I was 11 years old when Diana married Prince Charles. And make no mistake about it: I was completely fascinated by every single aspect of their wedding. My parents even let me stay up ALL NIGHT LONG so that I could watch the festivities live on ABC. We didn’t have a VCR at the time (clearly we must have been pilgrims), so I improvised: I recorded the entire ceremony by placing my portable cassette player next to the TV speaker.
Oh, 1981 technology. You were a precious little thing.
For years I held on to the green and white Radio Shack cassette tape with “The Royal Wedding” written on the label in my very best cursive handwriting. I bet I listened to Charles and Diana say their vows fifteen or twenty times in the weeks that followed the wedding, and I wished with everything in me that I could’ve been one of Diana’s flower girls.
Seriously. You have no idea.
When Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged last year, I couldn’t help but remember the morning that I practically propped open my eyes with toothpicks so that I could catch a glimpse of Diana in her glass carriage while Joan Lunden and David Hartman discussed the intricacies of her wedding gown. I haven’t been nearly as obsessed this time around – in fact, a couple of weeks ago I actually had to consult Google to find out the wedding date – but will I be watching?
WELL OF COURSE I WILL.
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Now granted, I won’t be staying up all night for this royal wedding. MAMA LIKES TO REST. But thanks to the wonder of the DVR, I don’t have to miss a minute. Last night I set our DVR for approximately nine hours of wedding coverage (7 hours in the morning, then 2 more in a nighttime wrap-up special), so I should be sufficiently up-to-speed on All Things Windsor by sometime Saturday morning. I’m just as tickled as I can be.
I have to admit, though, that I ran into one little hitch when I was setting the DVR: choosing which network I wanted to watch. I hadn’t given the whole network thing a bit of thought, but when it came time to press “record,” I was overwhelmed by my network news choices. HOW TO DECIDE?
I tried to quickly run through the pros and cons of each network in my head. My inner dialogue went something like this:
CNN: I enjoy Anderson Cooper. Piers Morgan is British, so he’s sort of like an expert. CNN’s graphics are inoffensive. Could be a possibility.
FOXNews: Joan Lunden is doing commentary (seems like old times!). But I always feel like the FOX reporters are screaming at me. And the graphics are madness. I probably need coverage that’s a little more subdued.
CBS: I haven’t watched CBS News since approximately 1978. So there’s that.
ABC: I adore Robin Roberts and Diane Sawyer. Plus, I watched Charles and Diana’s wedding on ABC. Barbara Walters is timeless. Definite frontrunner.
NBC: Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer seem so easy-going. Ann Curry always lends an air of calm to a broadcast. Al Roker is charming. Might be fun.
BBC: Love the idea of in-country coverage. But then somebody will say “lift” instead of “elevator” and I’ll feel like an outsider. Probably better in theory than reality.
So. What did I decide?
Well, in the end I went with ABC. Like I said on Twitter last night, it was a tough decision, but I feel good about it.
What about y’all? Will you be watching? Any special plans?
And by all means, if you share my gift for overthinking and have already decided which network you prefer for Royal Wedding coverage, please feel free to share.
My special brand of TV crazy loves company, you know.
You make me laugh!
I’ll want to see the dress and the kiss, then I’m good.
I find the build up a bit annoying. . . .but, hey I’m a girl -GOTTA SEE THE DRESS!
I’m afraid I’m more crazy than you, BooMama . . . we have that whole-house DVR setup and my husband watched in disbelief as I programmed all four of our available channels to record different channels.
I went with BBC (authentic!), ABC, CBS, and NBC.
wedding? Where? Who? When?
Oh, I josh!! I’ll catch it on the DVR and I, too, remember Charles & Di and that gorgeous carriage! I was a senior in HS — and we ALL wanted that dress! Never got it, but there’s always a vow renewal!
And I’m opting for ABC,too. Just feels right with Barbara and all.
I was ten when we watched Lady Diana marry Prince Charles – ahhhh… : ) Now my daughter is ten, and is even MORE enthralled than I was at that age.
We are polishing our silver tea set, Thursday night I am making scones, and we will be up and in our tiaras at the crack of dawn. My daughter will also be wearing a dress. Mama will be wearing pajamas : )
I don’t have any ‘romantic’ notions about this royal couple, but I sure do love making fun memories with my daughter!
Cheers!
I *still* haven’t decided which network I’m going with, but I’ll probably flip around a lot, as I’m planning on being awake because of…well…this: http://www.misswisabus.com/2011/04/20/royal-wedding-countdown-10-days/
Considering that I thought I’d marry him from about age 12 until an age that I’m not comfortable admitting, I think I’m doing well :)
I am with you DVR set for ABC
My son is up at that hour so I will be too. It’ll serve him right, having me watch that wedding at that hour! But thanks for doing my thinking for me on this one; even if my conclusions are different, those are exactly the issues I’d be considering!
Hadn’t even really thought of it. I suppose I watched the first wedding at ten years old…but I can’t really remember it all that well. I wasn’t what you’d call obsessed.
I’m amused that the Disney channel has “royal wedding week” going all week long in anticipation of the vows. I also find it entertaining that the couple got engaged less than six months ago and can somehow pull off the wedding of the century in less time than it will take to gestate the next heir to the throne. Something tells me it’s not because it will be a “simple, scaled back affair”. I’m going with “more money than God himself means you can pull off the impossible”.
I like Julie in Texas’s idea of making the scones and polishing the tea set. Maybe I’ll DVR it after all and see if I can get my 7 year old and 5 year old daughters even remotely interested in a princess who doesn’t ride in a pumpkin or marry a beast…
I will consult with my very British babysitter (who is even more over the royal family than I am) to see whose coverage I should watch! ;-)
Cheerio!
Thanks for reminding me to set my dvr.. abc it is. I also agree with you that I feel like Fox is yelling at me, but my husband loves it.
Great. I had not yet concerned myself with which network to watch. But now, I will ponder this over & over. Won’t it be fun to watch the dvr’d version since we can rewind it so easily? Won’t even have to look at the vcr counter to determine where our favorite part is located. Happy watching & I trust you shall don a hat and sip a happy cup of tea!
I think it may be on TLC as well. I think I heard that Clinton and Randy would be doing commentary. I will have to think about which to record. Thanks for the info!
It comes on here at 1 a.m., so I’m staying up and watching on NBC because I can’t not watch it with Matt, Meredith, Al and Ann.
Well, now I feel confused. I went with NBC for the actual wedding because I enjoy Brian Williams (who will be joining the Today show on the coverage) . I chose Barbara Walters for the nighttime wrap-up and the night before special she’s doing. Should I just stick with Barbara all the way??????
I hate to admit this, but I would watch Matt Lauer any day of the week! And I love Ann Curry so it will be NBC for me!
Girl, you’re a hoot! I’ll be working at a skilled nursing facility that day and I’m hoping the wedding will be on in the therapy room where I work. Surely the old people want to watch those young whippersnappers get hitched!
I remember getting up early to watch Fergie and Andrew get married! It was the biggest treat ever (or so it seemed to my 8 year old self!). I set my DVR to record coverage on 2 stations (ABC and NBC). Why pick when you don’t have to?
You totally forgot about E! I think I will flip around a lot, but my heart will be with ABC. Love that Robin Roberts!!! I don’t think you are crazy, I understand you well! :-)
I might just love this post more than any other out there… or Cabury eggs. It just details the dilemma/drama/telenovela in my head… what channel to watch?!?@
ABC indeed, but I also chose CNN… will my DVR implode?
My Canadian friend Gwendolyn is turning 50-ish on Saturday so a bunch of us are getting together Friday morning to watch the coverage and celebrate her birthday. Since Canadians seem to think they are somewhat British, she’s beside herself. The gal who’s hosting it had to go out and get a DVR (can you imagine?) just so we won’t have to all arrive at 3am CST. Otherwise, we might be listening to your cassette.
BTW, I was in college when Di married Chuck. I was sorely disappointed that he hadn’t managed to find me in Bolivar, MO and ask me to be his princess. Oh, well, God had other plans. I met my prince years later and we had our own “royal” wedding.
since we’re one of the 1% of the DFW population who doesn’t have DVR, it’s all or nothing for us if we want to see it live. i keep vascillating, but at this moment i’m leaning toward getting my five year-old (and possibly my three year-old if she wants to) up to watch with me with scones, tea, tiaras and all. :0) yes, it’s insane, but how fun would that be?! (check back with me at about noon that day if we go through with it…i bet i’ll be regretting it! ha!)
as far as networks, i hadn’t thought about it. but i’m generally an ABC girl since we don’t have cable. and i clearly remember getting up to watch chuck and di when i was a little girl! ahhh, memories.
or another option is a get-together with some of my other mom friends and their daughters at 4am. sunrise tea party! woot! :0)
Im so glad that I am not alone on my indecision on network choices for the wedding. I think I’ll also go with my standby ABC…though TLC is covering it too…I like the familiar though.
I’m going to be watching with my 5-year-old daughter, who is so excited to see a real-life princess. I’m also planning a nap for both of us that afternoon. :-)
I went with NBC but definitely feel added pressure to make the right choice since I’ll be in the midst of filling out my Nielsen diary. Need to properly represent the people :)
You’re too funny. I watched Charles and Diana on NBC. I got up before the birds so I wouldn’t miss a thing. I even remember when Andrew and Sarah got married – we were on vacation at the beach and I had to drag myself out of bed to see part of it. I’m always up for a royal wedding and they are such a cute couple.
I will totally be watching. I just don’t think ANY dress EVER could match up to the amazingly glorious dress that was Diana’s, but I am also quite sure this event will be quite beautiful. Plus my 6-year-old daughter is EXTREMELY intrigued by the “real” princess. Which I find cute and darling and I know she will also love watching!
Oh, and I had just turned 18 on the 25th and it was my husband’s 20th birthday on July 29, 1981. (We had been married for 9 months by then!)
My mom got us girls up to watch Princess Di get married and I’m doing the same with my daughter. I’m even letting her skip school. We don’t have a DVR so we’re doing the super early live thing. It will be a memory we’ll always have. I’m looking forward to FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY, gettin hitched on FRIDAY. Sorry. I couldn’t resist.
I will be watching by DVR and I will also be watching ABC. I have been to England and I totally love it. I think Kate is so beautiful and I love her style. My wedding anniversary is Thursday, I was hoping we would have the same day. Darn.
Now, you left out TLC who will have Clinton Kelly in London and Randy from Say yes to the dress live from New York. :v)
I’ve went with Global TV from Canada with the reasoning that Canada has connections and an in with the royals. :v)
Oh you’ve made my heart so happy here Sophie.
I was 10 years old when I sat glued to the tv screen in our wood paneled living room and watched Princess Diana walk up the stairs in that gown. And this Friday? I’ll be watching Kate Middleton and Prince William with my daughter who is 10 years old. We’re both excited. And you know why? 1) because there’s SO MUCH negative on tv all the time… this is something happy and fun. 2) Back to kings and queens of the 1st century, King David, his son Solomon… royal weddings are a big deal. I love history. So watching history being made? Yes. I’m in.
I set the dvr for ABC and also BBC (since it records two at a time). And I also have it set to record Charles and Di’s wedding being re-aired tomorrow night, so my girl can see a snip-it of that too before Friday!
So nice seeing good news on tv, isn’t it?
Last week, my mom and her best friend from hight school decided they wanted to watch The Royal Wedding. I was just fine with seeing the highlights that night. So, because my house is half way between the two of them, I decided to host a sleep over for them! My little sister is coming as well, and we’ll be drinking tea (caffeine) and eating scones at 3 in the morning!
Oh BooMama, you just tickle my heart!
I was sixteen and hung on every word of Charles & Diana’s wedding. I watched Andy & Fergie too. I took the morning off from work so I can watch! Was planning on channel surfing rather than DVR.
I am soooo excited!! I took the day off of work so I can watch everything! I plan on having tea and scones while I watch. We don’t have cable but we have two DVRs!!! I plan on watching ABC with NBC as my backup. I am TIVOing the BBC at my parents.
OK…NOW I am excited!
I am glad you did a post about it, becuase you helped me decide what network. if it fails, we will all be in it together!
Oh I had not even thought of which network to watch! That would have been a lot of stress Thursday night! Thank you for thinking of it for me!
This is the first times since cutting off our DVR service that I almost cried, knowing that I either have to get up in the middle of the night of suck it up and watch clips all day on Friday.
So sad. So, so sad.
You’d think I was naming my firstborn child as hard a time as I’m having deciding which network to choose. I may have to just do two channels. Maybe E! & ABC? I do love me some Guiliana Rancic & Ryan Seacrest. Decisions, decisions.
I have my DVR set for NBC. And was confident and happy in that decision.
Now you made me re-think that decision.
Thanks, punk.
I have taken a vacation day from work and cannot wait to camp out in front of the tv. We don’t have cable so my options are a little limited, but I think I’ll be going with Matt and Mer. I have big plans to wake up with my mom and sister at 4:00 am and not move from my position on the couch until I’ve seen every last second of coverage.
My mom and I are very excited about the wedding, but I was concerned that my little sister, who is 15, was only aout 80% committed. And then tonight I heard her ask my mom if she could sleep IN HER SCHOOL UNIFORM ON THE COUCH Thursday night so she would be ahead of the game on Friday morning. I was so proud.
Oh, the thought you’ve put into this decision – I love it. Have been having a similar train of thought, though I think I’m going with Anderson, because those eyes are a national treasure.
We must be soul sistas because I came to the same decision. Brilliant!
We’re in Germany and have British cable. My daughter goes to a British school, so she has the day off in honor of the wedding. We’ll be watching LIVE on Sky/BBC at the respectable hour of 10 am. I hope the commentators don’t take it too seriously…Brit commentary can be hilarious…very dry wit.
I was a newlywed myself when Charles and Di tied the knot back in ’81. Thursday night, my grownup best friends and I are having a Royal Wedding Sleepover and will watch the wedding in real time on Friday morning. I’m betting our 50 year old bodies will regret it on Saturday. We’ll be watching it on ABC (and setting the DVR just in case we don’t make it all night or up at 3!)
I’m still in China, so I’ll be sure to ask my mom during our weekly to Skype to DVR the coverage for me. I could watch it here, but it would only be confusing (the only Mandarin I speak being the words for “hello,” “goodbye,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” “I’m an American teacher,” and the name of my dorm [for the cab drivers]).
I’ll admit – when I thought about the DVR option, I was in a channel quandry too!
Thanks for your “fair and balanced” consideration of the options…I still have yet to settle on one!
I’m Good Morning America loyal so I will be watching the ABC broadcast as well. In a hat of course, I must be dressed for the occasion. Well I’ll at least put a hat on!
Be sure to head out to Dunkin’ Donuts & get a royal wedding donut. I saw them there on Monday & have plans to pick one up on Thursday to enjoy during the coverage. :-)
We’ll be watching NBC but I’ll also DVR ABC’s coverage as a backup. We have an antenna (yes, we have TiVo for 5 channels because I’m a girl with priorities) and sometimes NBC doesn’t come in great so I’ll have ABC ready just in case. You can never be too careful with these kinds of things. Also, I’m making my 6 year old daughter (the same age I was when Charles and Diana got married) wear a hat with me and pulling out the fancy china to dine on our biscuits while we watch the festivities in our PJs.
Also, the space shuttle is scheduled to go up on it’s next to last mission so after the wedding we’ll turn our attention to watching NASA coverage online before we run out into the front yard to see the smoke trail (I live in FL). I don’t think we’ll wear hats for that but maybe I’ll make some Tang.
I watched Charles and Diana with my roomies in college – good times! This go ’round, my mama is hosting a “pajamas and tiaras” for some friends. A few of us are spending the night with other guests “coming as they are” at 4 a.m. (well, as they are + tiaras!) We’ll have cake and champagne and stuff…the only thing I dread is getting through Friday! Have fun Boo!
BooMama, sometimes I think we might have been separated at birth.
I, too, watched the Charles and Di wedding when I was eight years old…and then proceeded to reenact the ceremony with my Barbie dolls over and over and over again.
Last year, a Diana exhibit came to Atlanta and about flipped out when I got to see her wedding dress in all its glory!
I think I’m going to be following your lead and go with ABC…because maybe I want Robin Roberts to be my best friend. I adore her.
Last week, as soon as my DVR would let me, I set that sucker to record starting at 3 a.m.
I would take the day off work, but I started a new job and can’t take any paid vacation until the end of August. So…that’s out.
But you bet I’ll be glued to my interwebs all morning and then I will hunker in for the evening. Thank goodness we have 2 TV’s because the hubs will be sent to the other TV for the night. He doesn’t know that quite yet…. :)
I was a junior in high school when Charles and Diana were married. My friend and I both were up at 3:00 am breathlessly waiting to see Diana in the glass carriage. She did not disappoint, oh no she did not. We thought it was the most romantic thing we had ever seen. We then had to go shopping for hats and get our hair cut just like Diana. I remember my mother telling us that morning that she felt the same way when Queen Elizabeth married Prince Phillip. Friday morning my friend will once again join me at 4:00 a.m. to watch Kate marry William. We’re not as caught up in this wedding as we were in 1981 but somehow we have to “be there”. I guess someday our children will remember back to when William married Kate when their children have their royal weddings. Oh, the circle of life.
I was 4 yrs old when Charles and Diana got married, but I remember seeing the coverage all over every news station. I’m guessing it was the next day because I doubt my parents let a 4 year old stay up all night!
This has put me into a wedding frenzy. ABC or NBC… or maybe CNN… I don’t know.. But I do know I love this stuff, and the commentary.. and the clothes and hats. When they wave from Buckingham Palace, it just puts me over the top. And the accents, oh my word, I wish I spoke that eloquently.. instead of like a character from the Dukes of Hazard meets Deliverance. And they will have a million flashbacks of Diana and that will make me cry. I am sweating just thinking about all of the royal goodness.
I was a (fairly) newlywed in July of 1981. My husband and I just celebrated our 30th in March! I got up early and watched the whole thing! It was an amazing event….I thought her dress was fabulous! I will be DVR-ing on Friday….can’t wait…….
Thank you for posting this! Since I live in the Seattle area, we’ll just be up all night (no dvr at our house). Now I’m torn about how to “celebrate” the event. I was planning to watch NBC, but maybe it will be ABC on the television and live streaming of the BBC? Looking at the comments, I’d also like a royal wedding donut. No dunkin donuts here! Arg!
I’m going with ABC myself, though I won’t be waking up any earlier than usual. It will be my background as I get ready for work – single mamas have to work, you know! But I’m planning a royal wedding tea party for fun with my kiddos later in the day while I indulge in highlights and recaps!
My latest post: Royal Blue – http://farfromflawlesslife.blogspot.com/2011/04/royal-blue.html
I set the DVR to TLC without even a second thought. Randy told me (during a commercial of “Say Yes to the Dress”) that he would be covering it from New York while Clinton (“What Not to Wear”) would be covering it from across the pond, and I was sold! I was born six days after Charles & Diana’s nuptials, so this will be my first Royal Wedding!
The girls have school that morning and I have to get ready for a mentoring moms meeting at church. So I will be recording it. We don’t get regular channels on our dish so I don’t have the option of recording regular networks unless I want them on grainy VHS. I went with two channels. Fox and TLC. I was close to doing the BBC but thought I might be a little lost in their exchange of different wordage.
I will also watch the wedding, but in live time. I will get up and be able to flick from one channel to the next. I was pregnant with my 3rd child when Charles and Diana got married and I got up at 5 to catch everything. I also got up early for her funeral. I loved Diana. The Queen! Eh! Not so much.
I have it in my head that Kate will not be able to forget the fact that William dumped her. She will have to live with that. I hope she can.
One thing’s for sure – it will be a beautiful wedding.
Hugs from Minnesota
Marie
Now I feel stressed out that I haven’t set my DVR or picked a network. I have, in theory, planned to make scones and cucumber sandwiches. TOO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME!
I don’t know what to DVR!!!! I’m leaning NBC. I generally do.
Okay, I guess I’ll go with ABC also although I am not nearly as interested as most seem to be. I am really commenting to say STAY SAFE Boo Mama, bad weather heading your way. We have nearly been drown in Arkansas and are ready for this stuff to GO AWAY.
Well, here I am sitting in the middle of England – so it will be the BBC for me! In a generous moment, the Prime Minister decided that we would be having a public holiday to celebrate, so this is another 4 day weekend for us. There is a chance it will rain, so a few prayers for sunny weather would be good! I am off to a garden party after the wedding – there will be scones and cake and cucumber sandwiches, and tea, of course. The bunting is ready to be strung up too. I hear there are many street parties planned all over the place as well.
Have fun watching it all!
I’ll be the lone ranger who watches it on Fox. (I love Gretchen Carlson). I will be ensconsed on the sofa in my best jammies whilst wearing my most formal and attractive HAT. Mr. Moses has been forewarned.
It’ll be midnight here in Alaska, so I’m sure I’ll stay up to watch cuz sleep won’t come too easily knowing what I might be missing. I love the Today show folks, except for Ann Curry—just too gushy/touchy feely and whisper talky in her interviews. makes me cringe. So, might have to opt for ABC. but then someone mentioned TLC and Say Yes to the Dress guy, and my, what decisions!
I will definately be watching it! So much bad news in the world that it will be nice to watch something fun. At least here in Australia it is in the evening, all the channels are covering it except one which is breaking for the football! It has been a big decision which channel to go with but I am going for 7, my daughter would rather 9 which has the comedians bringing the cover, not my thing! I remember staying up and watching Charles and Diana’s wedding and loving it and since then we have had Princess Mary (our Aussie princess) and Frederik in Denmark. Enjoy!
Saying prayers for all in the path of the tornadoes…looks like Birmingham is getting hammered.
Too funny, Sophie! I’ll be on the treadmill, remote in hand, enjoying all of the commentary one sentence at a time. I’m hoping for a record workout–agony knows no bounds when bearing witness to young love.
Prayers for you and your family Sophie, and for all the folks in Birmingham.
Hope you and your family made it through unscathed!! I live in Missouri, but my parents live in Birmingham. We watched it go through on the Weather Channel. So scary. So sad.
Hoping and praying you all are safe tonight!
Dear Boo Mama,
I’m not sure exactly where you live. I just wanted to let you know that prayers are being sent for your safety and everyone affected by the storms. Take care!
I too had a moment of anxiety when I tried to decide what channel to set the DVR. I too chose ABC. I remember watching Charles and Diana get married as well. I too had a dark wood paneled living room:) So funny! Can’t wait to see the dress! I am sure it will be nothing but gorgeous! Love it that these two are making their own rules!
On a completely different note, I pray you and your loved ones have made it through the tornados that hit your area. As an Alabamian living in Florida, my heart goes out to my lovely home state and I am sending prayers up for everyone there.
I love you Boo Mama…..you are so funny….you don’t watch FOX News very often, do you?…..ha, ha…..their correspondent this week has been Gretchen Carlson, she is a former Miss America who is one of the hosts of the FOX morning show…..for the royal wedding the official FOX commentators will be Shepard Smith and Martha MacCullum……..although I would agree with you….the blond, the hair…..they both sort of give off that Joan Lunden vibe…..ha, ha…….my 25 year old daughter and I will be up at 3:00am midwest time to watch together…..we will probably flip through channels until we find a station that “does” it for us…..ha, ha……we are so excited!!!!! Happy viewing!!!!
Just wanted to add my prayers for you guys! I’ve been watching coverage of the damage caused by the storms that rolled through yesterday and thought of you. Hope you and your family are safe!
I feel like a freak reading about all these folks getting up before dawn to watch. I have no desire to watch the wedding, even if it was on at 7 at night. What is wrong with me? I have no idea. I didn’t watch Charles and Diana. I think I was in high school so I was pretty wrapped up in my own little world. I remember seeing clips on the news and seeing a really long train (I think?), but I don’t seem to care anything about the royal family. Guess I’ll just get some good sleep and go to work. At least I work with mostly guys so I won’t have to hear about it there.
CNN for us. But we don’t have TV so are watching on the internet. I couldn’t do that with Charles and Di. We are going to switch back and forth with YouTube too.