The William and Kate...of Bhutan
Royal Color: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun PemaYesterday, their was a ROYAL WEDDING. No Alexander McQueen wedding gown, no Philip Treacy hats and no celebs or Euro trust-funder Royals wearing Armani Prive. How could this even be a Royal Wedding? Well, it was The Bhutan Royal Wedding.
Bride and Groom Meet Their People, Queen Jetsun and King JigmeThe very popular, and handsome King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, 31, married the "love of his life" and he said "his soul mate", a lovely girl, daughter of an airline pilot, ten years his junior--Jetsun Pema. At 31, King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck, known as the "Asian Elvis," because of his hair style, is apparently the youngest king in the world. Everyone is making a big deal that she's a commoner.
She was educated in the UK (and so was the King, who is Oxford-educated) and I have a feeling she is from an "Elite" family of Bhutan and well, not so much a "commoner". She doesn't look like she sells fruits on the streets of Bhutan.
The Location: Punakha Bhutan, Punakha Dzong--a 17th century fortified monastery-- was the same venue that held his coronation back in 2008 when his father decided to step down. His father has four wives--all sisters--but the new King has said that Jetsun will be his one and only. How very 2011!
Bhutan Dish: Bhutan, about the size of Iowa and with a population roughly equal to El Paso, Texas, is a place where there are zero stoplights, only three dentists and where TV appeared in 1999. I sure hope they DON'T get "The Real Housewives" but maybe "Project Runway"! Bhutan is known as "The Happiest Place on Earth" (I guess, besides Disneyland) and in fact, every two years, it conducts a Gross National Happiness Survey (yep, you read right), trying to see how happy its people are. That's not to say, it's all lovely in the tiny Himalayan Kingdom. The country has high rates of alcoholism, and 70 percent of women in the country say it's OK for their husbands to hit them if they burn dinner. Uh...OK, I guess, it's NOT 2011 yet in Bhutan.
The Bride Wore: Like I stated above, the bride did not wear Alexander McQueen but a local garment called a Kira, which took three years to weave. It is an ankle-length dress consisting of a rectangular piece of woven fabric, wrapped and folded around the body which is pinned at both shoulders, usually with silver brooches, and bound at the waist with a long belt. The kira is usually worn with a long-sleeved blouse inside and a short jacket or toego. The King crowned her with a multicolored brocade crown , officially making her his Queen.
King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck and his Raven Crown
The country will celebrate the Royal Wedding of their beloved King the rest of the week and through the weekend. I hope that means one thing for the new Queen: OUTFIT CHANGES!!!! Congratulations to the "Happiest Bride and Groom on Earth", or at least in the Himalayas.Click Below for Video of the Bhutan Royal Wedding: