Lifestyle - Redefining the Royal Wedding (P.1)
Originally published here for ServeGlad.com
I consider myself an old soul. If you asked me which designer remained Audrey Hepburn’s favorite throughout her career or to name five Peggy Lee songs, I could do it in a heartbeat. If you asked me who the member of Fifth Harmony are, I wouldn’t stand a chance. Admittedly, I’m also not the biggest fan of change. It’s easy to shy away from things that are unfamiliar to you; to stick with what you know best and run with it. In a way, we create our personal traditions that we turn to for safety when we find ourselves in uncharted territory. When things change, we are met with the unfortunate challenge of adapting to it. Change is inevitable (and almost always uncomfortable) so is there any certain way to find a balance between the new and the old? We see the success stories of this every day, but one of the most recent and biggest ones can still be found all over your social media feeds the royal wedding.
On November 27th, 2017, the royal family announced the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The engagement itself broke “tradition” as Meghan Markle would become not only the first American woman to marry into the royal family, but the first confirmed person of African descent to do so. Following the engagement was months of preparation for perhaps the last major royal wedding for years to come. From public appearances of the newly engaged couple to the sending of a-list invitations, the faced-paced timeline between the announced engagement and the wedding was a true spectacle to behold. The royal wedding took place on May 19th, 2018 with 29.2 million people watching across 15 different networks in the United States alone (including yours truly). The gorgeous bride walked by herself halfway down the aisle before being accompanied by Prince Charles down the rest. Following this, Reverend Michal Curry delivered a groundbreaking sermon and the choir sang a tear-jerking rendition of “Stand by Me” before sending the newlyweds off with “This Little Light of Mine.”
Credit: The New Yorker
As I watched, I found myself wondering how it all happened. How were the traditions and practices around royal weddings established by hundreds of monarchs before this broken down and rebuilt so flawlessly? Taking a peek into the past of the British monarchy may reveal some answers. Queen Victoria walked down the aisle on February 10th, 1840 in a white dress. Yes, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing this image but is because of Queen Victoria’s bold choice to wear white on her wedding day that the image exists at all. Traditionally, the royal brides that wed before Victoria were partial to waring heavily brocaded gowns in jewel-toned shades as was the norm for most of Western Europe. Queen Victoria chose a lace, white court dress, and a crown of flowers rather than a tiara to marry her beloved Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The simple choice created the association among the elites and the general public for the color white as being associated with wealth, social status, and general purity (all ideas that suddenly became attainable and achievable for the general public). Both of these royal weddings have redefined how the world sees the royal family and marital practices.
Some traditions have remained unchanged; remaining true to the monarchy’s history and established reputation. We can take inspiration from these game-changing brides in both our personal and professional lives. In order to push the limits, it’s important that we acknowledge our past as we move forward with our futures; all the while remaining true to ourselves. This also rings true in the hospitality industry and is something Serve Glad does extremely well! Building a brand identity and reputation requires balancing one’s intuition with one’s logic. Remaining flexible while making a name and reputation is imperative when defying the challenges of time. When you next find yourself worrying about the loss of tradition or the uncertainty of future endeavors, consider how a situation can easily be improved with a little bit of a balancing act. We many not be Queen Victoria or the Duchess of Sussex, but we can always find a way to pay homage to our histories and rewrite our futures at the same time.