Oh, I love a good wedding! As a little girl I watched the weddings of Diana and Charles and Andrew and Fergie. But now as a married woman, watching the wedding uniting Prince William and HRH Catherine, I was particularly moved. What a way to begin a married life together -- under the gaze of billions of people and with all the pomp and circumstance that the British muster so well. Personally, I thought it was beautiful!
If I wasn't so pregnant, I would have gone to London just to be in the crowd and to enjoy the festivities of the day. My lucky cousin, Elizabeth, is there, and I'm anxious to hear how her experience has been! But with the miracle of modern technology -- and, thankfully, a DVR -- I watched the wedding and enjoyed every moment.
I have a special fondness for Westminster Abbey, and I'm not sure it has ever looked prettier. The trees -- English Field Maples -- running down the aisle were absolutely brilliant! And for those of you who have never been to Westminster Abbey, they give you a sense of scale. After all, the trees are 20 feet tall, and they don't even come close to touching the chandeliers in the Abbey.
I must say, I was a bit disappointed in the commentary on ABC. At several points Barbara Walters mentioned the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles and gave the impression that their wedding also took place at Westminster Abbey. It did not. They were wedded at St. Paul's Cathedral across town.
Also disappointing was the fact that ABC did not bother to announce or caption the musical selections during the worship service. The music was particularly beautiful, too. After all, if you get a choir and an orchestra and several corps of trumpeters, your musical selections can be quite stellar! Plus, the music included two pieces commissioned particularly for the wedding: "This is the Day" by English composer, John Rutter, and "Ubi Caritas" by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer.
You can download the official wedding programme or purchase the official recording, including all of the music, from iTunes.
For me, the greatest musical moment was HRH Catherine's entrance into the church -- Charles Parry's setting of Psalm 122, a piece I have loved for many years.
Oh, and I really love the song "Jerusalem"which you might recognize from the movie "Chariots of Fire" -- indeed, the movie gets its name from the song's line, "Bring me my chariot of fire!"
The words are taken from a poem written by William Blake and set to music in the early part of the 20th century by Sir Hubert Parry. Contrary to what the LA Times blogger, Marcia Adair, wrote this morning, it is not "most often sung at cricket matches." In England it is akin to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" -- a secondary national song (second only to "God Save the Queen"). It is sung in schools and churches across the country, especially on St. George's Day, the day celebrating the patron saint of England.
Catherine's dress was beautiful. The princes looked dashing. And thousands and thousands of words have been written (and even more blathered on TV) about the hats and the guests and the jewels and the tiara and the coaches and the cars... but I must say, in it all, this is my favorite moment of the entire wedding... and it took place long after the royals had all gone off to smooch at Buckingham Palace:
What joy!
While we may not have been invited to the wedding or the parties afterward, there's nothing keeping you from having a bit of the groom's cake. Oprah has published the recipe -- evidently one of Prince William's favorites, according to his former chef, Darren McGrady.
Save a piece for me!
Here's the entire wedding start to finish, just in case you didn't get to see it yourself!
If I wasn't so pregnant, I would have gone to London just to be in the crowd and to enjoy the festivities of the day. My lucky cousin, Elizabeth, is there, and I'm anxious to hear how her experience has been! But with the miracle of modern technology -- and, thankfully, a DVR -- I watched the wedding and enjoyed every moment.
I have a special fondness for Westminster Abbey, and I'm not sure it has ever looked prettier. The trees -- English Field Maples -- running down the aisle were absolutely brilliant! And for those of you who have never been to Westminster Abbey, they give you a sense of scale. After all, the trees are 20 feet tall, and they don't even come close to touching the chandeliers in the Abbey.
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| Getty Images |
Also disappointing was the fact that ABC did not bother to announce or caption the musical selections during the worship service. The music was particularly beautiful, too. After all, if you get a choir and an orchestra and several corps of trumpeters, your musical selections can be quite stellar! Plus, the music included two pieces commissioned particularly for the wedding: "This is the Day" by English composer, John Rutter, and "Ubi Caritas" by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer.
You can download the official wedding programme or purchase the official recording, including all of the music, from iTunes.
For me, the greatest musical moment was HRH Catherine's entrance into the church -- Charles Parry's setting of Psalm 122, a piece I have loved for many years.
Oh, and I really love the song "Jerusalem"which you might recognize from the movie "Chariots of Fire" -- indeed, the movie gets its name from the song's line, "Bring me my chariot of fire!"
The words are taken from a poem written by William Blake and set to music in the early part of the 20th century by Sir Hubert Parry. Contrary to what the LA Times blogger, Marcia Adair, wrote this morning, it is not "most often sung at cricket matches." In England it is akin to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" -- a secondary national song (second only to "God Save the Queen"). It is sung in schools and churches across the country, especially on St. George's Day, the day celebrating the patron saint of England.
Catherine's dress was beautiful. The princes looked dashing. And thousands and thousands of words have been written (and even more blathered on TV) about the hats and the guests and the jewels and the tiara and the coaches and the cars... but I must say, in it all, this is my favorite moment of the entire wedding... and it took place long after the royals had all gone off to smooch at Buckingham Palace:
What joy!
 |
| Photo courtesy of Oprah.com |
Save a piece for me!
Here's the entire wedding start to finish, just in case you didn't get to see it yourself!