While the forthcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate, er, I'm sorry, Catherine Middleton has been called numerous things – elaborate, extravagant, highly-anticipated – I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Jerry Seinfeld on this one. It is turning out to be more of a circus than a day of holy matrimony. Seeing as how I was not even alive when Prince Charles and Diana Spencer tied the knot, I can't say for sure how much of a spectacle was made of that royal wedding. However, judging by what I've seen so far, I suspect Prince William and Kate's wedding to be even further over the top. For crying out loud, the spectacle has its own website, where a countdown clock is ticking down the hours, minutes and seconds to the start of the ceremony; people are buying up merchandise and souvenirs – including bobble head dolls – branded with the couples' faces, names and date of the big event; and, yes, the royal wedding even has its own iPhone, iPad and Android app.
Canadian stamps are even being released and the London Mint has been minting coins to commemorate the engagement and nuptials. According to the official website of the royal wedding extravaganza, two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams will perform music for the wedding. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, London Chamber Orchestra and Chapel Royal Choir and countless others have been preparing for this event for months. Sir Paul McCartney is even slated to perform at the royal wedding reception. Two wedding carriages – one a glass coach in case of adverse weather conditions – have been selected for the bride and groom to ride in following the wedding at Westminster Abbey. And two cakes will be awaiting the couple at the reception.
Truly a wedding fit for a (future) king and queen, I have to say that the one redeeming factor behind the pomp and circumstance of this entire event has got to be the generosity of the bride and groom. Turns out, in lieu of gifts, the couple is asking well-wishers to send money to several of their favorite charities. Seeing as how the royal family essentially has all the money in the world, it seems only right that the couple decline gifts. While I'm not one to get too worked up about these types of events, even on a non-celebrity scale, this particular wedding seems to be a bit much. Add to that the fact that it's been talked about on news stations to the point of overkill, I'm pretty much over it already.
I mean, the cover of every magazine lately seems to touch on some aspect of the royal wedding – Kate's dress, the flower selection, the cake, the guest list, the luxurious jewelry the bride will wear on her big day; you name it, the press has covered it … and then some. What I don't think I will ever be able to understand is why so many people, especially Englanders, get so wrapped up in an event like this. Last week, a man discovered a mango-flavored jelly bean with Kate's likeness on it. Not one to let an opportunity get away from him, the man has put the bean up for sale on eBay for a small fortune of 500 pounds (that's about $815, folks). Clearly, this wedding has reached the level of hysteria. With the nuptials being televised over TV and Internet, it is expected to be watched by about 2 billion people worldwide; I am more than happy to admit that I will not be one of them.
Jennie Oemig
Staff Writer
Trempealeau County Times
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