Breeziway's Soaring Hearts: John Lennon & Yoko Ono's Wedding . . . Imagine Peace

Although I am over-the-top excited about Prince William & Kate's wedding events tomorrow, I needed a break from the royal perspective. It seemed a belated remembrance of the wedding anniversary of British royalty of another 'sort' would be a nice contrast to the current craziness!

John Lennon and Yoko One were married on March 20, 1969 in Gibraltar after a series of travel/passport woes. They spent their honeymoon in bed at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam; sharing their messages of peace and love to the world via the media in attendance. This message seemed to permeate John and Yoko's social and political activities to follow until John's tragic murder in December, 1980. Together they created quite a legacy.

Their British marriage-registry certificate with the "Rock of Gibraltor" in the background. (Paul & I have one of those certificates too!) Yoko wore spanking white sneakers, knees socks, layered skirt, long-sleeve white shirt, and a wide brim capeline hat made of felt; simple and sweet!

www.KenRossPhotography.com

www.EKRFoundation.org

The Beatles released the Ballad of John and Yoko in May of 1969, which chronicles the events surrounding their wedding. . .

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Author: John Lennon; Lead vocal: John Lennon

Standing in the dock at Southampton,
Trying to get to Holland or France.
The man in the mac said, "You've got to turn back".
You know they didn't even give us a chance.

Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.

Finally made the plane into Paris,
Honey mooning down by the Seine.
Peter Brown called to say,
"You can make it O.K.,
You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain".

Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton,
Talking in our beds for a week.
The newspapers said, "Say what you doing in bed?"
I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace".

Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.

Saving up your money for a rainy day,
Giving all your clothes to charity.
Last night the wife said,
"Oh boy, when you're dead
You don't take nothing with you
But your soul - think!"

Made a lightning trip to Vienna,
eating chocolate cake in a bag.
The newspapers said, "She's gone to his head,
They look just like two gurus in drag".

Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.

Caught an early plane back to London.
Fifty acorns tied in a sack.
The men from the press said, "We wish you success,
It's good to have the both of you back".

Christ you know it ain't easy,
You know how hard it can be.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me.

Credits

Recorded: April 14, 1969 at Abbey Road, London, England
John Lennon - lead vocal, acoustic guitar, lead guitar
Paul McCartney - bass guitar, drums, piano, maracas, harmony vocal

John and Yoko's first "bed in". . . .
TIME photo essay:
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-In

Vienna (March 31, 1969) was the site of John & Yoko's introduction of "bagism". This concept was created by them to satirize the prejudice and stereotying that victimized the human rights of many in the 1960's and today. John & Yoko enclosed themselves in a giant bag, hiding the superficial attributes that many use to judge others - skin color, gender, attire, age. . . They argued that without these visuals, others would have to 'judge' the enclosed individual based on their message, their character. Bagism is a perfect example of John & Yoko's use of whimsy & silliness to convey deep & meaningful ideas.