Okay, so I ate my scones, drank my tea and watched the Royal Wedding, transmitted live on BBC America. So here's my personal instant wedding album, of quick screen grabs of some of my favorite moments...
First off, a nod to the pool cameras set up to capture the event inside Westminster Abbey. We had side views, front views, rear views, overhead views -- all of it tastefully shot and perfectly miked.
And on BBC America, the play-by-play announcers for the royal wedding between Prince William and the now Princess Catherine were blissfully restrained. During the entire one-hour ceremony, except for identifying the various hymns and explaining the various transitions, they were silent. Not just whispering, like golf announcers. They shut up completely, and let the even speak for itself.
Long live the BBC.
Now, for some fast photos and observations:
A favorite early moment. The bride and groom, flanked by her proud dad and his proud brother. An example of how up close and personal the cameras sometimes got.
Early in the ceremony, William and Kate together. Listening intently to the start of the proceedings.
My favorite moment from the entire wedding. As the Bishop of London, from his perch high above the seated couple, is sermonizing about love and marriage and responsibiity, and the serious import of the decision to wed, he tells them, "You have both made your decision today." Kate shoots William a quick glance and a smile, and he smiles back. A lovely private exchange, in the midst of all that overwhelming pomp and circumstance.
The view from the congregation -- another scene-setting angle, as the couple prepares to exchange vows.
The exchange of vows. The camera used for the pool coverage was from an angle that showed him, not her -- but his expression was a very nice one to catch.
The choir boys. They sounded just like they looked: angelic.
Everyone in Westminster Abbey was treated to a rendition of "God Save the Queen" -- but for only one attendee, Queen Elizabeth II, could the song be taken personally.
Some shots were like works of art in and of themselves. This, from the side and beautifully framed, is one. The one at the top of this column, an overhead shot of them exiting the abbey, is another.
And, finally, a nice shot of the moment when Prince William and Princess Catherine exit the abbey and, for the first time, hear the roar of the waiting crowd before climbing into their fairy-tale horse-drawn carriage.
Nice shot. Nice ceremony. Nice moment of television -- watched, around the globe, by an astoundingly large number of people.