The Royal Wedding

Photo credit: Kayleigh Moquin

*Article written by another student…

April 29, 2011 was a landmark of a day in London. For me personally, it was two days before I had to leave my new best friends, and all the amazing adventures I had experienced while studying abroad. For the rest of the world, it was the day of the Royal Wedding. Luckily, I was in London on that day, which turned out to be a whole new adventure and one of the most memorable days of my life. After spending five months in London, and traveling all across Europe, I could not believe that my time was almost over. Time really does fly by, and every single study abroad day was full of new experiences.

Part of the excitement of the Royal Wedding was the week leading up to it. If you thought that there was a lot of excitement in America, you would not believe how it was in London. The Union Jack flags were put up all over Picadilly Circus, and every gift shop had new collector’s mugs, plates, even tea bags in honor of Will and Kate. My friends and I would walk around, taking in the news crews and regalia of it all.

Finally, Friday came.

We woke up at 6 AM and put on our best dresses for the wedding. Although we did not have giant hats and fascinators like many actual Royal Wedding guests, we bought headbands with crazy adornments and wore them proudly. We walked through Regent’s Park, located right next to campus and our residence hall, feeling so lucky that we got to live in such a gorgeous part of London. We hopped on the tube at Baker Street to Hyde Park. When we got to Hyde Park, we spread out our blanket and waited for the wedding to start. The viewing screens were ready, and we waited. As guests began to arrive, all of the people surrounding us cheered and the excitement grew. When the Queen got into her car, it amazed me how ecstatic the people were. They truly love their Queen and all that she symbolizes. When Kate Middleton stepped out of her car at Westminster Abbey, the excitement peaked and it felt magical.

We couldn’t believe this was happening so close to us! The whole wedding ceremony was an amazing blur. We watched with thousands of other people, and that made it all the more special. When the ceremony ended, and we could hear the bells ringing from Westminster all the way in Hyde Park, we knew we had to see a bit of the wedding in person. We ran from the Park towards Buckingham Palace, where we nudged ourselves in to see Will and Kate kiss on the balcony. That was one of the most memorable moments of my life. How many people can have an amazing five months, of studying abroad, then cap it off by being at a historical event!?

After the wedding, it was a bit sad. The wedding was over, and that meant that my time in London was almost over as well.  My friends and I wandered over near the Thames, and went to a pub for some pints, capping off a great day that I will never forget! This was definitely a unique experience that made me realize how glad I was that I picked London as a place to study abroad.