I got married on the Royal Wedding day, too
I loved watching the Royal Wedding this morning, much more than I thought I would. Beyond all of the wonderful pageantry, Prince William and Princess Kate just seem like two young people completely in love. The little asides to one another during the ceremony, Prince William winking at his bride, and Prince Harry's play by play for his brother as the bride was coming down the aisle. It was all just so heart warming.
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And I feel a special kinship with the newlyweds. I got married on this day 16 years ago. Though my wedding was not as tremendous as the one today was, it was everything that I had dreamed of. It was in my hometown, in a beautiful old hotel with an ornate high-ceiling ballroom. We were surrounded by 200 of our family members and friends. I helped design my own dress, picked out my wedding ring, and couldn't wait to go on my European honeymoon.
It didn't last.
Seven years later, I was divorced with two young kids. But I hadn't given up on love and the sacredness of the marital union. And after a few more years, I found it. And now I'm five years into my second marriage with my husband, his daughter and my two kids forming a perfectly imperfect family.
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But still, this day is special for me. A little sad because all of the promise and hope that I felt on this day all those years ago didn't last. But happy that I had that union with my ex-husband because it produced our two kids. I didn't go into my first marriage thinking it was going to fail. I'm the product of a divorced home so I was particularly sensitive to it. But it did fail and both my ex and I moved on, focusing on doing what was best for the kids.
After my divorce, I remained a sappy romantic, crying at other people's weddings and Hallmark Channel movies. Not many things are more beautiful and tear inducing than seeing two people take that leap of faith to honor and cherish each other and embark on the marital journey.
So this morning as I watched the Royal Wedding replay on TV, I teared up a bit. From the sadness of my own past but also from the warm feelings about the marriage I'm in now and for these two kids, Will and Kate, who are starting out on the next step of their lives.
Did the Royal Wedding make you tear up?
Image via markhillary/Flickr
Written by Jennifer Cullen for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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