding occurred. I cannot relate to that and never will.
I expected this wedding to be some sort of spectacle of grandeur and pomp and circumstance. And, don't get me wrong, it definitely had royal elements. However, it seemed more like a down to earth wedding of two people who are deeply in love than it did a royal wedding. In fact, the priest started out the sermon saying every wedding is a royal wedding because we are all daughters and sons of Christ the King.

Now on to my favorite things:
- I loved. loved. LOVED the dress. I have always thought lace wedding dresses were simply elegant and sophisticated. Kate did not disappoint with this dress. Will whispered to her that she looked beautiful. She did. She looked stunning, in fact.

- You can expect to see Kate's bouquet again. At my wedding. I love white/cream bouquets for the bride and this one looked light. Goodness knows, I won't be able to carry any floral monstrosity, so a replica (perhaps with a personal touch) will be in my hands on that big day. A few of my friends have told me her bouquet was wussy and I can do better. We'll see...

- The music and the spiritual aspects of this wedding. The media keeps commenting on how spiritual and intimate this wedding seemed to be. The couple supposedly composed the prayer that was read during the ceremony. You won't catch me writing my own vows, but a prayer? What a nice touch. I'll remember that one.

- Pippa's dress! Simply beautiful.  The cowl neck and the lace trim. Sophisticated yet modern. Who's betting that Pippa and Harry hook up?

- The guest list: Unfortunately, I wasn't on it, but some everyday, ordinary people were. Kate's Buckleberry neighborhood mailman. The pub owner of Kate and Will's favorite pub. The owners of the gas station convenience store Kate frequents. This was not just a "Who's Who" wedding. The people that were there (with a few hundred exceptions) had a personal relationship with the couple.

- TWO kisses...Why not? Go for it!

- Will and Kate's cruise around the city in their "Ju5t Wed" blue Aston Martin.

Then the things I didn't like...
- My favorite part of a wedding is the expression on the groom's face when he sees the bride for the very first time. William was so nervous he stared straight ahead at the altar until she came up to join him. Some have said it is protocol not to turn around, but Harry did. I thought Will should have turned around to see her coming down the aisle. She looked amazing.

- Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie's outfits.  What were they thinking?!

Watching the Royal Wedding swelled my desire to live in London once again. While I never thought I would be able to live overseas, I can independently jaunt all over London without issues. I do hope to live there for a short period one day. In the meantime, I am thankful to have a dear friend in London to visit. Maybe the next time I visit Stef we will go to an affair where fascinators are required!

The DVR is a treasure trove of Royal Wedding specials. Feel free to come over and watch anytime. I will be happy to indulge over and over again.