Millions Watch Royal Wedding

In the weeks leading up to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, some newspaper columnists suggested that the wedding wasn't quite newsworthy. They claimed, since the couple had been dating for over 8 years, that the wedding was a foregone conclusion and that the ceremony would hold no surprises. Further, some suggested that people had tired of the royal family and royal weddings and simply wouldn't be interested in watching the wedding.

As it turns out, the opposite was true. An estimated 27 million people watched the event on television in England. Over 53 million watched on television in the United States, in the very early morning hours. People all around the globe streamed the event on You Tube and other online channels, making this the most watched event to ever take place online.

The takeaway message, it seems, is that people simply love to watch weddings. Crowds seemed to feed off of the affectio
William and Kate have for one another, and the most prized wedding photographs show the couple stealing secret glances at one another. An expression of love and tende
ess like this, captured on film, is a welcome respite from other images that often circulate on the Web and news programs.

Also, weddings allow people to express their creativity through fashion. Kate Middleton's wedding dress, in particular, was widely commented upon. Her creamy gown with lace sleeves was the wedding's big surprise, as no one quite knew who would design the dress and what the dress would look like on her slender frame. Her guests also had the opportunity to strut their stuff with bold dress colors and stunning hats.

In short, the wedding was an expression of love between two people, that all of us could share and enjoy. It also provided a visual spectacle to delight the eyes. It's quite a gift, and we thank William and Kate for it.