In about seven hours the nuptials of the latest "wedding of the century" between Kate Middleton and Prince William (who may or may not have a last name) is about to start. This line is always used to describe the union of a rich and famous couple, and being the next in line to the British throne, this ceremony certainly merits the usage of the clichéd phrase.
Wedding photos and videos to be taken by veteran fashion photographers, cakes with too many layers and realistic looking sugar flowers, wedding rings made of welsh gold = all luscious and expensive, but nothing that can guaranty the longevity of this marriage. For all its ceremonial hype, it doesn’t stand for anything more than a momentary lapse of realty, of a commoner being married to a prince, for a period of a day before all this excitement leads to fatigue and is buried under the next breaking news of tomorrow, only to be revisited once news of a disintegrating marriage has come afloat like what happened with Diana and Charles.
I have no bone to pick with the royal couple. I am not bitter because she got the crown prince, after all there is still Harry and who would want all THAT attention anyway? A CNN correspondent mentioned that after the nuptials, Kate would be then attending 400+ other events for the rest of the year, which is actually more than the days in a year. Good luck to that.
The thing I am directly opposed to is all the waste and unmerited hype. We are celebrating a marriage ceremony not a fashion gala; after being forced to listen to the television for a few hours now since the locals in my area have started this wedding vigil, there has been no mention of the preparations for the solemn Christian rights to be performed. It’s all speculation about what the dress would look like, her hair, make-up and wedding coordination. All these preparations for a single event that will not change the world – So what if they get married, London now has its parliament. The budget for the expensive caviar could have funded the UN food aid program for a few more days.
What this wedding stands for is the disillusionment of needing a fairytale romance, and a perfect wedding ceremony to be happy. No wonder we have bridezillas at this day and age. It imposes the want, disguised as need, to find the perfect groom, the imperative to hold a million money’s worth to orchestrate the perfect day, and fuelling the dissatisfaction and depression when these ridiculous notions are not met. Some do not even get to marry because they keep on chasing after the ideal man.
What does this wedding do for the common man? More than ever, it emphasizes the harsh reality that not all men are born equal. While some children are born on the hills of Payatas, while people are living in communes and starving in North Korea, there are those who have born with a silver spoon on their mouths and are Navy Admirals before they reach even reach 30.
Weddings may be happy affairs, but they should also have been private affairs. I see no reason why there should be such a production of it.
While I do agree that it is a bit overhyped and all, I think the preparations are just fitting for a royal wedding.
ReplyDeleteEven though it's a bit over hyped, I still can't resist to follow up with the wedding! :D
ReplyDeleteryc: Thanks for entering! Good luck :)