This is in my dreams only! Sorry if I had you fooled there for a few seconds! As we already know, they’ve stuck with tradition and are having their grand nuptials, full of pomp and circ at the beautiful but very cold Westminster Abbey and to be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. That hasn’t stopped me however, from imaging that they have decided to come to Spain for a blessing and have chosen me to be their Wedding Celebrant. So with this idea in mind, I have put together my fantasy ceremony of how I would marry them, given the chance!
Venue
Although I think there are many amazing wedding venues here on the Costa del Sol; Hacienda San Jose, Los Monteros, The Marbella Club, Finca la Concepcion, just to name a few, I think Villa Padierna in Marbella, would probably be the most fitting for the Royal wedding. It combines luxury and grandeur with a feeling of tranquility and intimacy. Also, in terms of practicalities, the sheer size of it alone, would satisfy the requirements of not only the Royal family but all of the visiting dignitaries, celebrities and other VIPs who would be in town for the wedding.
Pre- Ceremony
I usually arrive an hour before a wedding to make sure everything is in place and to organise myself and the ceremonial area. However, I think on this occasion, I would arrive at Villa Padierna the day before, in order to give Kate and William and their undoubtedly vast area of flowergirls, pageboys, bridesmaids, maid of honour and William’s supporter (when one is royalty, one does not have a best man, one has a supporter!) a good run through of the proceedings. I don’t usually do this, as it isn’t necessary but seeing that the Royal wedding is going to be more of a ‘show’ than an actual ‘wedding ceremony’, it would require lots of planning and run-throughs. I would also have a long chat with Kate’s dad Michael to make sure he is prepared for his ‘giving away’ role. He does come across as a very confident man, but it’s the confident ones that usually crumble!!
Wedding Music
I am sure Kate would like to have some traditional classical processional music, like Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major or Bach’s Air on a G string, which both are beautiful and striking pieces. But why not for the recessional music have something a bit more uplifting? I could definitely see Prince William bopping back up the aisle to Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ or Heavy D and Boyz ‘Now That We’ve Found Love.’ And during the ceremony, wouldn’t it be great to see Beyonce and a gospel choir performing Ave Maria? They could certainly afford to have her.
The Royal Vows
I think it would be nice if Kate and William had two sets of wedding vows. The first would be this question vow;
‘Do you Catherine Elizabeth Middleton now choose Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales to be your husband, to share your life openly with him, to speak truthfully and lovingly to him, to accept him as he is and delight in who he is becoming, to respect his uniqueness, encourage his fulfillment, and compassionately support him through all the changes of your years together?’
And Kate would reply ‘I do.’ (Of course). I would then ask the same to Prince William but interchanging the names (of course).
Then William and Kate would make their own pledges to each other. For me, some of the nicest pledges are ones which are reflective of the couple in question and which add a touch of humour. Vows are of course a serious declaration but this does not mean that they have to be solemn and boring. I would love to hear Kate say,
‘William, on this special day, I pledge to love, honour and respect you, not only because you’ll be the future King of England but because I love you for just being you, the person who I know and love, when all the airs and graces and formalities have been stripped away and it’s just the two of us. And I will continue to love you for the rest of our lives, even though you’re likely to be bald before you turn thirty!’
I would love to hear that vow! And for William to say,
‘Kate, I love you for all that you are, all that you were and all that you will be and cannot wait to see your transformation form commoner to the future Queen. You will bring a new dimension to my life. Our two worlds, although very different, we will take the best of both of them and create a new, stronger, kinder and loving one. Together, we will face the world – the Prince and the Pauper!
Okay, so I am being really silly now but wouldn’t it be so nice for them to say their own vows to each other, instead of the vows that the Archbishop might pen for them? Why would he write the vows at all? He’s not the one pledging them!! I hope they will be given the chance to say the vows that they would like to say and not what he thinks they should say.
Ceremonial rituals
Symbolic rituals like, the sand ceremony, rose ceremony and Arras coin ceremony really add to the significance and personalisation of the ceremony. As both Kate and William have been known to enjoy a glass of vino or two and have been pictured staggering out of nightclubs more than once, I think the wine ceremony may be quite apt for them. If drinking wine (or alcohol in general) is something that the couple enjoy doing then using wine is a beautiful way to celebrate both the bitter and sweet aspects of life, just as there are bitter and sweet properties in wine. Kate and William’s wedding is in danger of being made into a fairytale event by the media and their hours and hours of coverage of it. However, the reality is that their wedding day will be the same as everyone else’s – it is the start of their marriage and a marriage whether it is a Royal one or not, has its ups and downs and its moments of bitterness and sweetness. Therefore, a wine ceremony can be a great way to start your marriage by acknowledging your good and bad qualities and accepting to face any difficulties together.
Oh, I so wish this ceremony was really going to happen!
Good luck to both Kate Middleton and Prince William on April 29th, even if I’m not doing their ceremony!
