My Royal Wedding Viewing

Apr 29, 2011 by Sara

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As you’ve probably heard by now, I was a little excited for the Royal Wedding.

It was an event that promised to reflect memories from my childhood and some of my own wedding memories and from the moment Prince William and Catherine Middleton announced their engagement, I knew I would be up watching it LIVE.

For me, that meant staying up all night and watching the coverage from midnight on. In California, the procession started at 1AM PST and the vows occurred around 3AM, with the kiss from the balcony not until 5:25AM PST.

I’ve been talking about this event incessantly and I was very excited when the day finally arrived. My girlfriend Kristina and mother in law were some of the first to commit to watching the wedding with me LIVE. They stayed true to their word and we also recruited some of my other good die-hard friends.

So without further ado, here’s a recap of my Royal Wedding Viewing Party:

The evening started with a night out to dinner, we thought it appropriate to bring Wills & Kate along.

When I walked into the restaurant with my blue fascinator and life-size Kate & Wills cardboard cutouts, my dinner companions just about fell off their barstools. The maitre d’ kept asking me if he could ‘take my package’ and ‘put it somewhere’ to which I politely replied: “no thank you! They are coming with me”

So we set them up facing the restaurant and next to our table.

 

The meal was great, the reflections and discussions about the royal couple, marriage, and life in general was super fun. The boys that joined us (hubby and spouse #1) were good sports throughout the whole thing, good thing or we would have sent them home!

I brought cupcakes for dessert that were emblazzoned with Union Jacks and Cupcake Toppers from the free printables I’d mentioned earlier. And we had a great time with the photo props I had downloaded from paper and cake.com

 

Next we went dancing at a “local” pub which is fodder for a whole other post!

By 11:30 PM PST we headed home where some of took power naps and I started texting my other friends that we were back home. One by one, my adorable friends arrived in time to celebrate with us: 12:45AM, 1:25 AM, 1:45 AM, until we were 7 strong gathered around my living room watching the fairy tale unfold on tv.

I took some pictures earlier in the day of the party setup since I knew I would not have time later. Here’s what the house looked like:

There was also a giant Union Jack hanging in front of my house:

 

When Prince William and Harry started for Westminster Abbey, my excitement level grew and I knew it was time to see if the kids wanted to watch. My 4 year old son Jack originally said “Yes!” and then quickly said “I mean no. I want to sleep” when I went to his room while his big sister, Anna jumped from her bed into my arms and I carried her into the living room.

At 3:00 AM, right as the vows were being said, my darling husband emerged, dressed for the day, and ready to watch for as long as he could stand it. He sat there, next to me, with Anna curled in my lap, holding our daughter’s hand. It is a special moment I will treasure forever.

The room collectively gasped as Catherine Middleton emerged from her car and revealed the most gorgeous wedding dress. A dress, reminiscent of a renaissance princess, with lace overlay and an incredibly small waist.  The look was made incredibly more romantic by the thin veil and sparkling tiara, steeped in tradition, that simultaneously dazzled while not obstructing her gorgeous smile as she walked the length of the abbey.

I loved the moment when the best man, Prince Harry turned to peek as Catherine entered the nave. He smiled and jovially turned back to William, still with his back to the aisle, and undoubtedly relayed how beautiful his brother’s bride-to-be looked.

I loved the moment when during the vows, Prince William shyly grinned after his new bride correctly repeated his long list of proper names. A daunting task his mother had famously flubbed during her wedding to Charles.

I loved Catherine’s entrance, her graceful poise and smile as she glided down the aisle with her father.

I loved the maid of honour, her sister Pippa, navigating the long aisle of Westminster Abbey in that drop-dead gorgeous dress, with two 3 year-olds at her sides. That was a feat!

I pretty much loved it ALL.

This might be my favorite picture from the wedding snaps so far:

This was definitely one of “those” memorable events in my life and I was totally excited to share it with my friends and family. I’m extremely grateful to my husband for putting up with me and to my daughter, mother in law and good friends for sharing this memory with me.

Thank you everyone, I promise to return to normal now.

Well, except for maybe talking about the Royal Honeymoon. I’m still betting on Mustique. Anyone care to make a wager?