"And they lived happily ever after..."

Someday my prince will come

Someday we'll meet again

And away to his castle we'll go

To be *happy* forever I know

Someday when spring is here

We'll find our love anew

And the birds will sing

And wedding bells will ring

Someday when my dreams come true…

Well, Kate Middleton's dream did come true when she finally married her Prince William. :) 

Personally, the part where the groom walks up the aisle
is completely underrated. :P So here are the two Princes :)
image credit: cbsnews.com

As they walked up that lovely red carpet, they greeted
all the guests. {I am *so* jealous} Let me take this moment
to say that Prince Harry's uniform was absolutely, utterly
blissful. The gold braid, people! All right, Prince William's
was pretty nice too ;) However, it was far too... red :P Besides,
he isn't nearly as handsome as Harry. ;)
image credit: celebrities.gearlive.com

Was anyone else besides me sadly unimpressed by Kate
Middleton's transport vehicle? I suppose I do pay attention
to those minute little details... image credit: celebrities.gearlive.com

However, the dress was beautiful elegant and unusually simple. It
immediately reminded me of the wedding dress Grace Kelly
wore for her marriage to a prince. The lace sleeves were
tastefully modest, yet not too conservative, and the tiara
was refined and classy. Altogether, I don't have much to say
about her dress... I will let it speak for itself in the photos below.
image credit: cbsnews.com

Grace Kelly's lovely dress. I can't decide which I prefer...
What about you?

Look at that beautiful lace! :sigh: I love how most of it is
see through allowing the flower design to stand out :)
And the bustle-ish thing was so gorgeous.
image credit: cbsnews.com

She is not a girl for drama, so she went with quite a conservative
train... very different from Princess Diana's 24 foot long one. ;)
image credit: cbsnews.com

She did her own make-up, and I think she did a marvelous job.
Absolutely exquisite! I love how she busted convention and wore her
hair down. It suits her very well, as her style is rather casual :) However,
she wore hair extenstions! O.o I am still deciding how I feel about *that*
image credit: cbsnews.com

Princess Diana's beautiful wedding dress, which I infinitely
prefer to Kate's :)

Walking up the aisle with her father...
The woman you see behind her is her
sister, Pippa Middleton. We shall see
more of her later in this post :)

Second favorite moment... William says here, "You look beautiful."
Is that not sweet or what? image credit: cbsnews.com

I love her dress :) Prince Harry still looks better than William
though :P I also must complain about the way that William
said his vows. He was so silent and uncomfortable. It felt
like he was racing through them to get it over with, and often
I saw a trace of a snide smile as if he though the message was
dumb. I could be wrong though. Kate delivered her vows beautifully,
and she was poised and gorgeous :) image credit: cbsnews.com

The overhead view... how many of you would be comfortable
with this many guests? {plus the whole world watching on tv}
celebrities.gearlive.com

The moment before Kate is given away by her father... :)
celebrities.gearlive.com

The ceremony. Again, isn't this a lot like Grace Kelly's wedding? I have no
trouble seeing where Kate got her inspiration for this event :)
celebrities.gearlive.com

Exchanging the rings. {sidenote: his sleeves are amazing!}
celebrities.gearlive.com

After the ceremony! celebrities.gearlive.com

In their lovely horse drawn carriage exchanging smiles of pure joy ♥
celebrities.gearlive.com

Love this photo! Her tiara is so pretty :)

I have no idea how they changed from a carriage to a car, but sometime
during that day they rode in this little dream :) I love how they decorated
it with balloons! They even kept that "tradition" ;)

How could we have a post about the royal wedding without
the Queen? She wore a whole lot of yellow, but still
looked charming & cute :) celebrities.gearlive.com

Well, I think even I have exhausted my desire for pictures of "them", so I will now move on to the best and worst dressed of the Royal wedding. Obviously, this is all personal opinion.

Ew. These two princess easily made my worst dressed
list :P Really. A hat with antlers?!
{huffingtonpost.com, same for the ones below}

She looks beautiful, and her dress is so gorgeous!

This lady could have easily
stolen all the attention from
the bride! Look at how utterly
gorgeous she is... She is
very classy and elegant :) And
her hat is just lovely!

The mother of the bride
looking beautiful :)

I LOVE her dress! Just thought I might
mention that.

Although red is usually a no-no
for a wedding, she looks really
wonderful :)

The gorgeous dress Pippa wore to the evening
reception. How lovely! {though showing more
skin than necessary :P }

Kate's dress for the evening reception
was beautiful. I think I like it *almost*
as much as her wedding dress. Almost.
socialitelife.com

Just an adorable picture to finish off this post: the ring bearers
and the flower girls... future weddings perhaps? ;) socialitelife.co 

Who else watched the royal wedding? For me, it was like a fairytale, a completely magical experience. The star for me was Kate and of course Prince Harry. ;) I pray that HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and HRH Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, will live a long, happy life together and if they do not already, come to know Jesus as their personal saviour. :)

God bless them!

Life, Literature, and Loveliness ♥ {plus an award}

Where have I been? Frankly, life has whirled around me so quickly, I don't really know. However, duty beckons me, and I must update this blog with all the delicious details begging to be written. :)

I just found a series of photographs from Vogue,
and I am enchanted. The vintage twist, gorgeous
clothes, and lovely hair have inspired me in my
style.... I just love the outfits :)

I know... the length... but ignoring that, this
ensemble is quite gorgeous.

I need this outfit. Anyone have a million dollars
I could use? ;) {uh, please, ignore that guy. What
is up with male models these days?}

The second time watching it actually. What can I say? I
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie :) It is a sweet, wholesome
love story. Well, it has two love stories wrapped up in one. :)
I absolutely recommend this movie, it is one of my favorites
now. If you are careful with movies, you can look at plugged
in online for a more thorough review, but I hope you do watch
it, then tell me how you liked it!

I succumbed to the temptation and watched it. :) My reaction?

It was sweet, but I really don't like the end. I have a "thing" for

blonde hair, and although Flynn's act was sweet, I would have

preferred keeping the hair. ;) But other than that, I really enjoyed

it. Flynn was just amazing, and I actually liked how conceited he

was... of course, I preferred him in the end! But his "smolder" look

cracked me up... She had no idea what he was doing :)

Yes, I have been reading "Gone With the Wind". And yes, I have a 

love-hate relationship with this book. I love the south {I mean, hello! My 

name is Southern Belle}, but Scarlett is beyond annoying. I admit, I love

how human she is, but it is getting to the point where I wish she would 

just show a bit of compassion and human decency. But Melanie is amazing, 

and Rhett is so.... ..... ..... .... epic? Really, I cannot find words to describe

him. But I *love* the ending of the book. However, I won't spoil it for 

those of you who haven't read it. :) Altogether, it is a phenomenal read. 

I think I have a new fascination.... Frankly,
I like this movie a lot. But I know a lot of
people don't. So let me explain why I do:

1. Because of....

Raoul. He is my new favorite hero. :) He wasn't that great in
the book, but in the movie he was a protecting, caring, strong,
powerful, loving, sacrificing, faithful man. On top of that,
he is amazingly handsome, and a young man ought to be so,
right Miss Elizabeth Bennet? ;) As proof of his devotion and love,
just listen to these lines he sings to Christine:
Raoul:
Let me be your shelter
let me be your light
You're safe, No one will find you
your fears are far behind you...

Christine:
All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night
and you, always beside me, to hold me and to hide me...

Raoul:
Then say you'll share with me
one love, one lifetime
let me lead you from your solitude
Say you need me with you here, beside you...
anywhere you go, let me go too
Christine, that's all I ask of you...

Christine:
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime...
say the word and I will follow you...
Share each day with me,
each night, each morning...
Say you love me...

Ooh... the words combined with the music creates
such beauty. Please go and listen to it right now!
{the version with steve barton and sarah brightman}
I don't like the theology, but it is truly a 
beautiful love song. :)

~I also like it because....

the clothes are beautiful and lovely. Especially Christine's
dresses. *swoon* There is a pink one I especially love ♥
I hope to wear one like it someday :)

~Lastly, because.... {all right, there are thousands more reasons, but I have to keep it to 3}

The end is the best ending EVER. Huge emphasis on ever. I
just love the end. I won't spoil it, but the end is a beautiful
one of sacrifice and how light prevails over darkness. The
music at the very end completely emphasizes this, weaving
different themes together. But if you watch the movie, I would
recommend having the lyrics on hand to know what they are
singing. Especially for the "Phantom of the Opera", "All I ask
of You," and the song from the final lair. I *love* the end more
than any other fictional book I have read or movie I have seen.
It is truly beautiful.

Do I recommend you watching it? If you like pyscho-horror movies with an emphasis on love, then I think you should. But, some parts were inappropriate for young audiences, and I really wouldn't recommend anyone younger than 14 watching it. On top of that, most people HATE the ending with as much fervor as I love it. So, it is not for everyone. :) But I would still watch it at least once in your life. It is worth the risk if you end up loving it as much as I do! {for a more thorough review, you can check plugged in online}

Oh, yes. I am re-watching 1985 P&P. I really love the Lizzie in this
version, and Mr. Darcy is so handsome and regal; he interprets his
character very well. Jane is perfectly gorgeous, and I love how
Mr. Bingley isn't better looking than Mr. Darcy, unlike some versions.
*cough* 19 *cough* 95 

Now we get to the place you are all waiting for! :) I was awarded the Most Stylish Blogger Award by Ashley! Do go look at her blog, it is very lovely and she is introducing me to many new books. :)

The rules:

1. Thank the person who awarded you.

Thank you so much Ashley! I am so honored to be awarded this, and glad to have found your blog :)

2. Write seven things about yourself.

~I love hats :) I follow hat blogs, collect them, wear them, try them on, and obviously swoon uncontrollably over them. 

~I hate getting tan. Yes, I am revolutionary and countercultural. Even in small details :)

~I love Japanese food more than any other in the world. It is just amazing. Oh it is so delicious! Suki-yaki, oyako-don, onigiri, curry rice, ramen, tako-yaki... the list goes on and on. 

~I try not to be, but I am prone to vanity. 

~I hardly ever wear jeans or pants.

~I hate cake.

~I very much want to see Les Miserables in any form. {movie, play, or youtube} Any suggestions?

3. Pass it onto seven bloggers. {and tell them about it}

Ooh, so hard! But here goes:

~Anna from Roman Holiday.
~Marie from The Joy of Fashion.
~Michaela from The Last Rose of Summer.
~Alexandra from Of Trims and Frills and Furbelows.

~Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm.
~Mary from Sue Sue's Stories.
~Gabrielle from Cinderbella's Diary.

I hope all of you will take a look at their beautiful blogs, and be inspired as I always am. :)
Blessings!

The Era of Elegance

Oh, take me back to the time when...

People had chandeliers in their house. {I know I will! Someday.}

~When...

Women wore beautiful dresses everyday :)

 ~When....

Flower gardens decorated your home.

~When...

Ballet was respected and admired. {all right, it still is by some,
but many people have a stereotypical image of ballet}

~When....

All houses had grand majestic staircases

~When....

Forests filled the land

~When.....

Every woman had a boudoir

 ~When...

Wearing whimsical, pink jewelry was not sneered at.

~When...

People had beautiful mirrors :)

 ~When....

People had dresses for every occasion: tea dresses, day dresses,
evening gowns, cocktail dresses, afternoon dresses... etc.

 ~When....

People lived on mountains covered with snow :)

~When....

There were secret passageways and stairs =)

~When...

People had vases full of flowers :)

~When....

Chivalry existed. {think: Mr. Knightley}

~When....

Women carried parasols. :)

~When....

People lived in mansions {this particular one was Mr. Darcy's}

~When....

Men wore suits. And ties. Frequently.

~When....

There were fields of untouched wild flowers :)

~When....

People took the time to write hand written letters... 

~When....

Girls were witty and sweet like Miss Lizzie :)

~Yes... I know... I love parasols! :)

~When....

Men fought for worthy causes, and did so with honor.

~When....

There were balls. Wouldn't that be SO lovely? 

~When....

Women wore hoopskirts and ballgowns...

~When....

Chess wasn't dorky. {All right,  I admit it, I don't like chess. But
I HAD to find a reason to put this photo up here... he is so *cute*}

~When....

Elegance and beauty reigned freely {don't you
just love her hair?}

~When...

Femininity was admired :)

~When....

Men looked like this ^ (along the lines of Mr.
Darcy, Mr. Thornton, and other notable heros :)

~When....

Love was pure ♥

~When....

Little boys wore neckties :) 

~When....

Little girls carried parasols and looked their age!

~When....

You were introduced to people, and conversation was actually interesting ;)

*Screeches to a halt* You have got to see this quote....

I know this is off topic, but isn't he SO sweet? His looks.... well,
that is another story ;)

~When....

People were educated and read *good* books

~When....

Tea was a normal, beautiful affair with teacups, strawberries,
biscuits, cake, bread, and jam :)

~When...

British dandy was a popular look :)

~When...

Women wore gloves, and Dior's New Look was popular :)

~When...

It wasn't only little girls who had tea parties

~When...

You could wear ballgowns everyday.

Weren't those the days? My favorite era would have to be the Edwardian Era, when the Gibson Girl look was popular. The pompadour, beautiful dresses, and gorgeous hats captivate me. However, the 1950s runs a close second, while the Regency Era is third. Which era is your favorite? :)
Blessings!