Two kisses.

There was a wedding today. Did you hear?

Like many of you, I was curious and woke up at 5am this morning to witness history in the making: the Royal Wedding nuptials of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton. I curled up in my jammies on my couch with (what else?) a hot cup of tea to take in the spectacle of it all and watch the events unfold.

As a backstory I should tell you that, unlike the masses, I didn't get caught up in any of the hysteria leading up to this day. I avoided the ridiculous amount of news coverage like the plague. I didn't place any funny wagers on what Kate's dress would look like or which royal gaffes might occur or if one of them would not show up. (Someone actually had a pool going on this). I caught about 20 minutes of the movie about them on Lifetime only because it seemed to air on a neverending loop for weeks. Really, the only involvement I had (if you can even call it that) was plugging my name into the Royal Name Generator for a laugh--I'd be Dame Olivia Tildsley Martelcock of Princetonport, by the way. But then the day arrived. And I just sat in wonder.

It was magical.

Every moment of the procession and ceremony was absolutely dreamy. It possessed an elegance and dignity that was absolutely remarkable. There were so many touching moments to soak in. Will smiling and talking to Kate when she arrived at the altar with her father. When they said their vows to one another. The homily. Kate's sister Pippa holding the hands of the flower girls as she walked into the church. The choir belting out the most beautiful music. When they emerged from the church together for the first time. The carriage drawing them past all of the crowds to Buckingham Palace. And then not one but two kisses! On a balcony! In front of millions! With the sun shining! Could the whole thing have been any more lovely?

Ok, I'm gushing a bit. This is strange. Because other than being named after a princess, that is where the fairy-tale ends with regards to me and a relation to anything royal. Even though they get a lot of perks, I still think it's a tough gig. I always feel sorry when their privacy is invaded. And if I had to live out my life in that public of a forum, I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to handle it that gracefully. I need my space and quiet time. So that typical "some-day-my-prince-will-come", I want to be a royal, too, mindset? I've never really subscribed.

Instead of wishing I was Kate, I identified more with William and Harry. My best moment of the day had nothing to do with the union of these two long-time friends or the fulfillment of the wish of little (and big) girls everywhere to see a royal wedding. It was when William and Harry rode through the streets and then walked into the church together. It was simple. Without incident. And a part of the festivities that ended up carrying a weight for me that I could not have measured beforehand.

Here was proof of the simple joy and happy progress of two brothers who not terribly long ago had experienced the lowest of lows. The sight of these two men being there for one another as both brothers and friends was more moving than I could have predicted. The streets they rode down as they waved and laughed with one another were the very same streets they had once walked down that sad September morning, following their mother's coffin after she had passed away. Who can forget the images of those young boys, once bright and shining, suddenly muted with sadness and shock over the loss of their mother? Anyone who loses a parent at a young age can relate. And in the quiet moments when the world has stopped spinning quite so quickly you may slip into thought and before you can catch yourself you wonder how large events in your own life will play out. A major promotion. Your wedding day. A birth. Will it mean as much without the one who means the most? You wonder if you will make it to your big milestones unscathed. Or if they will be delayed. Whether your reality will at all measure up to the hopes and dreams your missing parent once had for you.

But there was no sadness today. Seeing these men, both content and confident, filled me with hope and reminded me of the universal truth: life goes on. Come death, discouragement or discord, life always goes on. William smiled and laughed with his brother and then married his best friend. A small preview for me of what big moments I have yet to experience in my own life.

Two kisses. Prince William was so happy and excited and in love that he kissed Kate twice. While there will always be someone missing, my only wish is that when my big moments arrive I will be just as happy. That my day will be just as bright.