So I did it. I decided to stay up to watch the wedding. My exams are finished and I’m off tomorrow, so I thought, why not? Here’s a running commentary of thoughts (will be updated for as long as I stay awake):
12:56: Oh, goodness, they’re displaying some poor sap readying the balcony for William and Kate’s first kiss after the wedding. Oh mainstream media, you really love to discuss every detail in excruciating detail…
12: 57: I think they’ve mentioned the words “Princess Diana” more than a dozen times since I first tuned in.
1:01: Apparently people have gathered outside the Palace for DAYS to see this wedding. That’s gotta be worse than staying up to watch it, right?
1:04: Kate’s gown was designed by a “mystery woman in a big fur trapper’s hat.” Sounds like someone I’d want to design my wedding dress.
1:15: Some of the people in the crowd are wearing Burger King crowns. Burger King, Crown Jewels… not much difference between them at all.
1:20: Apparently William and Kate are to live with Charles and Camilla after the wedding. After marrying into royalty, you still have to live with the in-laws?
1:25: A regular suit isn’t good enough for the British PM to wear when attending. He’s been pressured to wear a tuxedo.
1:30: Why are there orange balloons? Are they secretly Dutch?
1:35: I’ve never been 2 ½ hours early for a wedding in my life. Or even early for a wedding. But the guests are already lining up.
1:37: Folding chairs! Westminster Abbey has folding chairs. Also – trees.
1:40: Kate will be the first Queen to have gone to university. Bit behind the times, the monarchy.
1: 44: Obligatory Diana montage…
1:56: “The monarchy depends on this.” No pressure or anything.
2:15: Kate Middleton’s family is from Bucklebury. Wasn’t that town’s name in Lord of the Rings?
2:24: Peter Mansbridge’s eyes are getting more and more bloodshot as the night goes on. And he seems particularly bemused about people’s obsession with Kate’s wedding dress…
2:32: William used to have such 1990s hair. Of course, now he has almost no hair. 🙂
2:43: There’s female guest with a hat that looks exactly like a canoe landed nose down on her head.
2:49: Bucklebury even looks like it belongs in Lord of the Rings. Thatched roofs, cobblestones, tree-lined alleys. All they need is some hobbits.
2:52: Canada is giving William and Kate hiking gear. Hiking gear. Can you see Kate climbing up a mountain?
3:04: There’s group on the street wearing William and Kate masks, and the reporter just asked them to kiss. Very odd to watch, especially if you’re sleep-deprived.
3:19: Now you can see Prince Harry teasing Prince William as they walk into Westminster Abbey.
3:34: Kate’s mother walks in, in a light grey dress by Catherine Walker – elegant, yet quite typically mother-of-the-bride-like.
3:44: Camilla’s dress has very odd pleats. The Queen is wearing school-bus yellow (apparently she bought three outfits and picked one according to the weather). Yes, I care about fashion.
3:49: The Queen gets a trumpet fanfare as she walks in the Abbey. I thought that only happened in movies?
3:54: GORGEOUS! From what I can see, Kate’s dress is gorgeous. An elegant lace over-lay and a sweet-heart neckline – reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress…
4:01: Oh beautiful, exactly like Grace Kelly, but modernized. Pippa, her maid of honour, has a lovely dress too.
4:08: William has to stand with his back to the aisle for some reason. He peeks over his shoulder…
Sweeping views of the gothic cathedrals… Soaring music…
The couple smiles at each other, standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
4:14: The Anglican wedding ceremony is very beautiful. Here comes the “speak now or forever hold your peace” part. Awkward silence.
4:19: “Those whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
4:40: And they are married. The choir sings very well.
4:42: Yawn. And now, having witnessed this happy moment, I think I will go to bed. They still have to walk down the aisle and wave to all the crowds (and possibly kiss on the balcony), but I believe this has covered most of the (not so) important bits…
Good night!
UPDATE: Here are some interesting links:
Kate’s Dress! That Queen! Those Hats (from Slate, includes slideshow)
Royal Wedding on TV: Spouting Nonsense at 4am (someone else’s view on staying up late, and the media frenzy around the wedding)