My Trip to the Royal Wedding!

I know it's been awhile, but I've been so busy since I returned from Europe with weddings.
BUT I just had to post about my Trip to the Royal Wedding!

We got in on Tuesday, and went from the airport to Westminster Abbey. Got there with about two hours left before they closed it until after the wedding. I got to walk the long aisle...about a 3 minute walk.  I couldn't believe the number of lights, cameras, cabling, and tv's set up inside. Very strange in this historic setting.

Not allowed to take photos inside unfortunately! So we moved on to the store and bought several souvenirs....including my royal wedding tea cup that I use everyday.
 

The first guy (see below) had just set up camp outside the Abbey when we got there.  He talked to so many tv crews and I've since seen  him in several magazines. We went each day to check out the crowds, and the signs some people set out were amazing, touching, and funny!

The amount of media coverage was insane...here's the grandstand out front of the Abbey.

 After our quick Abbey tour...we were off to site see...but couldn't get away from the royal wedding...it was everywhere.

Then finally it was the day of the wedding.  It ends up that not many people were camping out along the whole route all week....only in front of Westminster Abbey. So we didn't have to camp out ourselves.  We got up early (4 am..not so bad)  and made our way to The Mall (the main road leading to Buckingham Palace) and found front row seats. Bought some memorabilia including flags, and the official wedding program. It's amazing how close we were, we were only a little over a car lane width away really!

The crowds were so nice....we traded hats, people passed around cake....a total air of excitement. 
We would cheer for anyone driving by, including the street sweepers who waved at us with their "royal wave" smiling all the way.

Finally, it was time, and the energy of the crowd really took over...you would know when someone was coming...the cheers would come in waves....then after a car went by everyone would be beaming at how exciting it was to see " fill in royal name here", how they looked etc...  The buses of guests would drive by waving and taking pictures of us as we did the same.  We would follow along from our list of who was next in the car processional...oh, it's just the "minor" royals, now the "major royals"...at one point we thought we saw Lady Gaga, but it was just Princess Beatrice in that crazy hat.

We tried to stream it all live, but with so many people there was NO way that was happening. My sister's husband called us and would give us updates..."the Queen is leaving, she's wearing yellow"...we'd pass the news to the crowd, and a few moments later there she was. 

Without the live feed we listened to the ceremony over the speakers they set up in the park, and followed along in our official program...singing, standing, sitting, reciting along with everyone else who attended.  Of course, there was the huge cheer when they were pronounced which was incredibly loud, and then the laughter right after at the shock of how loud we were.

We waved our flags and cheered as the carriages went by ...William and Kate waved right at us!!!! She was even more beautiful in person than in photos...how that's possible I don't know?

We'd had our fill of crowds, and knew we wouldn't be able to get close to the Palace to see the big kiss. So we made our way to the park behind us for a Pimm's (apparently as much of an English tradition as tea....only this is some kind of alcoholic fruit, cucumber and mint concoction...very refreshing, but more than one and you could be in trouble!). We relaxed and waited for the fly over which was low, loud and directly overhead...another exciting moment.  Then headed home to do it all over again...to actually watch the whole thing from the comfort of a couch!

 

 

 

I skyped with Channel 9 news during the week and as I told them right after the wedding...beaming ear to ear....it really was even more exciting than I ever could have imagined!

Royal Wedding - Did you see me?

I'm back from my trip, and finally getting a chance to blog about it.....did you see me on tv?
Here's another link to see me on Channel 9 News doing an interview the day we got to London!



Why do they always stop the video when you make a funny face? LOL!

Royal Wedding Countdown: Congratulations Will and Kate!

Congratulations to Will and Kate!

I'm pre-posting my wishes to the couple since I'm out there in the London crowd right now...did you find me on tv (it's like the incredibly hard, live version of Where's Waldo!)?

I hope you all are having a wonderful time celebrating.

It's a holiday in London, and they are letting the pubs stay open later, so I'm sure it will be an amazing night for everyone!

Royal Wedding: Americans Invade London

Check us out here on Good Morning America!

Royal Wedding Countdown (4 days): I'm headed to London!

The BIG Countdown!

My bags are packed and I'm headed to London! 4 days until the BIG Day!

I've got the plan, the hat, and I'm ready to go!  

It's amazing how 1 couple can have such an amazing impact on the world.

I hope you have a plan to celebrate with them....are you having your own party with a spot of tea perhaps, a bow ties and tiara party?  Are you getting up early to watch?

I can't believe everything that is out there that is royal wedding themed.

I did have to partake in some Bath and Body Works Liplicious "If the Tiara Fits"...they have a whole line of anti bac and lip glosses just for the Royal Wedding. 

Well, I've got a plane to catch!
As soon as we land we are rushing to Westminster Abbey before they close for the rest of the week. Wish us luck!
Have a great week and enjoy. 

I'd love to hear about your plans, so let me know how you joined in the celebration?

Royal Wedding Countdown (5 days): Tweet the Royal Wedding

The BIG Countdown!

1 day until I leave for London, and 5 days until the big day!

Oh how I love twitter! You know that I'll be tweeting during the Royal Wedding...www.twitter.com/ccjulie

BUT  according to The Telegraph here are the Top 20 Best Royal  Wedding Tweeters 

I'm re-listing a few:

1. Royal Wedding - The account dedicated to the most anticipated wedding in decades will be tweeting regular updates with links to relevant news stories.

2. The British Monarchy -The official British Monarchy Twitter account is guaranteed to bring you all the latest news on the royal wedding.

3. Clarence House - The person running the account will be tweeting updates and exclusive pictures of members of the Clarence House household throughout the day, including groom-to-be, Prince William.

4. BBC Royal Wedding-This is the official royal wedding Twitter channel from the BBC, which also interestingly features regular links to blog posts published on the BBC America website for a different perspective.

Of course there are hashtags too: #royalwedding and #rw2011

Royal Wedding Countdown (6 days): Let Them Eat Cake!

The BIG Countdown!

2 days until I leave for London, 6 days until the Royal Wedding!

Fit for a king...

A celebration following the ceremony will take place at Buckingham palace for about 660 guests.

That's going to be quite a cake!

The cake designer will be Fiona Cairns and McVities' Cake

So it's going to be a traditional fruitcake for the wedding cake, and it sounds like Prince William will have one of his favorites ...a chocolate biscuit cake. I'm not sure what that is, but again, with plenty of time to discuss it while I camp out, I'm sure I'll find out!

Here's a link to hear more about the wedding cake from Fiona Cairns.

Royal Wedding: Did you see me on the news?

This morning I was on Channel 9 News talking about my upcoming trip to London for the Royal Wedding!
Check it out here.  I'll be talking with them next week too...so keep an eye out! Be sure to follow me on twitter for the latest updates, www.twitter.com/ccjulie

Royal Wedding Countdown (7 days): The Language of Flowers

The BIG Countdown!

3 days until I leave for London, 7 days until the Big Day!

Much like the dress designer, the florist is also a big secret!

We've seen on the royal website that Kate is following the Language of Flowers in selecting flowers for the wedding cake....so I would like to think she is probably doing the same for her personal flowers.

The Language of Flowers is from Victorian times, and is a way to express your emotions in a coded way when you gave someone a lovely bouquet.

Apparently the couple has chosen the following flowers for their cake:

Lily of the Valley

Bridal Rose- for happiness

Oak and Acorn - strength and endurance

Lily of the Valley - Sweetness and Humility

Plus the 4 National flowers:

Shamrock for Ireland

Thistle for Scotland

English Rose

Daffodil

For Kate's bouquet, I could imagine a beautiful white bouquet with lily of the valley, a variety of English Roses, and gardenias to make a lovely English garden bouquet that smells amazing!

I'm thinking that Simon Lycett (who did Prince Charles and Camille's flowers will have a part to play), but, it's really anyone's guess!

Royal Wedding Countdown: Watch for ME on the News!

Look for me Friday morning on Channel 9 News...around 8:40 am (approximately).

I'll be talking all about my upcoming trip to London for the Royal Wedding, what we might see, and what trends will be coming after the Big Day!

Also more exciting coverage of our trip on a national level!!! Will share when I can.

Royal Wedding Countdown (8 days): The Cinderella Moment

The BIG Countdown!

4 days until I go to London, 8 days until the BIG day!

What's your fairytale wedding moment?
When I think of fairytale weddings, I think of Cinderella in that glass pumpkin!  I may have to go to Disney and get my hubby to renew our vows just so I can ride in that glass carriage....some of us just love that princess moment.

Going to the chapel will be a little less regal for Kate.  Since she's still a commoner at this point, she's saving that princess carriage for after the ceremony. The procession to the church will  be in the State Car collection which includes two Bentleys, three Rolls-Royces and three Daimlers.

For their return to Buckingham Palace they will take one of the following:
The 1902 State Landau

or in case of bad weather, the Glass Coach (which apparently many are hoping they will take anyways, hmm I still vote for the open top!)

Which one do you think makes a better fairytale moment?

Royal Wedding Countdown (9 days): The Party in the Streets

The BIG Countdown!

5 days until I leave for London, 9 days to the Big Day!

It's going to be a party in the streets...

As a planner, I like to have a plan!   So, right now I plan to head out to the procession route on Thursday after dinner....I can't find anything that says people will be camping out or not...but just look at the number of people in the streets from Lady Di's wedding. Can you imagine all that traffic heading in to town the morning of the wedding?  Hmm, worried maybe I need to head out sooner?

I've picked a spot along the procession route, and once the carriages go by I'll head over to where they will have large screen tv's out to watch the ceremony and then run back to watch the married couple ride by.  That's the plan (if I can squeeze through the crowd!)...we'll see?  

Make sure you follow me on twitter for the live updates!

www.twitter.com/ccjulie

I might have to see if I can make my way to Buckingham Palace to see the couple on the balcony do their first kiss.

Sounds like there will be a flyover Buckingham Palace (from the couples webpage, http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/) . "This will consist of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight‘s Lancaster, a Spitfire and a Hurricane; followed 30 seconds later by two Typhoons and two Tornado GR4s in box formation."

I love flyovers...don't want to miss that! Hmmm...wish I could be in 3 places at once?

Royal Wedding Countdown (10 days): The Music..you can download it!

The BIG Countdown!

6 days until I leave for London, and 10 days to the big day!

Westminster Abbey

The BIG Musical Download.....

Lately I've seen a lot of couples walking down the aisle to more contemporary songs played by string quartets...songs from the Beatles, Coldplay, etc. From the looks of it, I think Kate and Will will be heading for a more traditional route!

For the first time ever a Royal Wedding ceremony will be recorded and released for purchase.

On May 5th, around the world, you will be able to purchase the Official Album of the Wedding.  It will include a collector's booklet that outlines the order of the service, the readings, vows, hymns and blessings, and all the music from the day.

Right now the couple has several musicians confirmed to play for their big day...

The Choir of Westminster Abbey, The Chapel Royal Choir, The London Chamber Orchestra and The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force which has composed a new fanfare for their day.

Sounds like the couple will have quite the mix of more traditional music.  Guaranteed that you will see a lot of wedding trends come from this wedding, and I wonder if it will lead to brides walking down the aisle to more traditional songs? What do you think?

Royal Wedding Countdown (11 days): I Just Need a Good Hat?

The BIG Countdown!

7 days until I leave for London and 11 days and counting until the Royal Wedding.

Fascinators and Feathers.....
Now I'm not sure what the story is about the whole feathery, headdress fashion you see at special events in London?

I absolutely will be inquiring about this tradition during the many hours I will have to make small talk while camping out to get the best seats possible along the processional route for the Royal Wedding.  Such amazing hats, and fascinators (the comb or headband with sparkles and feathers on them) are available.

I don't know where the tradition came from, but I like it! I say more heads full of plumes and sparkles at American weddings!

Check out a few of these Kate has been spotted in....

Now, I'm off to go find my own hat for the Royal Wedding...I'm thinking colorful and big so you can spot me in the crowd! BUT where to find such a fanciful hat in Denver?????

Royal Wedding Countdown (12 days): Hysterical Royal Wedding Processional Spoof

The BIG Countdown!

8 days until I leave, and 12 days until the BIG day

T-Mobile is celebrating the Royal Wedding with a hysterical spoof of the processional...love Prince William's big entry!

Royal Wedding Countdown (13 days): Sign the Royal Wedding Guestbook!

The BIG Countdown!

9 days until I leave and 13 days until the BIG day! 

Have you signed ABC's Royal Wedding Guestbook?

Click Here

Heart-warming to just read the entries.

It's just incredible how this one couple has affected so many.  I know I'm thrilled, and obviously can't wait to jump on the plane, party on the streets, gather all the memorabilia...and watch a fairytale wedding!

Royal Wedding Countdown (14 days): Fun Facts of Past Royal Weddings

With so much attention focused on England and 1 specific couple, I thought it would be fun to take a glimpse at a few of England's other royal weddings, with a few interesting facts about each. England knows how to do pomp and circumstance...and I can't wait to see what the newest royal couple will add to the wedding trends for the next year!

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip- Nov. 20, 1947 (married at Westminster Abbey)
Opulent for the time, her train was 15 feet long; her veil was held in place by her grandmother's tiara.

They used Prince Phillips ceremonial sword to cut the 9 foot tall wedding cake.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer- July 29, 1981 - St. Paul's Cathedral

Probably the most well known royal wedding... until 11 days from now.

Much like the upcoming wedding, Lady Diana's dress was a well kept secret. The designer's for Di's dress would put decoy scraps of fabric in the trash; it was put in a safe at the end of each day and guarded by 2 guards; and the designer's even created a replica dress in case the original idea was leaked out.

Diana's train was 25 feet long, and the veil had 100 yards of netting that was fastened to a Spencer family tiara.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson- July 23, 1986 - Westminster Abbey

The bride had  an A -- for "Andrew" -- monogrammed on the bottom of her 17-foot train, in addition to her personal coat of arms, a bumble bee, an anchor (in honor of her husband's naval affiliation) and a rose embroidered on the train.

There is much speculation about if Kate will follow the same tradition for her veil as Sarah.  Since Sarah walk in to the church as a commoner and transitioned to royalty during the service, she covered the tiara with a crown of gardenias, and removed them to show the jeweled tiara after the service.

Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles - April 2005, a civil service at Windsor Hall followed by a celebration with 800 guests at St. George's Chapel

Her bouquet, in keeping with royal tradition, contained yellow, white and blue primroses and lilies-of-the-valley from the Queen Victoria gardens at Highgrove.

Royal Wedding Countdown: 15 days and counting!

I AM IN LOVE with this engagement pic!

So these two are pretty comfy in front of the camera, with all the paparazzi and craziness that surrounds them I guess they have to be.  Of all the pictures of them from their engagement I just think that this one is the most natural, and probably reflects who they are best. I think it's adorable!

  How about you...are you doing an engagement session? You probably don't have paparazzi following you, so it's a great way for you to get to know the photographer and get used to being in front of the camera.

THE BIG COUNTDOWN...15 more days!

So we are entering our big countdown to the Royal Wedding. I leave for London in 11 days and have been busy scoping out where I'm going to camp out to watch the processional as well as watch on the big screen in Trafalgar Square with a few thousand of my closest friends! It's going to be be an amazing experience!

Like most engaged couples Kate and Will have a wedding website (how about you?).

You can read more great info about Will and Kate's amazing day at:

http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/

Be sure to look for me in the crowds as you watch the royal wedding!