Watching the Royal Wedding Live in an English Pub

Posted on 29. Apr, 2011 by Marie-Eve Vallieres in Europe Travel, United Kingdom

5:15 The lovely Anne picks me up and gets us to where the party was at in Montreal this morning, the Burgundy Lion. I can feel the excitement grow as we get closer to the pub - maybe it’s the festive tiaras we were wearing. Or our bodies reaction to being up so early!

5:25 I enter the pub, totally amazed by the amount of people in there - it was crowded with early birds in all kinds of attire, who all shared the same enthusiasm and smiles. This was off to a really good start! And apparently, our tiaras caught the attention - Anna was interviewed by a few newspaper and news reports. But for the journalists, the event was not so much about the celebration of a wedding rather than a debate over being a royalist or a republican. I thought these questions were rude, out of context and well, boring, to be honest. Can’t people just enjoy the show?

5:30 Right on the clock, here comes the bride! Everyone says yes to the dress as she enters Westminster Abbey. I wonder what effects they used to make the Abbey filled with such light (and trees!). The vows were brief and quite lovely - I loved the smirks and the looks William and Kate exchanged. They seemed to be enjoying this moment for themselves and I felt really happy for them.

7:30 The couple exits the Abbey and journeyed by carriage to Buckingham Palace, where they would be offering the world their first public kiss as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I’m impatiently waiting for this particular moment.

8:15 Still no sign of the future King and Queen. It made me wonder about the little things that I didn’t quite get about the wedding - what on Earth were they doing while we waited for the kiss? Why wasn’t William facing his wife when she walked down the aisle? Why did they say “I Will” instead of “I Do”? Where did they go after exchanging their vows? Who had the lovely idea to pair Prince Harry and little kids in a carriage? Answers welcome!

8:25 There they are, at last! The bride looks radiant, although slightly nervous. But who wouldn’t be, knowing there are over 2 billion people waiting? But of course… it was just perfect. Double perfect!

***

I’m really glad I could witness this moment. It’s not going to change the course of the world, nor will it it make us forget recent tragedies. But sometimes, celebrating love, whether royal or not, is essential in order to keep going.

And that’s what today was about.

So how was the wedding, you ask? It was great. Really, really great.

Highlights: video or photos.

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Tags: activities, london, people, united kingdom