Most of the shops I've seen have had some sort of "wedding sale," and there are loads of commemorative items for sale. You've got the standard fare, like china, mugs, buttons, and flags. Then you've got some... stranger items. Like a china KFC bucket.
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| From trendsetter.com |
And check out this list from Cosmo. Seriously, who is buying the bathing suits?
Anyway, sales and merchandise aside, I haven't heard much about the wedding. Some people I know have mentioned it in passing, but they've never lingered on the topic. I don't know if it's just not an interest to the people I know, or if the English in general aren't bothered about it.
That's not to say that nothing wedding related is going on in our area. On the Wednesday before the event, there was a high tea celebration in town. I bought a ticket and a fascinator, and arranged for a babysitter for Clara. I was excited to dress up and go to tea.
And Miles got sick on Wednesday morning. Poor kid missed a class trip, so he was disappointed also.
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| I was already dressed... |
The kids' school had a special tea party the day before the wedding. There were decorations, biscuits, and a general air of excitement.
The Royal family made an appearance at drop off.
And the children had researched the states of the US as well as the counties of England.
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| They hadn't yet put up the US decorations when I was there |
Near the end of the school day, the kids gathered in the hall for tea. The school had invited some seniors from a nearby care home, and the kids sang for them. Lily was chosen as part of a small group that sang the British national anthem . Unfortunately, there wasn't room for parents to attend, so I didn't get to see, but the teachers said she did a beautiful job. For me, the best part of the day was that the excitement really wore them all out, and they slept very well.
I did look online to see if there were any events nearby. There was one pub and one church that had something going on, but that's all I saw. We were just planning on watching it on TV anyway, so I didn't mind.
I did order these sausages, and set them out with blueberries and pea chips for the kids.
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| Sweet ginger and American mustard flavor |
We waited until nearly 10am to turn it on, and immediately Lily was fully absorbed. She loved seeing people dressed up, and pointing out the unusual hats. She was excited when Harry appeared, then the Queen, then Meghan, and she was undistractable until the service was finished.
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| She piled the cushions up so no one could block her view |
I found myself sucked in too. I found the American bishop particularly interesting. I haven't been to many church services here, but the English are way more reserved than that guy. Some attendees looked like they were trying not to giggle, and I wonder what the Queen thought of the sermon.
We went to a birthday party in the afternoon, and a few of the other parents did ask if we'd watched. And their impression of the American bishop was, "Well he definitely wasn't English!" (But the tone seemed lighthearted, not overly judgemental.) I also participated in a group chat with a few friends, and we happily chatted about the fashion and celebrities. So despite the lack of pre-wedding talk, there was much to be said afterward.
In all it was a lovely ceremony to watch, and I'm glad we did it in our own casual way. The couple looked very much in love, and I wish them a long and happy life together (you know, because they care what I think).
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