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:)
The Radio Times echoes my thoughts:
Bunting is hanging from your bookshelves, you have donned your Union Jack deely boppers, a paper plate of sandwiches is balanced on your knees and a sack of crisps is within reach. You don't have to work because it's a proper holiday and you're all set to do nothing but watch telly for hours and hours. Yes, it's going to be a great, great day. Come on, this is terrific, we're allowed to have fun and nothing but fun all day, it's a requirement, as Prince William marries Catherine Middleton. This is History, this is the greatest television event any of us is likely to see, with an expected global audience of two billion. But William and Kate are ours, and I think it's nice we're sharing them with the world in a spectacle full of colour and happiness. So leave your world-weary cynicism in a cupboard...
(You might be able to resist a fairy tale. I can't. *g*)
ETA: God DAMN we give good pageantry! *flails* (Everything's so gosh darn pretty and William and Catherine are *adorable*. Plus the dress is utterly beautiful. ♥)
ETA2: On a VERY shallow note: The BBC just played a (new?) BBC trailer ('cause they're going to have record viewing figures, so clearly they're doing a bit of self promotion)... It was a VERY lovely trailer ("Bring me sunshine..."), but I flailed impossibly much when they included the Doctor/River kiss! /end shallow fangirl mode
Bunting is hanging from your bookshelves, you have donned your Union Jack deely boppers, a paper plate of sandwiches is balanced on your knees and a sack of crisps is within reach. You don't have to work because it's a proper holiday and you're all set to do nothing but watch telly for hours and hours. Yes, it's going to be a great, great day. Come on, this is terrific, we're allowed to have fun and nothing but fun all day, it's a requirement, as Prince William marries Catherine Middleton. This is History, this is the greatest television event any of us is likely to see, with an expected global audience of two billion. But William and Kate are ours, and I think it's nice we're sharing them with the world in a spectacle full of colour and happiness. So leave your world-weary cynicism in a cupboard...
(You might be able to resist a fairy tale. I can't. *g*)
ETA: God DAMN we give good pageantry! *flails* (Everything's so gosh darn pretty and William and Catherine are *adorable*. Plus the dress is utterly beautiful. ♥)
ETA2: On a VERY shallow note: The BBC just played a (new?) BBC trailer ('cause they're going to have record viewing figures, so clearly they're doing a bit of self promotion)... It was a VERY lovely trailer ("Bring me sunshine..."), but I flailed impossibly much when they included the Doctor/River kiss! /end shallow fangirl mode
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Oh - and can someone pass Harry a comb?
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I'm unsure exactly how to characterize my reactions. I think a whole bunch of my reaction is based in my background. I am an American who is the daughter of a Canadian. I am a young enough adult that I was never old enough to either be alive or aware enough for any of the big weddings before this. But I certainly remember Diana. My specialty is history and political science. I love fairy tales, but I was never particularly taken with the idea of royalty, probably because of my specialty.
So it feels both completely alien and somewhat familiar. It feels both like a new experience for me and a new chapter of a story I was already following. It certainly fascinates me from a history and political science point of view, since it is a convergence of both. And then from a personal perspective of watching this grand royal event, it is both charming (in a fairy tale sort of way) and befuddling (for a variety of reasons).
Amongst all that conflicting perception for me, one thing is certain: you're right, the pageantry certainly was impressive.
However, beyond all that, Prince William and his new wife both looked genuinely in love and happy. In the end, that's what I was most pleased to see. I wish them a long and happy life together.
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You know, this echoes my experience of watching Obama's election pretty precisely. (It's all rather fascinating, isn't it?)
Amongst all that conflicting perception for me, one thing is certain: you're right, the pageantry certainly was impressive.
So, so, so PRETTY! Mmmm, I could watch that kinda thing forever - it might have to do with being Catholic, but I have a deep and abiding love of ritual and symbolism and big ornate traditional ceremonies. :)
However, beyond all that, Prince William and his new wife both looked genuinely in love and happy. In the end, that's what I was most pleased to see. I wish them a long and happy life together.
Same here. And that really was what stood out - the fact that they were clearly in it 'together'. ♥
(Sidebar: How much do I love it that I have countless Happy Wedding icons thanks to Doctor Who? Far too much!)
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Ha! I was going to say that the easiest equivalent for me in my head when I was trying to understand the hype around this was President Obama's inauguration. And you're right, not only is the event itself fascinating, but discussing this with you is rather fascinating also. The similarities, the divergences. That's what I love about life.
"So, so, so PRETTY! Mmmm, I could watch that kinda thing forever - it might have to do with being Catholic, but I have a deep and abiding love of ritual and symbolism and big ornate traditional ceremonies. :)"
I was also really tempted to use the word, 'pretty,' but I didn't want to sound dismissive. But from a purely visual way, it was really pretty and I had a hard time looking away at the height of it. And I was *supposed* to be making flash cards for my exam. Instead, I took an hour off just to watch. That surprised me. Considering I was a Catholic for a large portion of my life, what you said about the appeal of ritual/symbolism/tradition in ceremonies makes a lot of sense to me.
'How much do I love it that I have countless Happy Wedding icons thanks to Doctor Who? Far too much!' It's definitely something about Doctor Who that I love. How positively marriage has been portrayed recently. Both with Amy/Rory and River/Doctor.
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Oh yes. And I followed Obama like he was a fandom - it was brilliant. :)
I was also really tempted to use the word, 'pretty,' but I didn't want to sound dismissive. But from a purely visual way, it was really pretty and I had a hard time looking away at the height of it.
It was the moment when the bride entered the Abbey, and everything was just so stunning and the music was swelling and... *flail*
And I was *supposed* to be making flash cards for my exam. Instead, I took an hour off just to watch. That surprised me.
Heh. I am far too aware of my own foibles to pretend that I wouldn't be glued to the TV. ;)
Considering I was a Catholic for a large portion of my life, what you said about the appeal of ritual/symbolism/tradition in ceremonies makes a lot of sense to me.
Plus, all the history, the fact that it's happened before and will happen again, and it's all tied together with all this extravagance... (It's the RL version of Moffat, see?)
It's definitely something about Doctor Who that I love. How positively marriage has been portrayed recently. Both with Amy/Rory and River/Doctor.
We didn't have that during the RTD era, not in the same way. Weddings were never the *point* then, only the springboard for a story. (Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but I like what Moffat's done.)
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(Fairy tales are hard to resist...)
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I got up at 5:30 to watch the Royals arrive at the church, to watch the ceremony, and the carriage ride back to the palace. Then I quickly drove to work and arrived just before they opened the balcony doors. Thank god for streaming video on the Internets.
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Welcome, welcome! All fairy tales encouraged here. ;)
You do give good pagentry. We love it here on the fringes of the Commonwealth (Oh Canada!)
\o/
I got up at 5:30 to watch the Royals arrive at the church, to watch the ceremony, and the carriage ride back to the palace. Then I quickly drove to work and arrived just before they opened the balcony doors.
Now that's good planning! :)
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The BBCA was running a replay by the time I woke for breakfast, and I had a damn good cry with my coffee and donut. And!! And!!! I was the only person at my cousin's wedding last May to wear a hat. I stuck out like a gigantic gay sore thumb. I see today as a huge millinery victory.
But oh...my heart, my heart...I love my grandfather's country so much it hurts.
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♥
'Twas just lovely through and through, wasn't it? And oh, hats are a MUST! (Although some were less... brilliant than others. *g*)
The USSR theme? How odd. But kinda cool. :)