Royal Wedding Bells Finally Ring

I’m not going to lie, I tried to find ways to avoid it (good ones I thought), but when it came down to the final hour, I choked. I watched the royal wedding live. I figured, what else did I have to do at 6 a.m. on a Friday morning other than watch history in the making?

Guessing many of you were like me and just had to get a glimpse of the blushing bride and her adorable bridegroom, you’ll want to relive a few moments, at least for today. In light of post-wedding bells still ringing at Westminster Abbey, I give to you the top five reasons why I made the right decision.

1) We saw a transformation right in front of our eyes. Kate Middleton has always appeared to be a sophisticated and confident young woman, but seeing her in that “classic,” (as everyone is calling it) Alexander McQueen gown (designed by Sarah Burton), she was just exquisite. It’s a bit embarrassing, but it almost brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t that I had been dying for this day or was thinking of my own wedding or anything, it was just that I was lost in the moment. If we can’t appreciate moments of simple beauty, what else is there really to grab onto in life? It had nothing to do with royalty or England or patriotism, it was just plain beauty. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

2) It’s not every day that we get to see the inside of Westminster Abbey. After all, only sixteen couples have said their “I dos” there starting in 1100, according to CBC broadcast I was watching this morning. The cameras gave us a beautiful bird’s eye view of the two main venues and procession that was nothing short of sublime. As Kate walked down an aisle lined with gorgeous green trees, not to mention the stunning architecture of the church, I sat there sipping my coffee thinking that it was one of the only events that I thought really lived up to its hype.

It was kind of like when I went to see Avatar (but on a larger scale of course). Everybody said the 3D effects were cool, but the story itself was cliche. Well, marriage happens every day and it was somewhat of a cliche to tune into the royal wedding given the massive build-up to the big fat royal wedding, but like Avatar, it was just a beautiful love story. If there’s ever a day I get sick of seeing two people (who meet and mysteriously forge a deep spiritual connection) celebrate love, I’d be worried I had become a bitter, cynical and just plain cranky lassie. With so many horrible things happening in the world each day, including war, famine, murder, etc., we should really enjoy such rare moments of beauty in our lives.

3) The one setback, of course, is that not all people can bask in the joys of declaring their love to all their friends and family (or, in the case of Will and Kate, the whole world!). Gay marriage is still banned in England, a country rich in tradition where its leaders (at least for appearance’s sake) follow the Church of England, which is against gay marriage. But sometimes we need to take what’s negative and slowly work to turn it into a positive.

We can be comforted in the fact that those supporting gay marriage also supported the royal wedding. Protesters, who presented Kate and William with a large wedding card, want to bring attention to their cause and raise awareness. It was a peaceful protest that could, we hope, effect real change. There may be many steps still to be made in terms of equal love, but in the meantime, we don’t have to hate those who are legally able to marry. Supporters realize that harbouring hate won’t get them anywhere. Despite the setbacks, the wedding was a celebration of love — something we all need and all want in our lives. During the address, the Lord Bishop of London called this day, “A day of hope.”

4) I found that the Lord Bishop of London was an excellent speaker and had many wise words to give the young couple. As an English major, I was also impressed that he quoted Chaucer who, like many great writers, had a lot of insightful things to say about love and relationships. One thing he said that really rang a bell in my head was, “Every wedding is a royal wedding.” Every couple plans their day and (usually) says it was one of the best days of their lives. It’s a day that’ll be forever ingrained in your brain, so you better make it count.

Clearly, Kate, William, and their families did. They seemed to say all the things that many times we forget or neglect to say to our loved ones on a daily basis. Now, the lip readers could be off (although I’m assuming they hired skilled ones for the grand affair), but from Harry saying, “Go for it!” to William saying, “I love you, you look beautiful,” to Kate saying, “I’m so happy” in the carriage, I couldn’t help gushing like a little girl. They didn’t stand there stoic, nervous, trying to look a certain way knowing the world was watching. It really did feel that they were simply themselves. They had a few giggles and just said the things most lovebirds say on their wedding day. It may have been a religious ceremony steeped in tradition, but love and happiness ruled the ceremony. Even if you don’t have one religious bone in your body, there were still many moments to enjoy — of course the best moments being those that were unscriped.

5) Finally, it may not have been as fun as the spoof, but there is still much to be left to our imagination. The couple gave us two small yet very sweet kisses on the balcony in front of thousands of people surrounding the Victoria Memorial, but then disappeared into Buckingham Palace. Whether they sip tea or have a wild party later we will never know the whole story, but what we witnessed today will be an event that goes down in history. You heard all the reporters comparing the wedding to the nuptials of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Royal weddings are rare. If we can find any reason to celebrate in a world where we must face bleak realities each day, I can’t think of a better one than love.

So no matter what stance you take on England’s royal family and on marriage, it’s okay if you enjoyed the wedding. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Sorry, Politics, you’ll have to sit this one out.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com