Royal Wedding No. 3

Yesterday, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden married Miss Sofia Hellqvist, now Princess Sofia.

▲(Official wedding photos from www.kungahuset.se)▼

This was the third royal wedding in Sweden in a period of five years – but now we’ll have to wait a long time for the next generation of princesses (and maybe princes-to-come) to grow up. (Princess Estelle, daughter of the Crown Princess, is the smallest of the three girls to the right in the official group photo above.)

These three weddings have been a boost for the popularity of our royal family; and each one of them also unique in their own way.

▼In June 2010*, Crown Princess Victoria made a prince out of Mr Daniel Westling, former gym-owner and personal trainer (now His Royal Highness Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland).  They made their wedding a public affair – not only the wedding ceremony in the church but also the dinner party and speeches afterwards was broadcasted live.
*(Link to my blog post from that wedding.)

Source: Wikimedia

▼In June 2013, Princess Madeleine married British-American businessman Christopher O'Neill. Mr O’Neill was offered the title of prince too, but declined, as he wasn’t keen on all the fuss and trouble that comes with it (like assuming royal duties and having to change his citizenship). Princess Madeleine remains a Swedish Princess, though. Their wedding ceremony was public, but the party was kept private.

Source: Wikimedia

▼The last of the three royal siblings to tie the knot was the middle child Prince Carl Philip. Yesterday he married Miss Sofia Hellqvist, former glamour model, TV reality show participant and yoga teacher; but also philantropist and founder of a Swedish-South African organisation called Project Playground, helping poor children in Capetown to a better life. In marrying into the royal family, Sofia became Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland.

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Carl Philip and Sofia followed the example set by Victoria and Daniel. I think this couple actually had many of us charmed even before the wedding, with their relaxed way of handling various interviews since their engagement.

The wedding ceremony was held in the Royal Chapel within the Palace. It offered some surprises, as they had chosen rather untraditional music for a royal wedding.

(I wanted to insert a YouTube clip here of their exit from the church which was accompanied by gospel music and everyone clapping hands, but seem unable to embed the video. Hopefully you can reach it through the link.)

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The room in the Royal Palace in Stockholm that was used for the wedding dinner. – kungahuset.se

The dinner party afterwards was also broadcasted live. Cameras were off while they were eating (we then got snippets of other info instead, for example about the guests and dresses and food etc). But we got to see the various courses served, and hear the speeches – the King (father of the groom), then the father of the bride, the groom himself, and even a few words from the bride, introducing a song written especially for her husband.

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Those of us who managed to keep awake until midnight and after also got to see the wedding cake cut, and the newly-weds opening the ball with a waltz.

I had initially only planned to watch the wedding ceremony and cortege in the afternoon, and then perhaps glimpses now and then during the evening… But I actually ended up watching pretty much the whole thing – i.e. from 3 pm until 1 am = 10 hours!

I bet some of the ladies in the wedding party were wishing from time to time during the evening that they’d been able to take off their shoes, too…

The Prince cutting the wedding cake with his sword, close to midnight… (off my TV screen)

 

Mixing and Matching

or: Fifty Shades of Red

Spring this year has been a slow and rather chilly affair; and with no “special occasions” on my agenda, I’ve not been feeling much need or inspiration to go shopping for new clothes – until this week, when Summer decided it was time to make an appearance after all. Then all of a sudden when I opened my wardrobe, it mysteriously turned out to contain almost only winter colours; especially in the tops and cardigans section. Or else odd colours that did not seem to go with anything else I owned…

I’ve probably complained about this before; but it’s an enigma to me what secret world council is behind the changes of fashion colour schemes from one year to another. It doesn’t matter which store you visit, or which brand you look at – setting out to match, for example, a certain shade of pink or red bought two or three years ago often proves to be next to impossible!

However, as it turned out, I had some luck this week (or year) in actually finding some things to match two cherry (?) red items bought last summer.

This is the skirt and top from last year. Actually I did not really buy those two on the same occasion or with the purpose of wearing them together – but they turned out to be of exactly identical dye although different material.

Earlier this spring (as perhaps one or two of you with an eye for these things might remember) I bought a “pink” handbag on sale. This, rather to my surprise, turned out to go better with the cherry red than with other shades of pink in my wardrobe.

And even better with some new items bought this week - a button-less long cardigan, and a cotton blouse:

 

(The back of the cardigan)

Before you faint from the colour shock, perhaps I’d better add that I doubt I’ll ever wear all the red items together (from top to toe). More likely I’ll be mixing them with white, grey, beige, black and/or dark blue.

I also bought this sleeveless long top, and a pair of shoes (flat, soft and comfortable).

 

I think the cardigan will also go quite nicely with this (also sleeveless) dress from last summer, even if the red “belt” on that is a slightly different shade of red:

Now all I need is the right weather to show them off in!

FMTSO: Feeling of Summer

For me, ever since my own childhood, lilacs in bloom (and that scent in the air) is very much associated with the beginning of summer. This week in June is also the end of the school year in Sweden; and the beginning of the summer holidays (for the children lasting from now until mid August or so).

Summer gathered in the weather, the wind had the proper touch, the breathing of the world was long and warm and slow. You had only to rise, lean from your window, and know that this indeed was the first real time of freedom and living, this was the first morning of summer.

~Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine~

Azaleas Ablaze

The old cemetery where I often go for a walk is "on fire" just now, with all the stunning azaleas in orange, red and yellow in full bloom. 

 

 

You can't really blame me for never reaching "topspeed" on those exercise walks, can you? ;-)

Linking to:

Ruby Tuesday Too

Creative Recycling

At the opening of the Orangery in our Town Park on World Environment Day, there was also an exhibition in a tent outside, of creative “recycling” art made by school children.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Mosaic Monday

Our World Tuesday