The Royals and Their Wedding

flickr*

I have been finding the comments on the Royal Wedding a very interesting phenomenon as they have streamed in from all over the world via the social media. I for one, stand in favor of everything I saw today and this is why. For the record, Jim agrees.

We had no particular plan to watch it live since we are usually sleeping at 3:00 am. And since we don't watch TV, to be honest, I didn't even know for sure it was this week until I saw it on the Internet. But I have enjoyed the few articles I had glanced through as the big day approached.

So we are quite unusual in that we have not been inundated with media hype about it for months on end. Perhaps this is the crux of the negative comments I have read. People may be misplacing angst regarding just wanting it over with on the couple, instead of on the media where it squarely belongs. Both William and Kate have gone out of their way to keep quiet about most aspects of the day. The satiation people have apparently felt over this day, is not of the bride and groom's doing. So we didn't get much of that and I am grateful for it. Anything overdone ad infinitum can get nauseating.

I personally have enjoyed watching Prince William grow up over the years and we even went to St. Andrews when he was a student there. I must admit as we walked by the stone walls of the University at St. Andrews I did wonder what it must be like to be the first born son of the heir to the throne of England. And although I would not say I am an avid follower of the Royal Family, I have enjoyed their history and station over the years.

So last night Jim and I awakened around 2:00 am. Not sure why, but we were both wide awake and after chatting for about an hour, I decided to get up and work on my blog as I had a busy day ahead. I wanted to finish the last of the Spring break posts for Jen and the girls.

I went on my computer and saw that the Wedding was being broadcast live on the Internet. Double clicked on the link just in time to see Kate step into the Abbey on her Dad's arm. The peeling bells of Westminster caught my attention, as did this simply beautiful young bride. It was 3:00 am. OK then, the post I was planning on working on could wait, right? This was an historic moment not to be missed.

For the next hour both Jim and I watched and I must admit I was spellbound by what I saw. The first thing that came to my mind was that for all their fame and good fortune, this was a beautifully understated, elegant, spiritual wedding ceremony. Aside from the setting and the crowds and the TV cameras (and the crazy hats), it was not unlike many wedding we have attended. In spite of the media it was an intimate glance into the lives of two rather ordinary people. They appeared to have worked very hard to keep it as normal as possible.

I felt a sense of them being good people. They seemed like they would be easy to talk with and I felt no sense of them thinking they were better that the rest of us. They were a down to earth, happy couple, not unlike the thousands of others married this year. They looked happy, eager, and a little nervous as well. However, their poise and decorum were unparalleled. The whole wedding came off flawlessly.

I noticed particularly how elegant and modest Kate, her sister and her mother were dressed. No cleavage, no gaudiness, no unusual fanfare. I loved their white dresses. How often do you think we will see this in the future? I loved that she has one bridesmaid, her sister and the two little girls, also bridesmaids. Can you imagine the throng of her friends and acquaintances that wanted to stroll down that aisle with her? It took courage to keep it simple. Did you notice how simple her wedding band was? Or how tiny her bouquet was? Honestly, I have seen far more elaborate at weddings here in our hometown. The music was beautiful and traditional and Christian.

Catherine's Bouquet...
The size of the bouquets tossed
to the eager prospective brides
at many weddings!

Both Jim and I felt that perhaps one of the main purposes of the royal family is, in fact, to act as a compass and guide and to set an example of British tradition. To show how civility should be, how modesty should be, how adults should behave with class and good taste. It is a wonderful thing to preserve a culture and the past. You can do this and still be a progressive thinking people. But do not throw everything out with the bathwater in the name of progress.

I don't think we have such public role models here where anything goes. In fact, if anything a large number of them are an embarrassment. Just do your own thing and the heck with everything and everyone else. I cannot imagine anything so appropriate coming out of Washington D.C. It would be so embroiled in political correctness it would be comical. I loved how the Royal Family has their traditions and protocols and they did not apologize for or gloss over them. Seriously, how refreshing.

I felt hope that this lovely couple might somehow be role models for the millions of people that may hopefully pattern their dress and maturity on the example being set in England today. Heaven knows the world needs it. We have run a muck with outrageous disregard for others, lack of respect for our history and traditions, etc. and dressing in a decent, modest way.

So this morning we took heart. We saw hope. We felt something that we haven't felt in a long time. A bit of the return to the way things use to be before we got to the haphazard way things are now. The slippery slope of mediocrity has taken its toll on the world.

If this means we are just getting old, then so be it. Sometimes you don't realize how far we have digressed until you see it done right once again. Three cheers to Prince William and His Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Catherine. May they live happily ever after and take some of the young people of this world in the same direction...oh, and their parents and grandparents as well!

After the wedding I read one article that put me very squarely in their camp and sealed it. You can find it here. What a loving and heartfelt tribute from the future King William to his beloved mother.


**The collage of the wedding day is courtesy of flickr photos. Bravo to the photographer who complied it. Attribution to be found in the link under the photo.