Monday, May 2, 2011

My celebration of the Wedding of the Year

Some Irish people tried to claim that the British Royal Wedding in the last week meant nothing to them. That a wedding like that was none of the business of the average Irish person. Some people felt that they should go out of their way to air their anger at such an ostentacious show of pagentry and even gaudiness. In fact some spoke in the foulest terms about this ceremony that our supposed aged old enemies were holding.

Ha!!!!!!!

I guarantee that at least 1 person in every Irish household was sitting, awestruck and gripped by the spectacle that was the wedding of Kate and William on Friday morning.

And to be fair it is very few women that can resist a true romantic fairytale.



Right after the wedding ceremony and before they arrived back at Buckingham Palace I dashed out to a physio appointment. The physiotherapist who had been at work since 7.00 that morning, could tell ME every detail of the ceremony and the events leading up to it, down to the comment that Harry whispered to William as Kate arrived at the bottom of the aisle. All this despite not being next nor near a tv or radio all morning. Every person who had attended her clinic that morning, males included, had brought some nugget of information with them. This alone demonstrated to me that Irish people were no less interested than people of other nations in this wedding of the century so far.

I have absolute no qualms in saying that I had been awaiting eagerly this day since the engagement was announced!!!!! I was brought up in a house where the 'Hello' magazine (for those of you who don't know they take great pride in their documenting of royal affairs) was a weekly purchase. My Granny, who spent a few years in England as a nurse during World War II, appears to almost consider herself a subject of the royal establishment and has been known to sing God Save the Queen at the top of her voice with the windows open!!!!! I can't say that I would go that far however nonetheless, I would say I was suitably well armed with facts and figures about the upcoming nuptials by the time Friday morning came. My Mom shares this royal interest and so we planned a morning in front of the tv.

My preparations began on Thursday. On a shopping trip I came across this cake stand that reminded of the regal nature of a royal wedding and had to buy it!!!!!


And I had to get these cute little napkins...which aren't so regal but still sweet (pardon the pun).



Now all I was short of was the sweet treats that Mom and myself could enjoy while we 'attended' wedding.

So I cooked up these beauties - Queen cakes with Royal Icing and Raspberry Scones (not sure of the Royal link with the scones!!!!).




In homage to wedding, I conjured up my own nail art interpretation and let me add, pretty messy, to don on the day.

I chose purple, a colour associated with royalty and my own version of the royal engagement ring on my ring finger. I was minus the necessary sapphire stone or any blue equivalent. I had to make do with a purple stone.....Well I did say it was an interpretation....


The Real Thing





We thoroughly enjoyed our morning as guests of the biggest wedding of the year.

And no matter what your opinion is on the concept of the monarchy or the role of royalty in our modern society, how can one not hope the best for any new couple embarking of the major challenge that is any marriage. I, for one, hope that this fairytale really does have its happy ending.