Prince William & Kate Middleton Engaged
The trend to re-use vintage engagement rings in weddings continues! The highest profile wedding I’ve seen yet has been announced between Prince William and Kate Middleton today. I am sure that many details about their wedding will honor the tradition of the royal family but the one thing nobody saw coming was that Prince William had his Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring and would use it to propose to Kate Middleton. (and does Prince William have a last name? does anyone in the royal family?)
My vintage ring and my husbands. The rings don't match but our hearts do.
I think some people may wonder about the superstition of using a family ring from someone like this. Does the ring’s dramatic past bring more drama to their lives in the future as well? I have a family ring from my husband’s family, originating four generations ago. I know there has been some drama associated with my ring and I do my best to remember that the situations were the cause of the drama, not the ring. I hope the grandmother and great great grandmother would feel proud to know I am wearing it now. I know my marriage truly depends on me and my husband and what we bring to it.
I do believe that Prince William meant well to include his mother’s ring in the engagement and genuinely wanted to honor her memory and all that she provided for him in life. These moments may be the first time you think of your life repeating the patterns of your parents/grandparents/ancestors and you realize that you do owe them the honor and respect of continuing with traditions that have lived far longer than you have.
In this case I think the sapphire and diamond ring represents the traditions of the past and the hope that Princess Diana had for changing the royal family and creating a new life for her family. Sure, things got off track but I think Prince William wants to continue a more realistic royal life and Kate Middleton does also. This may be the point where they start where Princess Diana left off and see where it goes from a public life perspective.
It isn’t easy being married at first for anyone I hope the pressures of the public life and the media don’t make it harder than they need to nor put so much pressure on them that they end up at odds. Nobody is perfect in a relationship and learning about yourself and your partner to keep it going is a lifelong journey.
My personal suggestions (from an average wedding) to Kate & William for surviving the royal wedding and planning process are:
1. Get a lot of help with the planning. Oversee but delegate a lot.
2. Form some opinions about what you want before everyone bombards you with the endless requirements or endless choices involved with the wedding formalities and details.
3. Plan some time to yourselves while engaged and on the actual wedding day away from everyone to take in the moments between the two of you privately and really experience it to the fullest because the day goes by so fast.
4. Take test pictures beforehand if possible to speed it up on the day of the wedding, standing there for hours while being photographed from all angles/locations to find the best shot is exhausting!
5. Practice being on your feet/walking for about 8 hours so your feet adjust. Mine were in so much pain just because I’m a desk worker and don’t spend much time standing. It wasn’t even the shoes, I took them off and my feet still hurt like crazy just because they were swollen from standing so long.
6. Have the family and events organized by someone other than you so that whatever the schedule, it goes quickly and you don’t have to keep tabs on it. (you probably have this covered already)
7. Honor those that came before you somehow in the ceremony and the day. The continuation of the family through marriage is as much a family tradition as a religious one. We would not be here if it were not for those who came before us and provided a life for us. It is always a challenge to be modern and yet traditional but that is what our generation is all about, mixing it up.
I’m sure everything else will come together wonderfully since you have the best wedding planning resources anyone could ever want and the entire country (and most of the world) behind you wanting things to go well and help in their own little way. I know this is a lot of pressure yet at the same time it is a lot of support. Best of luck to you both!