I loved this article so much that I am going to
blog post it today.
It is so cute and really down to earth as far as the
Prince Charming and Pretty Princess
theme goes.
I know you will love it too. :)
Today I want to talk about fairy tales, romance, princesses and princes, weddings, modesty, and to see just how many references I can make to cartoon movies.
First, let's talk about the Catherine's, Duchess of Cambridge (better known as Princess Kate's) wedding dress. I, along with many other women worldwide sacrificed a few hours of sleep on Friday morning, just to see a commoner marry a prince. Now, before you mock me, or laugh, let me remind you of a few things. This wasn't just about watching the wedding of two people in the tabloids. This was about much, much more to every little girl who ever dreamed of growing up to marry her own handsome prince.
When I was a little girl I watched Cinderella, the story of an unloved, barely noticed commoner who catches the eye of a handsome prince. And they lived happily ever after, and wore awesome shoes. I watched Beauty and the Beast, where a smart girl sees the good in an ugly beast of a man, and is rewarded by finding out he's a handsome prince. And then there was theLittle Mermaid again, a young girl, who albeit was a “princesse de poissons,” who didn't follow tradition, but she still grew up, and married a handsome prince.
And then there is the best movie of all time- the Princess Bride. She wasn't a princess, and didn't grow up to marry a prince, but she did have a really great wedding dress. But it was the Princess Bride almost wedding that made me secretly hope that the archbishop of whatever they are called in Westminster Abbey would say, “Mawwaige! Mawwaige is what brings us togethuh today!” (Alas, he did not.) But it was the story of a woman who fell in love with the most unlikely of farm boys, and yet still earned the title of Princess Bride.
Are you sensing a theme here??
After a lifetime of stories about girls with strong personalities who manage to do their own thing, strike out on their own, and marry a handsome prince, yes, I wanted to see the real thing happen. It gave hope to every girl and woman out there that “someday her prince will come” (Snow White- who I actually think was a princess, or at least in the upper echelon of society before being sent to live with height deficient coal miners in the woods.).
We grew up in a world where commoner girls only marry a handsome prince in cartoons and fiction. But this time it really happened in real life. And the commoner girl got the fancy carriage ride, the pretty dress, and she wore a real tiara. Oh, and she got a handsome prince.
Now, before you criticize me too much, let's get serious here. There's something to learn from a few fairy tale love stories!
But first! The wedding dress! (I'm sorry to all the men who actually made it this far and just said, “NO!!!” and clicked away from this page. I can't help myself.) The newly named Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wore a beautiful and modest wedding dress. Her maid of honor wore a beautiful and mostly modest dress. Do you know why? Because tradition and expectations there dictate that the dress worn in the Abbey must be modest to reflect the solemnity of the occasion!
Hallelujah for modesty!!
Oh, that every church expected their brides to wear modest wedding dresses to reflect the solemnity of the occasion. And so, whether or not you care at all about the Royal Wedding, be glad for this one thing. Princess Kate's wedding dress will impact fashion for years to come. (After all Lady Diana's dress with its' ginormous sleeves were reflected in fashion for the next decade!) Modest wedding dresses are about to become very fashionable!
Now, let's talk about love, fairy tales, and growing up to marry a handsome prince.
And forgive me, I'm going to keep using the Royals as my examples.
Do you really think that little Kate Middleton ever wrote in her journal that she hoped she would have to wait till she was 29 to marry a balding man, give up her career, and have to wait 8 years for her boyfriend to propose? And that she hoped he would have a really intimidating family? And that over 2 billion people would have an opinion about her wedding day choices?
And how many of us really do get exactly what we dreamed of? How many of us will actually live out a fairy tale because, even though we are beautiful and talented, we paid attention to the “farm boy?” (Keep up with me, I'm switching fairy tales on you!) Or what if Belle had never seen the good in Beast? Or Prince Darling fell in love with a sleeping beauty? Or if Prince Charming had listened to other people's opinion of a young Cinderella?
Something to note, the great romance stories, and fairy tales, are never about the beautiful woman who believed she was better than every man she ever met, and eventually she was right. They are always about giving someone (even a mute mermaid) a second chance, and discovering someone worth knowing. The great love stories aren't about superficial beauty. They are all about what is on the inside!
I hope there are more and more fairy tales every day. I hope for more stories where a girl looks past a balding spot, an overbearing family with bad teeth, and finds a handsome prince. I hope for more men who see not the unwelcome step-daughter, but a diamond in the rough. I hope for more second chances, second looks, and patience with others. I hope we all see a little of ourselves in the Beauty and the Beast story, both from the perspective of Belle and Beast.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I hope we all find fairy tale love, where it wasn't what was on the outside that mattered, but what was on the inside. I hope we all get over ourselves and discover that Prince Humperdinck isn't worth any amount of money and jewels, but the hard-working and patient farm boy is worth true love. And I hope no one has to resort to using iocane powder to get to their beloved.
Also, never get involved in a land war in Asia.
Also, never get involved in a land war in Asia.
Bring on the hard-working farm boys who make me feel like a princess any day. I'll over look his bald spot, and he can learn to work with my demanding ways. Because that, my friends, is true love (which is almost as good as an MLT: a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. I love that.).
And if you couldn't follow any of my crazy Disney, Princess Bride, or fairy tale references, I'm sorry. And if you could follow along - thanks for letting me take a few liberties.
Thank you so much Erin Ann McBride for a very thoughtful article on a very important subject,
(to most of us girls that is.)
PS: Prince William wants his new bride to be called Princess Cathrine. (How special is that?) And he loved her so much because she is soft spoken, (and so very beautiful.)
And the prince said that the princess will now be a housewife
and I'll bet my pretty Native American Earrings
that she gets to have a baby
as soon as possible.
Love,
Grammy T.
