I know my daughter probably was getting pretty annoyed with me.
"Stay with me, baby," I said, over and over again. "Just a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes. You don't want to miss this."
But her eyes were growing heavy. And eventually she stopped hearing me -- or caring -- and dozed off. But not me.
Despite the late hour, my eyes were glued to the TV screen as Kate Middleton stepped out of that antique car in front of the Westminster Abbey and the whole world. And, yes, I felt a little lump in my throat when I saw the bride and The Dress. I just wish my daughter had been able to stay awake to see it too.
"You will remember this," I told her, before I lost her.
I do.
I don't know how I did it, but I somehow managed to stay home from school the day Princess Anne married Mark Phillips in 1973. I was 11 years old, a news junkie even then.
To this day, I remember the horse-drawn carriage and the parade of plumed horses taking the bride through the streets.
I don't remember where I was or how I watched (live or tape), but I remember watching Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles 30 years ago. I remember holding my breath and waiting to see The Dress. And I remember thinking, "What a mess!"
I'm sure I had a lump in my throat then too, watching the lovely young lady living out the fairy tale -- or so we thought at the time.
What is it about these royal weddings that capture our fancy?
That inspire some to stay up or wake up at 4 a.m. to watch and even host parties complete with tea and crumpets?
That spur networks to devote hours of their programming to wall-to-wall coverage, beginning at 4 a.m.?
That move people to travel across oceans? Just to sleep in the street?
Is it the fact that we've been spoon fed the fairy tale ending, watching Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty all find their prince and live happily ever after?
Or is it just a girl thing?
When I was planning my own wedding 16 years ago, I remember telling my mother that I wanted my three little flower girls -- my niece Lena, my niece Marti (who was a toddler) and my stepdaughter Courtney -- to walk together, "Like the little girls in Diana's wedding."
She knew exactly what I meant.
Like William and Kate's wedding, I had one matron of honor and three little girls -- all dressed in white -- and a whole bunch of groomsmen. (I had a grumpy flower girl, too!)
And maybe some day my daughter will want to borrow some snippet of tradition from this wedding on the day she marries her own prince charming. If she remembers.
It's OK that she fell asleep. I didn't stay up (or get up) to watch it either. I taped it. And we can watch it together again later.
And again.
"Stay with me, baby," I said, over and over again. "Just a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes. You don't want to miss this."
But her eyes were growing heavy. And eventually she stopped hearing me -- or caring -- and dozed off. But not me.
Despite the late hour, my eyes were glued to the TV screen as Kate Middleton stepped out of that antique car in front of the Westminster Abbey and the whole world. And, yes, I felt a little lump in my throat when I saw the bride and The Dress. I just wish my daughter had been able to stay awake to see it too.
"You will remember this," I told her, before I lost her.
I do.
I don't know how I did it, but I somehow managed to stay home from school the day Princess Anne married Mark Phillips in 1973. I was 11 years old, a news junkie even then.
To this day, I remember the horse-drawn carriage and the parade of plumed horses taking the bride through the streets.
I don't remember where I was or how I watched (live or tape), but I remember watching Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles 30 years ago. I remember holding my breath and waiting to see The Dress. And I remember thinking, "What a mess!"
I'm sure I had a lump in my throat then too, watching the lovely young lady living out the fairy tale -- or so we thought at the time.
What is it about these royal weddings that capture our fancy?
That inspire some to stay up or wake up at 4 a.m. to watch and even host parties complete with tea and crumpets?
That spur networks to devote hours of their programming to wall-to-wall coverage, beginning at 4 a.m.?
That move people to travel across oceans? Just to sleep in the street?
Is it the fact that we've been spoon fed the fairy tale ending, watching Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty all find their prince and live happily ever after?
Or is it just a girl thing?
When I was planning my own wedding 16 years ago, I remember telling my mother that I wanted my three little flower girls -- my niece Lena, my niece Marti (who was a toddler) and my stepdaughter Courtney -- to walk together, "Like the little girls in Diana's wedding."
She knew exactly what I meant.
Like William and Kate's wedding, I had one matron of honor and three little girls -- all dressed in white -- and a whole bunch of groomsmen. (I had a grumpy flower girl, too!)
And maybe some day my daughter will want to borrow some snippet of tradition from this wedding on the day she marries her own prince charming. If she remembers.
It's OK that she fell asleep. I didn't stay up (or get up) to watch it either. I taped it. And we can watch it together again later.
I watched the wedding too - in spite of myself - and the enchantment pulled me in! I could have done without all the hype surrounding everything, but I AM glad that I got to watch Kate walk down the aisle.
ReplyDeleteRoyal weddings are magical...
There's a little princess in all of us, I guess...
ReplyDelete