I've been to a lot of weddings in my life. Growing up, we lived next door to a very large family and I was the go-to choice of flower girl in several Sarnecky weddings. I've been a bridesmaid for high school and college friends. In 2005 alone, I attended three weddings in the space of 4 months! From the largest to the most intimate, each event has been different in it's own way, but they also all have one thing in common.
I've cried at every one. (OK, maybe not the early flower girl appearances, but at all the others)
Weddings are emotional for me because you're celebrating someone you care about finding LOVE. We all want to find that happiness in life, and when you witness it happening, it's like magic. That magic is what makes the occasion special, whether it's celebrated standing barefoot on a beach with only a handful people in attendance or in a grand ballroom with dinner for served to hundreds.
I don't know Prince William or Catherine Middleton, so while I could appreciate the beauty of their day on one level, for me it's little more than an elaborately staged piece of theatre. Many of the details have been released in advance, which while understandable giving their standing as public figures also takes away from the spontaneity of the event. When Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married on my birthday in 1981 I watched on TV, and it seemed like something out of a movie, not a real wedding.
Real weddings have perfect unplanned moments like a bride snagging her veil walking down a wooden staircase and gracefully lifting her arm to free it as I caught a photo of the wide, beautiful smile on her face. Or a groom getting choked up reading the vows he wrote especially for the woman who is still the love of his life.
You don't need to be royalty to be Princes and Princesses of your own love story. Just enjoy your fairy tale on your own terms.
