Petit Fours, The Moon and The Royal Wedding | Maris Ehlers Photography

Ok, fine.  


Call me a sap, a hopeless romantic, call me whatever you want.  Yes, I did get up at 4:00 a.m. with my 6 year old daughter to watch the royal wedding, but honestly... we enjoyed EVERY moment of it.


I remember watching the wedding of Charles and Diana at the age of 11 and being completely enthralled with it all, and I wanted to experience history again (because like it or not, it is history in the making) but this time through the eyes of my daughter.  

Bride Kate Middleton- via @cnn.com

At this point, it should be noted that my daughter is NOT into princesses, and if you want to bring out her temper, just call her one.  Not even her daddy can get away with that.  But even she couldn't resist the idea of seeing a real prince marry his princess (title or no).  We did however, have a brief tutorial before bedtime last night in which I introduced all of the royal players to her via youtube.  I also explained that Diana was no longer living, and therefore would miss her son's wedding day.  


While I was definitely looking forward to seeing the bride soaking in the details, I think I was more excited about an opportunity to create a special memory for both my daughter and myself.  One of getting up in the middle of the night to share an experience and a special treat.  Together.  


My husband typically gets up around 5:00 a.m. to go to work, and he was completely befuddled that we got up in the middle of the night to watch a wedding.  He peeked at the TV for a moment, grunted, packed his lunch and kissed us goodbye. 


Shortly after the nuptials were completed, the phone rang.  It was my mother-in-law, Grace.  She had gotten up to watch as well. We  recapped it all, from the dress and veil to the similarities and differences between this wedding and that of Charles and Di.  


The best part of the call?  Grace shared that in the summer of 1981 the TV in their house had been banned for the summer at her demand. She even had my father-in-law take the TV down to the basement so it couldn't be watched if the parents weren't home. I've heard the "TV in the Basement" story many times, but apparently the best part had been left out. Until this morning.  


While we were on the phone, Grace admitted that the night before Charles and Di's wedding, after the kids went to bed, she asked Fred to go get the TV from the basement.  He did, and she got up in the middle of the night and watched the royal wedding via contraband TV.  In her own home.  Oh, how I chuckled at that one.  And I thought I was bad!  


For our private wedding festivities this morning I bought some adorable little lady hat petit fours for us to enjoy with tea.  Amelia couldn't believe we could have such cute, delectable sweets before breakfast.

There was a lovely yellow one that looked just like the Queen's hat, but it was the first one eaten.  The light on them is from the rising sun in our dining room.

I hope you reach for the stars and grab the moon. 

As I walked into her dark room a little after 4:00 a.m., I simply put my hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Amelia, do you want to get up to watch the wedding?" 

Silently and quickly, she reached for my outstretched hand and we crept out of her room in the quiet darkness to go downstairs.  She stopped at the window on the stairwell and with her wide-eyed loveliness said "Look at how big the moon is, Mama.  It must be shining for the Princess."  

Yes, my darling.  It sure is.  But I promise not to call you that.  

My own little princess asleep on the couch after the festivities, unaware that the sun also shines for her.