...the snark about the royal wedding. I just finished watching the entire ceremony in Westminster Abbey, uninterrupted, no fits and starts, no commentary. It was beautiful. The Anglican liturgy, the music, the sermon, the prayer composed by the royal pair, the Abbey, the deportment of the bride and groom, all of it was too lovely for words.
And, Leonardo, the Queen's dress was, too, mellow yellow in the softer lighting in the Abbey. I first saw the dress in bright sunlight on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in one of my earlier, disjointed viewings of the celebration.
In the scenes showing the trees decorating the Abbey, as the camera zoomed closer to the gorgeous Gothic stained glass window, the setting seemed to be the outdoors. The pans of the architectural elements of the Abbey and the shots from on high were breathtaking.
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
Photo by John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images
Glad I did not read your first comment. Sadly I only saw parts and with a French commentary. CNN has disappeared from the TV in my regular Paris hotel so I was devastated. However there was wall to wall coverage on French TV. Makes me proud of my British heritage and that I live in countries which still have the Queen. I thought she looked lovely. And she just turned 85.
ReplyDeleteMimi, I also watched the whole thing after having seen bits and pieces. It was beautiful, tasteful, elegant, and reverent. Kate's posture while listening to the choir was engaged and respectful. The couple seemed to show that they understood and appreciated that everyone had turned out for them and wished for their happiness. And yet they were so tuned in to each other, too. Also, I loved the Bishop's sermon. It was very good.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the Queen's outfit. She was herself, all the way.
Well, you've almost redeemed yourself.
ReplyDeleteAlmost.
:-)
Oh dear! I don't like to disappoint people, but I gotta be me! And "me" changes within hours. That's the penalty for writing in haste, but, on the positive side, when I miss the mark, the evidence is laid out in the open. I stayed up late to watch the video, and I stayed up later to admit my mistake. I didn't get to sleep until 2:00 AM. I hope I'm forgiven.
ReplyDeleteRmj, I saw what you wrote last night, but I didn't have time to address your remarks. I'm on my way over there to give you a piece of my mind. :-)
I loved the quote from Catherine of Siena.
I read somewhere, maybe NY Times, that the marriage rite was from the "1966 prayer book." Surely they meant 1662, amended here and there (no "obey him") and without the Eucharist that the 1662 rite calls for.
ReplyDeleteOrmonde, I'm sure you're right about the prayer book. It seems to me the better thing that the wedding was not in the context of the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteCatherine of Siena
ReplyDeleteWe agree...it´s about WE and being authentic!
Mimi, 'm not talking about you! But many people think they have to be negative about what the majority likes. Are you old enough to remember when it was thought so sophisticated to say "I don't even OWN a TV?
ReplyDeleteWell the royal wedding was this way. The really "in" thing to say, before the wedding, was "This is so ridiculous. I wouldn't watch it if you paid me."
But the "negatives" got blown away!My favorite was one of your favorite bloggers who started out sneering and got blown away and then decided there might be something good about the whole afair.A real funny change. Mary
Hey my husband just told me I needed to be clearer. The blogger I spoke about was not "blown away" by the wedding but "blown" away by his fans.They (the fans of the blogger)thought the wedding was great.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I sent my husband to mow the yard so he won't "correct" me.BTW, you can tell my age by my still using " P.S." Mary
The service was from the 1928 Prayer Book .
ReplyDeleteLeonardo, call me an authentic chameleon, then. :-)
ReplyDeleteAre you old enough to remember when it was thought so sophisticated to say "I don't even OWN a TV?
Mary, you gave me a good laugh with your question. I was that sophisticated until I was in high school. I am old. My grandparents had a TV when I was in high school. I believe my family bought our first TV when I was in college. When I moved into my own apartment, I did not own a TV, but it was not because I was so cool. I could not afford to buy a set.
Then after Grandpère and I were married, we did not own a TV, because we both worked and did not have time to watch TV. We watched at the laundromat on Friday nights when we went to wash our clothes. Then, after two years, we finally broke down and bought a TV. Now I'm back to watching very little TV.
I don't pay a lot of attention to the British royal family. I think the Queen does her duties with dignity and grace. The two young people, William and Catherine, seem quite nice, but I was not overly interested in seeing the wedding. However, I was charmed by the beauty of the ceremony in the Abbey and the manner in which the two conducted themselves. They seem to be genuinely fond of each other and at ease with one another.
I most certainly did not take the unpopular view on purpose to be sophisticated or different.
Now you have me wondering about the identity of my favorite blogger who was blown away by his/her fans. I did a fairly sharp about face myself.
I didn't mean to write a book to your comment. :-)
Tim, thanks for the information about the prayer book used in the service.
I meant to say, "I didn't mean to write a book in response to your comment."
ReplyDeleteThe setting of Love divine was pretty dreary. But then, it's a pretty dreary hymn. As Fr Christian, blogging live from the Abbey, rightly observed "... and now another old hymn. Surely it's time for bit of balance with 'Shine Jesus, Shine'?"
ReplyDeleteYou and Fr Christian may think Love Divine is dreary, but please! - a different balance. In truth, I like to sing Love Divine.
ReplyDeleteI was flying over the pond during the whole affair but I just played couch potato (good for jet lagged days) and watched at least highlights on the TLC "encore." Well done all around. May they be happy.
ReplyDeleteIt may have been from the 1928 Prayer Book - but there was no, "obey," said from the bride!
ReplyDeleteI loved the wedding and all the beauty but to see them in the Austin and hearing that he was returning to work on Monday and they'd take the honeymoon later (and only a two week one at that!) made it even better.
And how about that little angora number the new princess wore to the evening party? Pure "Glen or Glenda".
ReplyDeleteMay they be happy, indeed, Paul.
ReplyDeleteCiss, there was no "obey". I thought the pair looked really happy in the convertible, pleased that all the pomp and circumstance was over, and that they could get away.
When William met Catherine as she came down the aisle, and they stood together in front of the steps to the sanctuary, I read his lips as he said to her, "You look beautiful." That was a sweet moment.
Lapin, we seem doomed to disagree tonight. I liked the princess' angora sweater, and she did not look like "Glen or Glenda" to me.
Ciss, the 19328 service had no 'obey' in it, so that was hardly news, despite the media making such a fuss. You can find the 1928 service here.
ReplyDeleteA generational thing, I guess, between those who wore angora sweaters in their teens and those, a few years later, who found them old-fashioned.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the sweater you don't like, Lapin is actually called a "shrug." It doesn't come close to covering up the dress and was originally intended just to keep the shoulders and arms covered. And that's what it did for Kate.
ReplyDelete"Love Divine" is one of my favourite hymns and I feel like walking out of any service with "Shine Jesus Shine" It would be incongruous in Westminster Abbey
ReplyDeleteEach to our own :-)
My beloved omitted the 'obey' bit at our nuptials. (Almost 25 years ago). I am delighted to say that this non-promise has been satiafactorily broken repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of 'Love Divine', too, although I do think it's amusing that it's such a popular wedding hymn (presumably because of the references to love). As far as I can make out, Charles Wesley originally wrote it to express his Methodist belief that there is a Second Blessing (after conversion) in which the Holy Spirit fills us, takes away our love of sinning, and makes us perfect in love (hence 'Finish then thy new creation/pure and spotless let us be'). This is even clearer when the original second verse - now usually omitted - is included (see lyrics here.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to Rowan's cope, a quite distinguished clergyman of the C of E has remarked on a second blog to which I posted the Watts & Co link, that "The big red spermatozoon made it particularly suitable for a wedding, I thought".
ReplyDeleteRowan's cope - reminder.
ReplyDeleteIn my teen years angora sweaters were the rage, but I could not afford to buy one. I guess they went out of style, but it appears that they are now back in style.
ReplyDeleteYes, susan, what Kate wears is a shrug. I had a shrug, back in some day, but it was not angora.
Theme, I've met your beloved, and I'm not at all surprised at what you say.
Brian and Tim, I'm pleased to hear support for "Love Divine", which is one of my favorites, too, and which I don't find at all dreary. I'll check your link later, Tim, so I don't lose what I've written here.
Lapin, I'd never have noticed the big red sperm, if you hadn't pointed it out, but now that you have....
Mimi, this is Mary again. You might want to know how neophytes like us found this site. There is a man in our state I think who is a very popular speaker. One newspaper said he was the best speaker in the state. He never takes a fee. Anyway we three ladies were at one of his talks.He made some great points and was very funny. After the speech in the question period someone ask wehat his hobbies were. He said one was putting on the net. I later found out he meant having a place he could express his ideas and anyone could argue. After a coiple of weeks we found his place on the internet computer. He writes some very funny stuff and he had a funny satire about a woman colled Mimi. Another couple of weeks and with help we are sure you are the Mimi he was speaking about. A friend who knows the speaker said he said your internet things was one of the best.So here we are. Mary and her friends, my two friends are afraid to give their names. I guess you think we are the most out of it people you ever met. You can know how bad I am because I signed it above and then rambled on, Mary
ReplyDeleteMary, what state are you from, and what is the name of the man who travels around the state making speeches and writing satires about me? I think I know who you are talking about. I think I may know who you are, too.
ReplyDeleteMimi,my husband told me this morning you had posted on me.I was very disappointed.When I told my two lady friends they got a good laugh. Your walked right into it, they said.I talked to a cousin of the man you want to know about and he laughed also. He told me you were a member of a cult around some British minister that engaged in illegal and highly gross tactics and that each of the members spent a lot of time trying to find personal information about anyone who is critical of the cult master to try to threaten them. That the cult members were required to send regular contribution of money to the cult leader. Finally that the cult substitutes actual Eucharist attendance with internet Eucharists. All this is a bit over our heads. Mary and her lady friends.
ReplyDelete"Mary", the jig is up. I know who you are. Any further comments of yours will be deleted, along with any responses to your comments after this one. If I must, I will turn on comment moderation until you go away and stay away.
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