Spring 2018 will definitely go down in history as a very important era for the British royal family. Kate and Will just had royal baby number three, Pippa Middleton announced her pregnancy, and most importantly, in case you didn't know, a very special wedding is about to take place!
With less than one month away from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day, the whole world is preparing to celebrate the real-life fairytale of the beautiful American actress and the dashing British prince. If you're an avid (read: obsessed) royals watcher like me, you definitely have May 19th marked down in your calendar, and you're counting down the days.
When I haven't been stressing over the end of the semester, I've been reading all the gossip about the details of the wedding and dreaming of flying to England to be there for all the festivities. While I'm still waiting to receive my special wedding invitation in the mail delivered by my homegirl Queen Elizabeth herself, I guess the second best thing to an invitation to the actual wedding is throwing my own amazing party here on this side of the pond!
As someone who still counts Kate and Will's royal wedding as a life-changing experience (fun fact: I actually even own a DVD of it #noshame), I am clearly an expert on how to get hyped for anything royal family-related. So bring on the fascinators, commemorative souvenirs, and Lifetime specials up the wazoo because royal wedding mania is here again!! From the days leading up to the event, to the big day itself, let this list be your guide for how to party like the true royal you are!!
1. Wake up at 7 AM with Britain and watch the wedding live!!
Coverage of the wedding will actually start at 4:30 a.m. EST on NBC, where Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie from the TODAY Show will be broadcasting from Windsor Castle, but the official ceremony actually starts at 12 p.m. in England, which is 7:00 a.m. over here in the 13 Original Colonies (aka the East Coast). But rest assured, for those of us who value our beauty sleep (aka not me because I have zero chill when it comes to royals and weddings), there will undoubtedly be re-runs of the ceremony at a later hour and plenty of coverage throughout the entire day.
2. Host a watch party.
If you're planning on having friends over to watch with you, you can either go the super-fan route and host a sleepover so you can all get up early and watch the wedding live, or you can host a super classy tea party and watch the wedding on your DVR later in the day. Whatever you decide, make sure it feels as authentically British and royal as possible (read on to see how!), and don't forget these cute invitations and some British-themed decor!
3. Buy this special Royal Wedding Harney & Sons tea.
Whether you're waking up early to watch live or having a royal tea party worthy of attendance by the Queen herself, this tea blend created by Harney & Sons especially for Harry and Meghan's wedding is sure to keep you feeling bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and perfectly royal! But if you can't get your hands on this white tea blend with coconut, vanilla, and rose petals, then a classic cuppa of Earl Grey (the queen's favorite, and mine too!) will do the trick! Pair it with a full English breakfast for you early risers, or scones and a traditional high tea spread for later on in the day, and you're bound to feel as British as ever.
Pinkies up!!
4. Bring out the fascinators, ladies!
5. Watch the Royal Wedding Watch on PBS.
Starting on May 14th and airing each night leading up to the actual wedding date, PBS is co-hosting a special series with BBC to get everyone pumped for the big day! Each episode will cover a different theme or aspect of the wedding.
6. Watch the Lifetime movie about the couple.
Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance premieres on Lifetime May 13th at 8:00 p.m. EST! Right down to the actors who really do look frighteningly similar to the real people, the movie version of this love story is the closest thing you'll get to being an insider on the royal couple. You already know this is going to be the sappiest movie ever, and that a lot of it may be made up, but honestly who can resist?? If it's anything like the cinematic masterpiece that is the William & Kate Lifetime movie (one of the best feel-good movies ever, you can fight me on that), it's sure to be satisfying.
7. Buy ALL the People Mags.
Yes, I still have all the Kate and Will People Magazines, and yes, they are for posterity and could even be worth a fortune someday!! So snag up that special edition Harry and Meghan People magazine, because you'll definitely want to relive this special time later on.
8. Find your own Prince Charming and live happily ever after!
Well, that's easier said than done, but if this fairytale could become reality for Meghan, then anything's possible for us American gals!! We can all take heart from Harry and Meghan's most unlikely of royal love stories, so for now, just sit back and relish the fact that dreams can come true and fairytale endings really do exist.
