I grew up with William and Harry in a way–sitting on our brown living room carpet at age 5, popping out clothes for my Princess Diana paper doll. Or flipping through the glossy pages of my mother’s Princess Diana fashion books–page after page of her glorious clothes. Page after page of her holding her little princes with her radiant smile. And I watched those princes grieve their mother. Watched them go off to school, then college. Watched dreamy-eyed the romance between William and Kate.
Fast forward a few years, and it’s 6.15 A.M. on a Saturday. And I’m dashing through pelting rain, hopping into my car, driving across town to my mother’s house because it’s Harry’s turn now. He’s getting married.
Yes, they are two people on the other side of the world whom I have never really met. But since I have watched them, I care for them. And as I have friends who personally knew the Queen Mother (the present Queen’s mother), and spoke so well of her and her faith, I now care for her family. I also have great respect for the Queen, so I do. I became a British citizen a few years ago, so I suppose she is my Queen–and maybe that means William and Kate and Harry and Meghan are my Princes and Duchesses too 🙂
So, my lovelies, here are my favorite misty-eyed, ear-to-ear grin, happy little sigh moments from the wedding (plus pics of our Watch Party Breakfast Tea!).
- What They Said (mostly) Without Talking – The secret smiles, the whispered words, the subtle interactions. William and Harry grinning at each other. Kate leaning to whisper to William. Little George and Charlotte with their mum and dad. The bride and groom’s adoring stares. They may be titled, wealthy, and famous, but they are real people–mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, husband, wife. And their genuine smiles and obvious affection for each other warmed my heart. When Prince Charles passed Meghan over the Harry, Harry whispered, “Thank you, Father,” then turned to his bride and said, “Are you okay? You look amazing.” What did William and Kate and the others whisper to each other? We can only guess, but their faces tell much.
- The Bower – Roses, peonies, forget-me-nots, all tumbling down wild-like, and glorious, and jubilant around the church doors. How long these arrangements took (while keeping the flowers fresh), I can only imagine. They were beautiful!
- The Dress! – Our questions have now been answered! Meghans’s dress was satiny, her hair was up, and her nails were pale pink, just as I guessed. And the veil–sigh… delicate, yet breathtaking. The only thing I didn’t glimpse was her shoes!
- The Message – Wasn’t it great, friends, to hear the name of Jesus? To hear said in so many words that Christianity is not obsolete? And didn’t Bishop Michael Curry’s exuberance make us all smile? Especially when he said, “and with this, I will sit you down. We’ve got to get you all married,” (and then proceeded to keep talking). I think I need to watch again. 😀
- God Save the Queen – And this was where I cried. With news circulating that the Queen will be stepping down this year, we won’t have many more times to sing this song. As Queen Elizabeth II has been reigning since 1952, she’s the only Queen many of us have ever known, and I sometimes forget she won’t be here forever. It’s a fact I’m sure her family feel even more keenly, and it was seeing their faces (as they sang of their mother and grandmother) that made me cry. I love the Queen.
And here’s how we watched–
Guests – My mother (the hostess), my mother-in-law (visiting from Scotland–she brought the fab Harry & Meghan biscuit tins), our friend Pat!
The Breakfast – Quiche, sausages, fruit salad, scones with cream and elderberry jam, tea, coffee, and the highlight–lemon muffins with elderflower syrup in honor of the royal wedding cake (where does one get elderflower? my mom is amazing).
The decór – Bunting, fresh flowers, floral globes.
What we wore – Check out the hats and fascinators that we made!!!
The wedding brought us all together. It was a reason to dust off the good china. It was a reason to make new hats! And no matter what, it was worth because of that. Praying every spiritual and good blessing on Harry, Meghan, and the entire royal family.
Avonlea xo
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Finding beauty in the everyday ♥
Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, at her 1981 June wedding
happy little sigh 