A Commoner’s Guide to Throwing a Royal Wedding Watch Party
This Saturday, any committed Royal family fan will be glued to some sort of screen to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding day. But you’ll have to get up early to do it live: the ceremony starts at noon GMT, which is 7:00 am Eastern time—and the fanfare starts at least an hour before that.
If your invite was somehow lost in the mail, you might be thinking about hosting a watch party couch-side. Here are a few ideas to make it feel a little more special while you anticipate the arrival of the bride- and groom-to-be, their adorable niece and nephew (sorry to report that Louis is expected to stay home), and more VIP guests (Spice Girls?!).
Eat:
Start with scones: Because it wouldn’t be a British-themed party without them, right? Here’s a trick: you don’t have to pull an all-nighter to have them ready before Meghan Markle walks down the aisle (with who at her side is anyone’s bet). This recipe from our food site, Kitchn, lets you do all of the prep in advance and throw them in the freezer. All you have to do the morning of is pop them in the oven (feeling ambitious? Add clotted cream and some jam—but they’re delicious on their own too).
End with wedding cake: Prince Harry and the duchess-to-be are serving a not-so-traditional lemon elderflower cake. Here’s a copycat version from Kitchn. Cake for breakfast? Why not.
Drink:
Pour the tea: Start the day off with an English Breakfast variety (sweetened with milk and no sugar—like the Queen herself). You can find the classic Twinings on Amazon Prime in plenty of time.
And a little Tignanello: The wine did, after all, inspire the name of Markle’s lifestyle blog, The Tig (RIP). It might be 7:00 am eastern, but it’s… 12:00 London time (and that’s 5:00 somewhere, right?).
To buy: $98, wine.com
Or move straight to the champagne: A festive occasion calls for a toast (and it’s been said that Queen Elizabeth has a little every single day—who are you to mess with royalty?).
Be Married:
Feeling extra? Add some of these touches to your party:
Royal wedding bingo: Turn the whole thing into a game with eight different downloadable and printable cards. Winner gets an extra scone.
To buy: $5, Etsy.com
British flag toothpick: Stick them in the aforementioned scones or garnish a drink.
To buy: $11, amazon.com
Floral paper plates: You could go more literal with your paper products (the Union Jack, a tiara theme, etc), but we prefer these pretty garden party themed options—perfectly British and a nod to Markle’s love for flowers.
To buy: $9, amazon.com
Pajama set: If your party isn’t black tie, make like Markle’s Suits character Rachel and grab yourself a matching pajama short set.
To buy: $34, amazon.com
A Fascinator—or a Tiara: For the photo opps. Plus, appropriate headgear is a royal wedding requirement.
To buy:
Fascinator: $10, amazon.com
Tiara: $9, amazon.com
Slippers: If you want to blow the budget altogether, these extra-special slippers from one of Markle’s favorite shoe brands are just-right for a viewing party at home (and after, as well—Markle has even been known to wear her Birdies slippers outside).
To buy: $140, birdiesslippers.com