There were many wonderful moments during the Royal Wedding, but here are what I consider to be the best of them:

• The church bells pealing upon the arrival of the groom, and then the bride, and again at the end of the wedding.
• William and Harry arriving at the church and greeting guests, saluting some, shaking hands with others.
• All of the hats–the beautiful and the bizarre. You just don’t see hats like that in America, unless you’re at the Kentucky Derby, and maybe not even then.
• The tradition and ceremony and majesty of it all.
• All of the different uniforms, from the wedding party to all of those serving during the wedding festivities, and even the “uniforms” of all of the varied clergy from the Church of England (beautiful vestments abound!).
• Kate’s dress–it was perfectly regal.
• And her tiara–what a special story behind it. Queen Elizabeth having received it from her mother on her 18th birthday, (possibly her first tiara? just as it was Kate’s first?), and then sharing it with Kate just as she had previously shared it with William’s mother.
• Harry watching Kate coming down the aisle over his shoulder, and reporting back to his brother.
• The smiles on the faces of the bride and groom–they looked so happy and “normal” that you could almost (but not quite) forget it wasn’t just another regular wedding.
• The singing of the congregation in the church…and all of the music, from the beautiful organ to the trumpets to the choirs.
• The curtsy to the Queen following the ceremony–I don’t why, but I found that exchange very touching, especially since the Queen herself looked a bit choked up.
• The carriage procession–a beautiful, historic carriage, beautiful horses, crowds of cheering admirers, and the bride and groom, still looking so very happy (and a bit relieved!).
• The excitement of the people of London–I’ll never forget the way they cheered when William and Kate walked out on the balcony.
• Kate’s “Wow,” when she saw the crowd assembled below the balcony–and how much she seemed to enjoy being out there.
• The kiss on the balcony–both of them! Especially because the Duke looked so embarrassed about it.
• The Royal Air Force jets–I love a flyover!
• The departure from Buckingham palace, with William behind the wheel of his father’s Aston Martin, and a helicopter escort compliments of the RAF.

Yes, I know that I’ve listed a lot of favorite moments. Any wedding has great moments; a royal wedding happens to have a lot of them!