A Toast to Kate and Wills: Cheers, Felicitations, and Best Wishes!

I’ve been singing Carly Simon’s Anticipation for days! I cannot wait for the Royal Wedding! The anticipation of the dress, the new and old traditions, the fairy tale… I am a hopeless romantic and like many American girls, I grew up on princess fairy tales: Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White… I am tickled pink to see my daughter enjoy them now. The girly girls in the house will be up early Friday morning to put the kettle on and enjoy the wedding of a lifetime.

 

I remember waking up early to watch Princess Diana get married with my mom. It’s as close to the fairy tale as we can get. It has been almost thirty years since the marriage of William’s parents who were married on July 29, 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Kate is the modern day Cinderella and everything you expect a princess to be.

I love that she is modest with a bit of mystery to her. I read she plans to apply her own makeup for the big day and take a car instead of a carriage. This sends a message that she’s proud to be a ‘commoner.’

I love Kate’s personal style; she is sophisticated yet daring and her ‘commoner’ confidence makes her seem relatable to every woman. She’s an athlete and an approachable role-model for women of all ages. I look forward to seeing her fashion influence on the world. Kate has a degree in art history, aspirations to be a photographer, and a passion for style. She was an accessories buyer for the popular British store Jigsaw.

Diana would have been fifty this year. I’m sure William’s mother will be watching and smiling down on her son because it is obvious Kate and William truly love each other. Like Diana, I don’t think Kate will be afraid to have a good time and laugh whole heartedly with the ones she loves. She seems less timid than Diana but equally as charismatic.

When I was in the fifth grade my parents took a vacation to England. When they came home, my mom had brought home tea. I remember her starting to make tea in the mornings and it was the best treat. Ever sense then, I’ve been a tea drinker. Tea is so iconically British. Most American’s like iced tea and the further south you go, the sweeter the tea. My roommate at the University of Alabama made a pitcher a day (it contained three cups of sugar). I prefer my tea hot and in a pot with a splash of cream.

I want to get my hands on Twining's Royal Wedding tea. I read it’s similar to Earl Gray, but lighter and more feminine. It’s a white tea with rose petals and bergamot. How nice does that sound? There’s always time for a good cuppa tea. Enjoying watching the Royal Wedding at four in the morning with my daughter couldn’t be a better time.

There are many popular English royal wedding traditions that we will be privy too on April 29^th. Did you know a bride of royal birth often wore silver? Princess Charlotte wore a silver lame dress over white silk and trimmed with silver lace. Can you imagine how heavy that would have been? Queen Victoria broke that tradition. I have a feeling Kate will wear white, but I am sure it will reflect her style and personality. I will be looking for Kate’s horseshoe (a tradition for good luck). Will she have an arm band, will it be sewn on to her dress or will it be jewelry?

The social media has been tastefully British- opening up the window just enough to let us have a peak but also keeping much mystery behind the royal doors. I have been following the Twitter page for Clarence House and find it to be exciting. There are constant updates, pictures, and videos about the Royal Wedding.

London will be the center of the world this Friday. All over the city and the UK there will be street parties galore. Most everyone wants to share in the happy celebrations of Kate and Wills. The earliest known street parties were around the end of the WWI with Peace Teas to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Street parties for the British are what Fourth of July barbeques are to Americans.




Photos: Princess Charlotte's silver wedding dress, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong Jones, Prince Charles and Lady Di.

I think it would be really fun to be at Disney World with my daughter. They are having a Royal Wedding watch pajama party with an English breakfast, Cinderella’s coach, tiaras, and more. We plan to do the same thing here at home but just imagine the excitement of all the little princess wannabes at Disney! I bought my daughter the dress up Rapunzel dress just for the occasion and we plan to wear our hats and drink tea.

It could be a very long time before we see another royal wedding. We should all take the time to celebrate it. Whether it’s Pimms or a nice cuppa tea…Cheers!