And They Lived Happily Ever After... Oh I Hope So...

I remember when Diana and Charles married. I was young and I sat enthralled by the romance of the entire ceremony.  Little did I know that Charles secretly loved another or that Diana, the beautiful bride, was so insecure that she would develop an eating disorder. They painted such a beautiful picture...

Marriages end; I know that sad fact first hand.  Not every princess gets her happily ever after, but I hope that Kate does. I think this royal couple is completely different from the one we watched marry in that other royal wedding.  I believe William and Kate truly love each other.

The couple is older.  Both are in their late twenties, and have known each other for years.  They know each other; they have seen each other through the seasons.  They are familiar with each other's moods; these two seem to be friends.  He is royalty so today, they played by the rules for the most part.  He didn't look at her as she walked down the aisle, but his little brother did.  William told her she looked beautiful when she reached him. He beamed when he looked at her, and she looked adoringly at him during the ceremony. He kissed her on the balcony for all to see.  The prince blushed and looked embarrassed to have shared such a private moment with the world.  Then, he kissed her again.  The two are in love - plain and simple... Royalty or not, these two are in love and I hope the entire fairy tale come true for them.

I think one of the most telling signs that Kate does not share the heartbreaking insecurities that plagued William's mother, Diana, is the dress... No.  Not Kate's wedding dress, but the dress her sister wore as she walked behind the radiant bride. The world is watching.  Literally, the world is watching the fairy tale play out, and the sister wears a stunning white  fitted dress that shows her amazing figure.  Kate appears to not be bothered by it at all.  Bridesmaid dresses are notoriously ugly and unflattering.  The bride is after all the center of attention, and some brides go the extra mile to make sure this is the case.  Not Kate.  Pippa was gorgeous. Kate wasn't worried.  She knows that she and she alone holds William's heart.  Let the rest of the world check out her sister.

All good fairy tales end with the phrase "and they lived happily ever after". We who have been married know that the important part begins after the guests leave.  Today was the party.  The true fairy tale begins tomorrow; the true test of love is the marriage, not the wedding.  Will he bring her tea when she is sick?  Will he take turns rocking the royal babies that are sure to come? Will he gaze at her adoringly when she burns the pudding?  Will she continue to look at him with love when his family is on her last nerve, when his duties have limited their private time together yet agin?  Oh, I hope so.  I Hope So..  I Hope So...