Friday, April 29, 2011

The Fairytale

Okay, I know there are a lot of royal wedding haters out there.  I'd say my Facebook friend list was pretty evenly divided between the watchers and the haters, and I've heard other dismissive comments for several  days now.  

Since I married a thoroughly Scottish man, our merry band of wee lads and lasses are very used to their father making little jokes at the expense of the English.  Nothing cruel, mind you, but just that wry Scottish humor of his that I love so well.    All that to say that we are not known to be huge anglophiles.

But . . .  but . . . it's a wedding!  Come on, how can you not love a wedding?  Doesn't anyone else choke up a little when they hear marriage vows being spoken before God?  Is is just a woman thing?  A pregnant woman thing?  A me thing?

I haven't followed most of the coverage, I didn't get up at 4:30 to watch, and I don't have a DVR so I couldn't record the events.  I'm more than satisfied to watch all the recaps.

But I also have a little girl who believes that princesses are the best thing about being a girl.  It's not just the dresses and the tiaras, although they are pretty nice perks.   Sally knows that to be a real princess, a lady has to be kind, true, loving, and full of grace.  I think she's right.

I know that are a lot of women out there who don't want to perpetuate the princess stereotype for little girls.  They want them to be empowered and free and bold and choosy.   You know what?  I'd rather have the kind, loving, true, graceful princess.  

So once I got the bigger kids off to school, I tuned in and let Sally watch the balcony appearance and kiss between the newlyweds.  Sally almost could not grasp the concept of a real princess, since she is used to the cartoon variety, but she loved seeing it all.  

Bun, on the other hand, only cared about the balcony flyover by the RAF.  That and all the waving flags.  He digs nationalism, I guess.

And the dress!  I think it's got to be one of the most beautiful wedding dresses I've seen.  I love that it was demure and feminine, with long sleeves and lace.  She looked every bit the princess, and I pray that they have a long and happy life together.

As much as I enjoyed watching, now I need to switch gears quickly from one sacrament to another.  Fiver receives his first holy communion tomorrow, and there is a lot of cleaning and preparing to be done. 
But the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the little kids are "helping,"  so I think we're good to go.

 Happy weekend, my friends!

8 comments:

  1. Oh, my goodness. I cry at engagements, at wedding albums, at wedding cards, at wedding announcements. Weddings are what waterproof mascara was invented for. All our big girls around here (I'm talking the 16-25 range) who aren't married yet all had a sleepover party to watch the wedding.

    Celebrate Princesses! Celebrate Fluff! Celebrate Pink and Sparkles and Handsome Princes and giant wedding for those who can afford them...

    Has anyone seen Enchanted? Fabulous family entertainment for princess mockers and fans alike.

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  2. I completely agree -- the princess looked beautiful and graceful and elegant -- all the things a princess is. I always tell Faith, "Pretty is as pretty does" and I think this princess is all that is pretty. I would much rather have a kind, gracious daughter than one who makes her way in the world.


    Have your girls seen Tangled yet? Very, very princessy in a very good way.

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  3. Anonymous11:14 AM

    Aimee and I watched Charles and Diana wed in 1981. It was enchanting although we were all unaware of the great tragedy that marriage would become.
    This wedding was enchanting as well, but in a "down to earth" sort of way. I loved Kate's gown and I hope it spawns a whole new look...what a contrast to the hideous concoctions one sees on the horrid TV "bridal" shows!
    The Scripture reading by James Middleton was perfect and the couple listened to every word.
    The address by the Bishop of London was beautiful as well, emphasizing the sacredness of what the bride and groom were undertaking and the importance of truly becoming what God wants them to be...
    And I did cry when the whole congregation sang the beautiful traditional Welsh wedding song....can't help it...it's my Welsh genes that do it to me every time...(those of you familiar with my all-time favorite movie, "How Green Was My Valley" can relate...)

    God bless you, William and Catherine...

    GeeGee

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  4. Ooh! I'm going to go search for pictures right now. I forgot the wedding was today. And all the naysayers don't like it because they'd rather shack up. That's my take. ;) Fun, fun, fun!

    Happy First Holy Communion ... remember to bring kleenex!

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  5. I think everyone can agree that they love weddings. But since my disastrous wedding day, I've come to believe that weddings, like First Communion or Baptism, should be smaller, more private ceremonies shared with God and a relatively smaller crowd. A wedding certainly is something to celebrate, but I can't help but wonder if the royal couple felt the intimacy and solemnity of the vows they took in front of God or if they were more worried about how everything looked and not to make any mistakes in front of the press and all those people.

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  6. Oh my goodness...I TiVoed the whole thing and I can't wait to watch it later! My kids and I saw about 5 minutes this morning and my 8 year old son (seeing William in his red suit) said "He looks British...like the Redcoats". I said, well he IS British, they are from England. And he says "I don't like the English, but I like to watch weddings". Aaahhh, nothing could make this Irish mother prouder ;)

    My 3 year old girl was pouting that she was a real princess too. And don't we know it!

    I love the whole thing, the history, the elegance, the pomp-and-circumstance, the customs, it's lovely to see. And Princess Catherine seems like your daughter's definition of a real princess - I love it!

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  7. Prayers for Fiver and the whole family on this very special day!!

    I loved watching all the coverage. It is a fairytale and there is nothing wrong with fairytales. Obviously they will have to deal with real life, but we don't get to see that. We only get to see the royalty of it all and it's truly beautiful.

    I'm "old" but I still love princesses too. I'll always be a princess (in my mind - lol).

    I loved the dress, the fashions, the pomp and circumstance and of course the wedding itself. And yes, I teared up. I loved when it was said "All Weddings Are Royal...". So very true. I wish them all the love and luck in the world :)

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  8. The dress was lovely and I thought the "royal couple" seemed very sweet. Hope everything went smoothly for you guys! Such a special celebration :)

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