The Royal Wedding centered around prayer and dedication to God. The personal prayer written by William and Kate thanked God for their families and for the love and joy they shared. They asked God to help them keep their eyes fixed on what is “real and important” knowing that there would be many days that it would be a difficult task. They asked God to help them be generous with their time, love and energy and to strengthen the union of marriage so that they could serve and comfort those who suffer.
This is truly one a beautiful prayer. It is a servant's prayer. It is not about what they can get from others, but what they can do for others. The ceremony focused on the prayer and presence of God and their dedication to serving others instead of themselves. In my thinking, that is what every Christian marriage should focus on as we are all called to serve others and to comfort those who suffer. We all need to keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important. Nothing is more beautiful than when two people form a bond and use that strength to help others.
The floral designs supported their beliefs in an elegantly understated way. There was a lot of greenery symbolizing life with a few green and white flowers symbolizing purity. There were enough centerpieces to bring warmth and life into the large setting without distracting from the ceremony.
Kate’s bouquet was a modern design. A small, easy to handle arrangement of lily-of-the-valley which symbolizes happiness. Sweet William flowers meaning gallantry and bears the name of the groom, hyacinth for consistency of love, ivy for fidelity, marriage, and affection, and myrtle which was cut from the myrtle planted by Queen Victoria in 1845 – an emblem of marriage and love.
I have often used a sprig of ivalace ivy in bridal bouquets because of the symbolism of love and marriage and because it is one of the most beautiful varieties of ivy. The petite, deep green leaves are reminiscent of lace and the stem from the bouquet can be rooted, grown, and passed on to the next generation.
I also appreciated knowing the Royal bridal bouquet would be laid on the grave of a fallen soldier – another act of serving and another opportunity to honor others.
The six English Field Maple trees placed in the church made a stunning display and will be planted at the Prince of Wales’s Highgrove estate.” How lovely to celebrate with living plants to begin a new life together.
The Royal Wedding is sure to be a model for many years to come and we certainly have an excellent one to follow. I simply love the ways they incorporated sustainability and hope the ideas will be a new trend.
Even the colors of green and white were elegant and meaningful. A Maid of Honor and a Best Man were quite sufficient and I did not see Kate’s mother wearing a corsage. How simplistically beautiful!
Our weddings today usually have many in the bridal party and at a huge expense. We are living in a time when brides are cutting cost because of the economy and it is usually by not having the flowers or the honeymoon they dream of. William and Kate may change that for the better.
I hope symbolism returns to weddings in a big way. I hope we will use our resources with discretion and have a purpose for everything we use and dispose of. I hope we remember to keep our ceremonies as fresh in our hearts and minds to the end as if they were just spoken.
With our new wedding model in place, William and Kate have so elegantly and simply put it all in perspective for us. It all comes down to”
- Making the ceremony the main attraction
- Simplicity can be very meaningful
- Focusing on the spiritual aspects
- Incorporating sustainability rather than waste
- Realizing that the union of two people gives strength so that we can help comfort others
- We must keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important
- Our families are gifts from God and are there to support us
- We need to be generous with our time, love, and energy
- It’s not just about us, it’s about what we can do for others
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