I Noticed the Pomp

Yes.

I watched the Royal Wedding.

Live.

Around 4:00 this morning, I texted the following to my mother:  "The guests are arriving!"

Mom and I had made plans to get up early and watch together.  But I admit that I was surprised when -- shortly after my text -- Mom did make her way over to my side of the house.

Her first words to me were, "Whose idea was this?"

But soon we were busy watching all of the people on TV.  The crowds lining the streets were quite impressive.  Suzy wrote on Facebook that she was "sitting between Big Ben and Westminster Abbey waiting for the William and Kate!"  I didn't expect to see Suzy on TV, but I looked for her anyway.

Mom and I got more than just a few chuckles over the hats.  Many of the hats seemed to defy gravity.  The most intriguing was that worn by Princess Beatrice.  (I just now read that her hat is being "mocked endlessly" online.)  I am not a fashion expert, but I understand her hat was one of 36 designed for the Royal Wedding by Philip Treacy.  It consisted of a vertical bow, "knotted" at the top of a vertical hollow oval, connected to a solid oval, which was attached to her head.  There were even curlicues coming down on the sides of the vertical oval.  I would post a picture of her taupe hat on my blog, but I don't wish to violate any Royal Wedding etiquette.

I've been trying to come up with something profound to say about the wedding itself.  I'm not having any luck, and what can I really say anyway?  The ceremony was simple and elegant.  The bride was stunning.  I watched right up to the balcony kiss (two kisses!) and the fly-overs.

Am I glad that I got up at 4:00 (yawn) a.m.?

You betcha!