Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
What not to miss at the wedding -- the 7 key moments
The royal wedding morning will be long. From the moment the first guests arrive at 8:15 a.m. London-time to when the couple appear on the balcony at 1:30 p.m. will be about five hours.Perhaps only the most hardened royalists will sit and wallow in every moment. For those who need to do the laundry, walk the dog or -- heaven forbid -- do some work, here is a guide to the truly, absolutely, completely important moments. These are the times NOT to go to the bathroom or make a cup of tea.Follow this guide and you will always be able to say, "Of course I saw the moment when ..."
1. The Dress: 11 a.m. in London (6 a.m. ET) We will see the dress through the windows of the Rolls Royce as Kate is driven to the church. But our first PROPER look at the dress will be at 11 a.m. London (6 a.m. Eastern) when she gets out of the car at the Abbey. This is the time to ooh and ahh on the design. Whether it is akin to the puffed up style of Diana's or, as some suggest, sleek and satiny like Princess Margaret's, this is THE moment. Don't miss it!!!
2. The Vows: 11:15 in London (6:15 a.m. ET) It may be cruel, but many will be watching to see if there are any mistakes! Diana got Charles's name wrong (and seemed to marry his father instead). Charles for his part forgot to endow Diana with his worldly goods. Never mind. She got a lot of them anyway in the divorce! Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson repeated Prince Andrew's middle name twice.Will tradition strike again or can William and Kate get each other's name right?Don't be feeding the cat at that moment.
3. The FIRST kiss: Any time after 11:15 a.m. in London (6:15 a.m. onwards ET) It should be after the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces them man and wife. But Charles forgot to kiss Diana -- we had to wait until the balcony for that moment. Let's see if William and Kate remember.
4. The Fanfare: About 11:30 a.m. in London (6:30 a.m. ET) Keep an ear out after the register is signed for a trumpet fanfare composed especially for this occasion. It will be performed by the Royal Air Force Trumpeters and is called "Valiant and Brave," the motto of Prince William's RAF squadron. Thirty seconds of ear-blasting trumpets that could well wake some of the 300 dead and buried in the Abbey.
5. Placing the bouquet: After 11:45 a.m. in London (6:45 a.m. ET) It is fully expected that Catherine will follow royal tradition and lay her wedding bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey's nave. This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1923 and has been followed by all royal brides at the Abbey ever since. It will be a poignant moment.
6. The Carriages: 12:15 p.m. in London (7:15 a.m. ET) Which coach will take the happy couple back to Buckingham Palace? If it is dry then they will use the 1902 State Landau BUT if it is "severely wet weather" then they will use the 1881 Glass Coach. Since rain showers are forecast, we won't know until the morning just how much rain has to fall to be "severely wet" and force a carriage challenge.
7. THE kiss: 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET) Even if you have slept through the ceremony and missed the procession, you still have time to catch THE moment. Catherine and William and their families will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET). A kiss is expected -- in fact it will be demanded by the million or so people expected on the streets outside.Charles and Diana started the tradition. Sarah and Andrew followed it. Now it's William and Catherine's turn. Will it be a peck on the cheek or a smackeroo on the lips? Miss this and you have missed the lot.Royal Weddings like this come around every, oh, three decades. Don't miss out!
1. The Dress: 11 a.m. in London (6 a.m. ET) We will see the dress through the windows of the Rolls Royce as Kate is driven to the church. But our first PROPER look at the dress will be at 11 a.m. London (6 a.m. Eastern) when she gets out of the car at the Abbey. This is the time to ooh and ahh on the design. Whether it is akin to the puffed up style of Diana's or, as some suggest, sleek and satiny like Princess Margaret's, this is THE moment. Don't miss it!!!2. The Vows: 11:15 in London (6:15 a.m. ET) It may be cruel, but many will be watching to see if there are any mistakes! Diana got Charles's name wrong (and seemed to marry his father instead). Charles for his part forgot to endow Diana with his worldly goods. Never mind. She got a lot of them anyway in the divorce! Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson repeated Prince Andrew's middle name twice.Will tradition strike again or can William and Kate get each other's name right?Don't be feeding the cat at that moment.
3. The FIRST kiss: Any time after 11:15 a.m. in London (6:15 a.m. onwards ET) It should be after the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces them man and wife. But Charles forgot to kiss Diana -- we had to wait until the balcony for that moment. Let's see if William and Kate remember.
4. The Fanfare: About 11:30 a.m. in London (6:30 a.m. ET) Keep an ear out after the register is signed for a trumpet fanfare composed especially for this occasion. It will be performed by the Royal Air Force Trumpeters and is called "Valiant and Brave," the motto of Prince William's RAF squadron. Thirty seconds of ear-blasting trumpets that could well wake some of the 300 dead and buried in the Abbey.
5. Placing the bouquet: After 11:45 a.m. in London (6:45 a.m. ET) It is fully expected that Catherine will follow royal tradition and lay her wedding bouquet on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey's nave. This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1923 and has been followed by all royal brides at the Abbey ever since. It will be a poignant moment.
6. The Carriages: 12:15 p.m. in London (7:15 a.m. ET) Which coach will take the happy couple back to Buckingham Palace? If it is dry then they will use the 1902 State Landau BUT if it is "severely wet weather" then they will use the 1881 Glass Coach. Since rain showers are forecast, we won't know until the morning just how much rain has to fall to be "severely wet" and force a carriage challenge.
7. THE kiss: 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET) Even if you have slept through the ceremony and missed the procession, you still have time to catch THE moment. Catherine and William and their families will be on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at 1:25 p.m. in London (8:25 a.m. ET). A kiss is expected -- in fact it will be demanded by the million or so people expected on the streets outside.Charles and Diana started the tradition. Sarah and Andrew followed it. Now it's William and Catherine's turn. Will it be a peck on the cheek or a smackeroo on the lips? Miss this and you have missed the lot.Royal Weddings like this come around every, oh, three decades. Don't miss out!
Kate and William's challenge? To make their special day personal
As Kate Middleton steps out of her royal Rolls Royce on her wedding day and walks up Westminster Abbey's long and imposing aisle, she'll spend the last moments of her single life in public view, watched by a billion people around the world.
With her father by her side, she'll pass by the lines of the great and the good, turned out in their finery to see her marry her university sweetheart. The pressure of the global interest in the occasion could cause even her calm head to spin.
So what can the decade's most famous bride do to make sure she is not overwhelmed on the day?The most public part of the forthcoming Royal Wedding celebration is the marriage ceremony. We'll be able to see all of it from multiple cameras and hear every word from dozens of microphones. A challenge for those officiating the ceremony and the couple themselves, is how to make this very public occasion one that is meaningful and personal to the bride and groom.
When a couple exchange their wedding vows I believe they should be present in the moment. It is a huge and solemn undertaking: a wedding celebration is a joyous occasion, but this is the crucial bit.At the moment you make that commitment you need to mean it and with every fiber of your being. But as you exchange your vows, you are also relating to one another very publicly in a way you generally do only in private. It can be emotional and nerve-wracking for any couple.And most especially if a billion-plus people are watching and listening live on television and radio. Prince William's mother was so nervous at her wedding, she could not even repeat the names of the Prince of Wales in the right order. It did not look very meaningful: It looked like she just wanted to get through it.
The atmosphere at any wedding ceremony is likely to be charged and full of expectation: there's been the big build up, everyone is there -- family, close friends and people you didn't realize until today were this important to you. There's been music and readings, you were up early and here you are all scrubbed up.Then, for the first time that day, silence falls. All eyes are upon you. It's time to declare your love and commitment to one another for life, out loud. For some it's just too much: the lump rises in the throat, the words won't come out and tears well in the eyes. Panic ensues (especially in grooms).We rehearse and give a pep talk to our clients so it does not come as a surprise when they feel a tad emotional. Those who listen, therefore, expect something of the above -- which in itself is helpful and sometimes all that's needed to avoid it. They know (1) it does not matter and (2) how to move through it.
We're unlikely to see tears from William and Kate. The Royals are pretty good at keeping their emotions in check: that British "stiff upper lip" routine is drilled into them from an early age.
So what can the decade's most famous bride do to make sure she is not overwhelmed on the day?The most public part of the forthcoming Royal Wedding celebration is the marriage ceremony. We'll be able to see all of it from multiple cameras and hear every word from dozens of microphones. A challenge for those officiating the ceremony and the couple themselves, is how to make this very public occasion one that is meaningful and personal to the bride and groom.
When a couple exchange their wedding vows I believe they should be present in the moment. It is a huge and solemn undertaking: a wedding celebration is a joyous occasion, but this is the crucial bit.At the moment you make that commitment you need to mean it and with every fiber of your being. But as you exchange your vows, you are also relating to one another very publicly in a way you generally do only in private. It can be emotional and nerve-wracking for any couple.And most especially if a billion-plus people are watching and listening live on television and radio. Prince William's mother was so nervous at her wedding, she could not even repeat the names of the Prince of Wales in the right order. It did not look very meaningful: It looked like she just wanted to get through it.
The atmosphere at any wedding ceremony is likely to be charged and full of expectation: there's been the big build up, everyone is there -- family, close friends and people you didn't realize until today were this important to you. There's been music and readings, you were up early and here you are all scrubbed up.Then, for the first time that day, silence falls. All eyes are upon you. It's time to declare your love and commitment to one another for life, out loud. For some it's just too much: the lump rises in the throat, the words won't come out and tears well in the eyes. Panic ensues (especially in grooms).We rehearse and give a pep talk to our clients so it does not come as a surprise when they feel a tad emotional. Those who listen, therefore, expect something of the above -- which in itself is helpful and sometimes all that's needed to avoid it. They know (1) it does not matter and (2) how to move through it.
We're unlikely to see tears from William and Kate. The Royals are pretty good at keeping their emotions in check: that British "stiff upper lip" routine is drilled into them from an early age. But William and Kate's is a genuine love match, not a marriage of convenience or an attempt to produce "an heir and a spare." They're the nearest we've seen to a "normal" couple in the entire history of the British monarchy
Somehow, despite the pomp and the pageantry, the Abbey filled with 2,000 people, the trumpets and a TV congregation of over a billion, this service needs to be personalized. It must be an occasion full of joy and meaning for the couple and their families.Although vast, the area within the Abbey where the ceremony will take place (the quire) does afford a degree of intimacy. If William and Kate properly rehearse together at home they will be able to remember what it is they've to say, why they are saying it and what it means. It's unlikely this couple will be able to shut the world out of their minds when their moment arrives, but it is worth a try.
So whether you are marrying a prince or a pauper anytime soon, here are my top tips to get the most out of what should be the most meaningful part of your wedding day:
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