It’s the making of a fairytale: a prince and a commoner. A prince who married for love, and a commoner who will one day be queen. This morning, as I watched the live footage I recorded last night of The Royal Wedding, I smiled with all the rest of America and the world watching as Prince William of Wales married Miss Catherine Middleton.
For all the fanfare, pomp, and circumstance, my favorite part of The Royal Wedding wasn’t what I expected it to be. It wasn’t discovering what the bride’s Sarah Burton designed gown looked like. It wasn’t admiring the ornate decor in Westminster Abbey or marveling at the elegant horse-drawn carriage that carried His Royal Highness and his bride through the crowds. It wasn’t even the fluffy-hatted Queen’s Guard or the Royal Air Force flyover in honor of its Prince’s marriage.
No, Las Vegas brides, my favorite part was much more personal. Near the start of the ceremony, bride Kate Middleton walked down the aisle with her father, amid all the splendor, toward the altar where her groom awaited. Now unlike American ceremonies, this Prince had to face forward, awaiting his bride to step to his side. He couldn’t watch her walk down the aisle. But for one moment, when the cameras began to pan out, he quickly turned his head, breaking protocol, to glance down the aisle to catch a glimpse of his bride. And the smile on his face said it all.
Prince William was marrying today. And he was marrying the woman of his dreams. Even better, the smile on Kate’s face showed she shared a similar emotion. They were genuinely excited to be wed. They were in love, and this moment was only their beginning.
That’s what I loved about this wedding. As Imogen Lloyd Webber told newscasters today, this marriage was royal, but it was also real. How’s that for a real wedding? A girl whose parents met as airline attendants found herself joined in holy matrimony not just with a prince, but with her prince. Will and Kate are in love, and that’s why we as a nation are in love with them.
Missed the ceremony? Want to catch a glimpse of their first public kiss? View it all on the official website: The Royal Wedding 2011.
Author: Allyson Siwajian
Photo Credit: Associated Press