The September that I graduated from college and before starting grad school for the first time (1973), my mom and I went to England. The timing was fortuitous, because shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer and it was our last trip together. I didn't return until an extended layover with Rick six years ago. (But we're headed back in October!) So, my England is one of memories and history.
I have a pretty extensive collection of books related to England and the Royals, along with loads of Brit Lit, along with coronation cups, tins, plates and dishes that I've collected over the years. I decided to put it to use for the Royal Wedding.
My friend Carol was coming at the crack of dawn. Well, actually, pre-dawn, so the day before I made my scone dough (Marilyn's wonderful recipe from her "Tea Party in My Cupboard" book) and froze it to bake off and dipped the strawberries. (I knew a frozen quiche would have to do at that hour.)
I also got a few flowers for my garden and loosely planted them in some of my royal mugs.
This is the oldest -- Edward VII and Alexandra.
Here we salute the Queen.
The Charles/Diana cup went atop the Elizabeth/Philip tin. (Only fitting -- Harry's parents and grandparents.)
And this one, on the sideboard, was an error in timing -- the Coronation of King Edward VIII. And yes, if you remember your English history or watched "The Crown" you will know that never happened.
Mom's silver. Royal Doulton plates, atop a pink and white cloth over a crocheted lace confection. Do you recognize it, Linda? You should!
A little lemon curd and ginger marmalade (because Harry is, after all, as ginger as Gypsy was!), shortbread and tea and we were good to go.
Carol and I had our hats (Mine was a tad small and sat more on the back of my head!)...
...and we enjoyed the Royal Wedding Bingo from Thekittchen that I learned about from a host of Decor to Adore posts about the Royal Weddings present and past. (Laura's posts are a fabulous history lesson in themselves. If you don't know her blog and are into all things royal, check it out!)
Of course I took photos from the telly, even though I knew they would be much better if I just "borrowed" them from the internet.
I loved the ceremony but I wonder what the Queen thought. (Here's a fun fact -- Lizzie is named after the Queen -- she came into my life on Jubilee year.) Lizzie chimed in with a few meows, endearing herself to the allergic Carol! I love the pageantry of it all and the smiles, gorgeous music and Bishop Curry's exuberant homily. Oh yes, and Charlotte -- she's got the wave thing down pat!
And of course this photo -- fuzzy but so lovely. The thing I loved most about the dress was the very sheer train with the symbolic embroidery along the edge. It doesn't show in this photo but it was wonderful to see the tile of the chapel underneath the train.
It seems like recent weeks have been filled with bad news and sad things, both in ways more personal, affecting friends, and on a larger, more global scale. The thought of one more shooting on the Friday before the Royal Wedding (and apparently another later) just makes it feel a bit hopeless at times. It was lovely to see two people who do good things, who have had their personal struggles in the past, find happiness.
We all need a little happiness, a bit of diversion and love. Flowery hats and scones are good, too.
Sharing this week with Let's Add Sprinkles (Let's Keep in Touch) / Share Your Cup / Pink Saturday
49 comments:
I loved the wedding, too. It was so romantic.
I love your post Jeanie. You have a great fondness for England and you've prepared a perfect post depicting your 'adopted' country. You and your friend look lovely in your hats and I'm sure you enjoyed the beauty looking spread on the table. I'm sure when you return to England it will be a bit emotional given that was where you went with your late mom on the last trip together. Nonetheless I am sure you will enjoy it enormously and it may even give you some peace to be there again. Hugs. xx
You certainly went all out!
I have a teacup from Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee year and no one was/is allowed to drink from it. You had so much fun. Wish I had been there!
Sounds like you had a royally fun day.
You know how to celebrate a royal wedding! I agree, with the shooting on Friday the wedding was good news. We have been talking about it all week at work. Love your collection royal wedding memorabilia too. And finally, lucky you with a trip across the pond in the planning. I am sure you must be excited for fall! Hugs-Erika
I'm very impressed by your interest in royal weddings, and the way you celebrate them.
As for the Queen, she looks weary, as usually people of her age look. After all,royalty or not, she's human. Whatever her thoughts, she's done her part in english history, as well as she could.
I regret that I didn't think to have a royal wedding viewing party. I'm glad someone I know did celebrate the event. Like you said, there is so much bad and depressing news lately it was great to focus on something else. I loved watching the wedding on TV.
The best part of the wedding was the emotion between Harry and Megan!
Brilliant!
My grandmother was British (raised by my grands) and she named me after the Queen. I've never been to England, but I had planned to go the summer after my first year of college and take my grandmother with me. Unfortunately, she got sick on my birthday (April 22) and died two weeks later. I was heartbroken and put England out of my mind for many years. Now I would love to go, because I have SO many British and European friends, I keep their schedules.
I watched the wedding in real time starting at 3 a.m. my time. I was so happy to see the two of them together. I think Harry was more nervous than Meghan. I think they are the modern ambassadors of England and much more approachable than William, who must be guarded since he will one day be King, and Kate, the future Queen.
You have a fabulous collection. I have nothing like that, and I didn't even see the wedding between Charles and Diana, who I LOVED! Such a tortured soul, but who raised her boys to do the right thing and perform good deeds.
You put on a fabulous spread and it was fit for a prince and future princess. I believe they would have approved!
Glad you had fun celebrating the royal wedding with all the beautiful accessories you have collected over time, great idea to have a little get together for it. Have a great day, hugs, Valerie
Oh, that sounds bitter-sweet.
Just three months before my Mum lost her fight against cancer my Bro, Mum and I went on a holiday to Island Rügen and I don´t know if I can ever return.
My best teacher was from England btw. When we got bored with the school books he suggested "Surprising Stories". He spoke to us in German but once, saying here, we speak English only. You don´t know a word? Describe. In the language laboratory we didn´t go for boring texts, he played rock-songs.
Glad you had so much fun with the wedding! Astonishingly it was on tv all day here, too.
Yes, we all need a bit of happiness. They just showed commemoration in Manchester and I think it´s very strong the sang "Don't Look Back in Anger"...
Jeanie, what fun you must have had on Saturday watching the wedding. And you threw a party at the early hour! Your presentation is beautiful, how I would have loved to join you! I watched the wedding by myself, my hubby slept in! It was fun and definitely a much needed respite from the news! Happy Wednesday sweet friend!
Beautifully put, Jeanie. I've said to several cynics and general kill-joys that the Royal Wedding was a welcome good news story. And it did have a touch of the fairy-tale about it too. Love your collection - wow! And you certainly went to town - we just had a cuppa in front of the box... Good for them anyway - they are a lovely couple. Not that it sounds as though you need it, but did you know there is a list of kings and queens over on A Bit About Britain? - http://bitaboutbritain.com/kings-queens/
I have read about people having "royal wedding" tv parties - but you're the only person I know who actually did it! Brava! Everything looks beautiful (love, love, love your collection of mugs and tin!) and you and your friend look perfectly awake and joyful for such an ungodly hour! LOL.
You seem to be as enthralled with all things English as I am with all things French! I also enjoy visiting England - but France is my 'soul home!'
Thanks for sharing your royal wedding breakfast - I almost feel like I was with you!
I'm impressed with your celebration of the wedding. I woke up early and watched it all, but didymium more than that. I enjoyed it, Anglophile that I am.
The last Royal event I watched with rapt attention was Elizabeth II's coronation, in 1953. Of course Diana's death was compelling, and I do have a fondness for the Queen, but otherwise? I just can't -- there are so many other interesting things to do. I don't begrudge anyone their enjoyment -- not at all. It's just that some things -- like science fiction and the royals -- aren't very interesting to me. Some childhood trauma may be responsible for this lack!
Your collection of Royal memorabilia looks fabulous: I just love seeing the photos here. I'm not much of a collector, though I have one or two. And I did watch the wedding itself, though not the preliminary coverage. However, we didn't have any special breakfast. We had appropriate treats earlier.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
How fun you did this w/ your friend and what a collection you have..October will be fun!
I loved everything abouth this beautiful heartwarming wedding..:)Riley Sheehey posted a few paintings she did on IG..♥The lates is that famous view from above and someone coined it Diana's View..tears.
Yet again I am wishing that we lived closer to one another. I LOVE all of your memorabilia.
I love how you went all out to celebrate the Royal wedding, with all your royal trinkets and delicious food.
I have a huge collection of photos cut out from magazines that I pasted into scrap books, as well as magazines and books ever since Diana came on the scene. Now I still collect but not as much.
What fun! I really enjoyed the royal wedding. I thought she was lovely and it was a nice mix of America and England! What fun royal souvenirs you have.
Sweet how you celebrated their marriage, a mix of memories and nice time with your friend.
I love the Royal Wedding Bingo idea.
Have a great day.
I love your wedding celebration. Enjoy your visit in October, I know you will. I am going over in August and September to visit family. Look forward to your posts.
I didn't watch the whole wedding, but I did watch highlights of it on tv. It was lovely. The lemon curd and ginger marmalade sounds Yummy. Your hat looks charming on you, Jeanie. And you have quite a collection of Royal items to enjoy in your home. I'm not too familiar with the Royal family, but the one I did love was Diana. And I still listen to a music box I have with her sweet picture on the front.
~Sheri
I wish you were my next door neighbor Jeanie! Life would be so much fun!! Love your hat. Have a wonderful week.
What fun! You really did it up! Have you seen the YouTube video of the little girl who realized she wasn't invited to the Royal Wedding? Look up Lola who wasn't invited. It's adorable. There's about 3 minutes of her mom trying to explain to her why she can't go while she cries, trying to understand. So sweet!
Jeanie, you really went all out. I just sat my butt down on the couch a watched 7 hours of it and loved every minute. As I wrote yesterday, it is so nice to feel that all is right with the world for just a few hours. It is all so beautiful and even though I love the stiff upper lip and all that too, this was so relaxed and sweet and charming. Meghan's smiles are magical and there is nothing cuter in this world (except maybe my grandson) than Harry, now and as a little boy. I really enjoyed Bishop Curry and the looks on the faces of the royals was really fun. It was something different that's for sure and her dress was beautiful.. Yeah, now back to the real world!!..Happy Wednesday..xxoJudy
I love your posts. So right on! I got up and watched but didn't do anything special.
How fun! I must confess I opted to sleep through this royal wedding and watch it as it was played over and over and over haha! I went to a party when William and Kate got married but as I recall, theirs wasn't as early in the morning here as this one!
Wonderful Jeanie . . .
Perfect . . .
All the raw, not fun news happenings of late . . .
I felt blown away with love and sweetness . . .
And needed it . . .
I found it beautiful, charming . . . and loved the royal too . . .
Like all your English history, memory pieces.
And an October trip in the plans . . .
More Wonderful . . .
I love how you made a real celebration out of watching the Royal Wedding with your dear friend! Everything turned out so nice - your sweet potted plants in the commemorative mugs, the delicious looking treats and your adorable hats. I agree that it was a nice diversion from the usual sad news lately. A fairy tale come true. I stayed up all night to watch it, too. I woke the Mr. up a couple of times to look, but he wouldn't stay awake....haha! We both watched it together the next day, though. xx Karen
Oh Jeanie, I couldn't wait to come to your post; I had seen it off my phone yesterday, but I wanted to sit at my laptop to comment.
I FELL IN LOVE with England; actually, for a few years now, this love with England has been developing, thanks to social media that has allowed me to connect with British bloggers and Instagrammers. But I also owe my love for this place and the people to Netflix shows like "Escape to the Country" and "The Great British Baking Show." However, this wedding struck a cord within me. Yes, it was a "fairytale wedding" as most of us have coined the term, but why? For me, it was the inclusion of "commoners" - people of color from the bride to one of the preachers, to one of the most talented musicians to deliver such a moving cello piece.
The drive in the carriage through the narrow streets of Windsor left me speechless. I woke up early as usual, and had wanted to do exactly what you did - set up tea, sit back and simply enjoy. I had dinner guests coming that day, so I had to do some housekeeping, but I stopped long enough to catch the ceremony and the rest of the procession.
We witnessed the beginnings of a fairytale, and may each chapter of their story always turn to another with victory, hope, and love.
I love that you made an event out of the royal wedding! How fun! Paul woke me up at 5 so I saw some of the build up to the wedding. He was done eating and I was done pumping around 5:40 and I debated staying up to watch it, but sleep won out. I went back to bed right after Harry and William arrived. I was able to see a replay of it on PBS later that day. I LOVED Meghan’s dress. It was so elegant and beautiful. And the train is gorgeous. Watching The Crown has definitely given me a new level of understanding and appreciation for what it means to be in the royal family!!
I love, love, love how you and Carol watched the wedding. That looks so pretty, and like so much fun. I thought about getting up to watch it, but Nick had basically no interest, and it didn't sound fun to watch it by myself.
I'm mild obsessed with the royal family, so I love your collection, and your dedication. I can't wait to hear about your trip in October. We're currently saving for a U.K. trip ourselves. Neither of us have been, and it seems like a fascinating place.
I love that Lizzie is named for the Queen, too. So cute!
Jeanie it was so great to watch the Royal Wedding on the TV, I'm still smiling one week later. :)
What fun to have a friend over to watch with tea and chocolate strawberries! You have a wonderful collection of royal things!
Great post. I loved the wedding. I had hoped to watch it with Keicha, and we did watch it together later in the day because she recorded it, so I skipped it that morning. Then, I watched all I could find on YouTube. It made me want to get back to England.
Oh what fun! I loved reading about how you celebrated this very special occasion! How very special, for a very special occasion. I loved this wedding from beginning to end a took plenty of fuzzy photos myself! I wish this lovely young couple all the happiness in the world! xoxo
Yes, we do all need a little happiness once in the while and this one did the trick for me for one lovely day. Thanks for the shout out on the book and scones. I really enjoyed them this week when I made them for a tea party. Your party was so well thought out and so special, I wish I could have been there in my pajamas. I did end up getting up at 4AM and seeing almost all of the wedding.
It is a Cinderella story and I loved all of the service. It's become of interest to me lately because of Ancestry.com I found that 60% of my lineage is from Britain and greats were Lords and Lady's.
Ann
This was soooo LOVE-LY, Jeanie! LOVED hearing about your love affair with England. I've been an Anglophile all my life, and have always loved everything and anything about the UK. It's just one of those things. That I have some English heritage, could have something to do with it. And as I, and my sister suspect, there may be some Scottish heritage too, as I can't hear bagpipes with crying--the happy kind. ;) LOVE your festivity, decorating, and tea for the Royal Wedding... and BINGO--such fun! The Wedding of Harry and Meghan was so lovely.And I just LOVED the Rev. Curry's sermon!! And in times like these, when there is sooo much sad and depressing things happening the world over and in the news, a love story and happiness is a wonderful antidote. Royal or not, a love story is something we can all relate to... And love is what we need. :) ((HUGS))
You celebrated in style Jeanie. It was a wonderful day, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I watched but I didn't get up early. I had it recorded so I was able to fast forward through all the commentary by the reporters on ABC. They seemed a little star struck. I'll visit England this summer. I can't wait. Thanks for linking to Keep In Touch.
I've recorded it, but only watched half. So fun for you and your friend. You have a wonderful collection. We've been to Germany, Austria, Spain, Portugal, and Prague, but have not made it to England yet. I need too! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
I'm glad your friend came over to watch with you, Jeanie!
My husband was gone to California and it didn't even occur to me to invite anyone over for tea and scones!!! I did have an English muffin and later Jack'N'Box biscuit with my tea, but it wasn't the same. Love your tea party and your hats ~ very chic! The wedding was lovely... <3
Happy tea to you,
Barb :)
Happy Pink Saturday, Jeanie. Thank you for joining us and making Pink Saturdays special.
I loved, loved, loved the wedding. I thought everything was absolutely perfect.♥
This post is being featured on my Pink Saturday post this week as "the one that caught my eye".
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