A young woman is getting married to the man she loves tomorrow. She adores this man, so deeply, that spending the rest of her life without him is out of the question. She’s trying to catch the butterflies in her stomach as she thinks about the big day – her big day – their big day. Tomorrow. Time rewinds to their first date. The beginning of a brand new relationship. The start of a new chapter. Freshly cut grass. Optimism bursting at the seams. A smile as their first conversation flows, with the occasional hiccup – interruption. Two different sentences start at the same time. “No, you go first…” said at the same time. A pause. Laughter. Hours that feel like minutes. The eye contact that shifts with a blink. The smile that spreads after realizing he was looking too. The first time her hand held his. The warm confidence that enveloped her mind and heart. The first phone call. The first time he asked to see her again. The first time she said yes.
I will not be peeling my face from my pillow at 4 a.m. tomorrow morning to watch an event. I am waking up to watch love. I have always been a hopeless romantic but have never been into extreme weddings. If I had it my way William and Kate would be hopping on a plane and eloping. Or inviting just their closest friends and family to a back yard BBQ with white Christmas lights and plastic red cups. Drunken speeches, laughter through tears. Minute long hugs with family members, words of wisdom whispered into ears. Polaroid pictures, wedding cake playfully shoved into faces. A first dance in the middle of the backyard which turns into a swaying embrace. Then sing-a-longs to Neil Diamond and The Supremes. The stars shining in the sky as the bride makes her first wish.
I will be watching the Royal Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton tomorrow morning. I’ll be watching for when William sees his bride walking down the aisle, wearing his late mother’s Sapphire ring. Watching the dress that makes Kate feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
The butterflies that couldn’t be caught.
