Middle of the Night Royal Wedding Party
So, I'm a romantic. Big shocker when you see my user pic and all that, and I have been very excited about the Royal Wedding. When I was in college, my friend Heather sent me a beautiful post card with a lovely aqua blue background that was a photograph of a non-creepy mannequin in Princess Grace's wedding dress. I LOVED that dress. It was--until this morning, my very favorite royal wedding dress of all time, and I had that post card hanging up for years. I probably still have it among my papers somewhere. I remember watching Princess Diana's wedding. I remember being out with my mom and being in some office building when they announced Prince William's birth over the loudspeaker. If I remember correctly, my mom was pregnant with my baby brother Adam at the time--we might have even been at an OB appointment when we heard his birth announced, and whenever I see Prince William, I think of Adam. It has been fun to watch him grow up over the years--William and Adam, but I mean William here. No, I'm not a Royals stalker or anything. I mean every few years, see him in the news and think, "Wow, he's growing up to be such a nice young man. I think he would make a ripping King!" And yes, I had to say ripping, or brilliant, or lovely, or some other British word because, well, I just do. I was very excited to see his wedding.
Like everyone else, I wondered about Kate--or should I say Princess Katherine. Would she be like Sisi, the 16 year old bride of the Emperor of Austria (who's portrait hangs over my couch) and cry with terror and overwhelm the entire procession through town and through her wedding? Would she have a very--VERY big puffy dress and very, VERY big bouquet like Diana? Would she look happy and natural with her brand spanking new husband--unlike William's parents? We watched her step into the car from the hotel and wave at the crowd through the windows and it was obvious, even without seeing the dress yet, that she was magnificent! She was so poised and seemed so happy and relaxed. She was dignified and cool, down to earth, but still sophisticated--and just perfect for the future Queen of my beloved imagined-homeland. No, England is not imagined. I just imagine I'm English. How very American of me.
Anyway, we had a party. The wedding was at 4AM our time, so I spent yesterday afternoon baking and preparing British kinds of treats--at least what we Americans imagine are British treats. I baked some lovely cakes with a special pan I bought just for the occasion. I glazed them with lemon curd and they were delicious! I think I always want my cakes glazed with lemon curd from now on--and in lovely shapes. My favorite shape was the cathedral window one--very fitting.
I also made a few dozen finger sandwiches, got chips and dip (that one is very American, but I did it anyway), fruit and a pot of orange spice tea.
I got the kids up at 3AM so we could see the procession of wedding guests and participants from various places around London to Westminster. Only the girls woke up. Tyler hasn't been sleeping well and has been so stressed that I just let him sleep. Simon set his alarm for 2:30AM. He said, "It's like the olympics, even if you aren't into sports, you just have to watch it." Well, he got up before us, decided to go back to bed for a minute and when I went to wake him at 3, he was so out, he missed it. As consolation, we let him skip school today--as was the plan for if he had stayed up all night watching it.
So, the girls and I ate treats, drank tea and watched it all. First we watched William and Harry leave Buckingham in the beautiful Bentley and arrive at the cathedral. We watched Kate's parents arrive. I couldn't help imagining how surreal it all must have seemed to them. We watched Prince Charles and Camilla, the Queen and her man Prince Philip, "lesser royals", darling little bride's maids and paige boys, and Kate's sister Pippa in that gorgeous mermaid dress--so elegant!
It had been a gloomy almost-drizzly day in London, and when Kate stepped out of the car at Westminster in her stunning dress--my new personal favorite, the sun broke out and it seemed almost divine. There could hardly be a more romantic moment than that, with the bells pealing and the million people around the city cheering and us, across the pond watching in our very own livingroom in PJs. It was a moment, I will remember for a long time.
That dress! It was so my style! It was old-fashion and antique-like in a way, but also very modern and sophisticated. It was elegant, understated and simple with perfect feminine, but not fluffy shaping. Her bouquet was also small, simple, elegant and understated. I loved the simple filmy veil and the understated tierra (if it is possible to call a tierra understated). If I was princess, that would so be my dress--well, if I was princess and two stones lighter.
Prince William looked so handsome and, well, princely in his uniform, and Prince Harry, as always, looked darling and somehow a bit naughty and endearing like a little boy. All the royal family looked so well. I'm sure I looked lovely, too in my bright orange t-shirt, my bold hot pink fake-silk oriental flower PJ bottoms, and my slumber-messed pixie cut--all of which I am still sporting at this very moment.
When the wedding began, I was very glad the news anchor banter stopped--except for how they always started talking during the singing, like the music didn't count. It was very irritating to hear the songs and the choir boys and choir school discussed in detail--right over the music itself.
Anyway, here are Prince William and Kate with Kate's father and Prince Harry just arriving at the alter.
The ceremony was lovely. The reading and the addresses and the music (which I only imagine was beautiful because all I could hear was Katie Couric talking and talking), and the cathedral with the trees and sprigs of Sweet Williams and Lillies of the Valley and hyacinths and myrtles. It was so romantic that I kind of wish I'd had a million people at my wedding--maybe I'll have a bang-up shindig for my funeral--or my next book launch--or something. I suppose I should have a spare billion dollars before I plan something on that scale and right now I think I probably only have $999,999,975 to go.
The ring:
The carriage awaits--and not a van, they called those carriages, too, but I mean an actual carriage. I'm going to have to start calling our van a carriage. It sounds much more romantic that way. Time for school, kids, the carriage awaits! Time to go to Wal Mart, my carriage awaits!
Prince William and Princess Katherine setting off on their procession to the palace. Sigh. How romantic. They look so happy and natural together. They both seem to have the proper dispositions to meet their many life obligations, and they look like they will enjoy meeting those many life obligations together.
I was sad when it was over--although, I kind of wished it was over at a couple of points during the ceremony--no matter how much you enjoy a good wedding, it is hard to stay completely alert when it's 4AM and the addresses do go on a bit, but that was only a couple of times for a very few minutes. We watched until 6AM when they arrived at the palace and Katie Couric went on to discuss real-life domestic news like horrible tornadoes and all that. I needed to stay in that magic place a little while longer, so I turned it off and went to bed--and dreamed that we owned two houses and one was haunted by a bad spirit and we didn't like to go there, and that a lady I know from the stake YW had rows along her walk of life sized statues of Young Woman age girls in various animated poses like reading the scriptures, helping with the laundry and enjoying other wholesome activities. I thought it was creepy and weird, but everyone else LOVED them, and to me, that seemed creepy and weird--so not that romantic, but still.
My girls had a great time getting up in the middle of the night, eating lots of treats and watching the wedding. They were pretty sleepy, though, and I think I enjoyed it most of all. I think they will always remember it, though, even if they were doze-y and sleepy. I know I will. What a magical wedding! I'm so glad to live in these modern times so I can watch in real time, this amazing event half a world away.
Like everyone else, I wondered about Kate--or should I say Princess Katherine. Would she be like Sisi, the 16 year old bride of the Emperor of Austria (who's portrait hangs over my couch) and cry with terror and overwhelm the entire procession through town and through her wedding? Would she have a very--VERY big puffy dress and very, VERY big bouquet like Diana? Would she look happy and natural with her brand spanking new husband--unlike William's parents? We watched her step into the car from the hotel and wave at the crowd through the windows and it was obvious, even without seeing the dress yet, that she was magnificent! She was so poised and seemed so happy and relaxed. She was dignified and cool, down to earth, but still sophisticated--and just perfect for the future Queen of my beloved imagined-homeland. No, England is not imagined. I just imagine I'm English. How very American of me.
Anyway, we had a party. The wedding was at 4AM our time, so I spent yesterday afternoon baking and preparing British kinds of treats--at least what we Americans imagine are British treats. I baked some lovely cakes with a special pan I bought just for the occasion. I glazed them with lemon curd and they were delicious! I think I always want my cakes glazed with lemon curd from now on--and in lovely shapes. My favorite shape was the cathedral window one--very fitting.
I also made a few dozen finger sandwiches, got chips and dip (that one is very American, but I did it anyway), fruit and a pot of orange spice tea.
I got the kids up at 3AM so we could see the procession of wedding guests and participants from various places around London to Westminster. Only the girls woke up. Tyler hasn't been sleeping well and has been so stressed that I just let him sleep. Simon set his alarm for 2:30AM. He said, "It's like the olympics, even if you aren't into sports, you just have to watch it." Well, he got up before us, decided to go back to bed for a minute and when I went to wake him at 3, he was so out, he missed it. As consolation, we let him skip school today--as was the plan for if he had stayed up all night watching it.
So, the girls and I ate treats, drank tea and watched it all. First we watched William and Harry leave Buckingham in the beautiful Bentley and arrive at the cathedral. We watched Kate's parents arrive. I couldn't help imagining how surreal it all must have seemed to them. We watched Prince Charles and Camilla, the Queen and her man Prince Philip, "lesser royals", darling little bride's maids and paige boys, and Kate's sister Pippa in that gorgeous mermaid dress--so elegant!
It had been a gloomy almost-drizzly day in London, and when Kate stepped out of the car at Westminster in her stunning dress--my new personal favorite, the sun broke out and it seemed almost divine. There could hardly be a more romantic moment than that, with the bells pealing and the million people around the city cheering and us, across the pond watching in our very own livingroom in PJs. It was a moment, I will remember for a long time.
That dress! It was so my style! It was old-fashion and antique-like in a way, but also very modern and sophisticated. It was elegant, understated and simple with perfect feminine, but not fluffy shaping. Her bouquet was also small, simple, elegant and understated. I loved the simple filmy veil and the understated tierra (if it is possible to call a tierra understated). If I was princess, that would so be my dress--well, if I was princess and two stones lighter.
Prince William looked so handsome and, well, princely in his uniform, and Prince Harry, as always, looked darling and somehow a bit naughty and endearing like a little boy. All the royal family looked so well. I'm sure I looked lovely, too in my bright orange t-shirt, my bold hot pink fake-silk oriental flower PJ bottoms, and my slumber-messed pixie cut--all of which I am still sporting at this very moment.
When the wedding began, I was very glad the news anchor banter stopped--except for how they always started talking during the singing, like the music didn't count. It was very irritating to hear the songs and the choir boys and choir school discussed in detail--right over the music itself.
Anyway, here are Prince William and Kate with Kate's father and Prince Harry just arriving at the alter.
The ceremony was lovely. The reading and the addresses and the music (which I only imagine was beautiful because all I could hear was Katie Couric talking and talking), and the cathedral with the trees and sprigs of Sweet Williams and Lillies of the Valley and hyacinths and myrtles. It was so romantic that I kind of wish I'd had a million people at my wedding--maybe I'll have a bang-up shindig for my funeral--or my next book launch--or something. I suppose I should have a spare billion dollars before I plan something on that scale and right now I think I probably only have $999,999,975 to go.
The ring:
The carriage awaits--and not a van, they called those carriages, too, but I mean an actual carriage. I'm going to have to start calling our van a carriage. It sounds much more romantic that way. Time for school, kids, the carriage awaits! Time to go to Wal Mart, my carriage awaits!
Prince William and Princess Katherine setting off on their procession to the palace. Sigh. How romantic. They look so happy and natural together. They both seem to have the proper dispositions to meet their many life obligations, and they look like they will enjoy meeting those many life obligations together.
I was sad when it was over--although, I kind of wished it was over at a couple of points during the ceremony--no matter how much you enjoy a good wedding, it is hard to stay completely alert when it's 4AM and the addresses do go on a bit, but that was only a couple of times for a very few minutes. We watched until 6AM when they arrived at the palace and Katie Couric went on to discuss real-life domestic news like horrible tornadoes and all that. I needed to stay in that magic place a little while longer, so I turned it off and went to bed--and dreamed that we owned two houses and one was haunted by a bad spirit and we didn't like to go there, and that a lady I know from the stake YW had rows along her walk of life sized statues of Young Woman age girls in various animated poses like reading the scriptures, helping with the laundry and enjoying other wholesome activities. I thought it was creepy and weird, but everyone else LOVED them, and to me, that seemed creepy and weird--so not that romantic, but still.
My girls had a great time getting up in the middle of the night, eating lots of treats and watching the wedding. They were pretty sleepy, though, and I think I enjoyed it most of all. I think they will always remember it, though, even if they were doze-y and sleepy. I know I will. What a magical wedding! I'm so glad to live in these modern times so I can watch in real time, this amazing event half a world away.