Celebrating the Royal Wedding in Chester

While I’m no fan of the British Royal Family in general — and these days, really, who is? — I have always loved Prince William and Prince Hot Ginge Prince Harry. So when I found out I’d be in England for the Royal Wedding, I knew I had to celebrate in style!

There were two options: stay in Chester and celebrate with the Cestrians…or to travel to London and see the wedding in person. Dave was up for either option and had family in London if we needed somewhere to crash.

Celebrating in London would have been fun.  I would have loved being part of the community, cheering with everyone as the newlyweds smooched, and as far as London nights out go, the party scene would have been amazing…

But I didn’t want to spend the day squished, uncomfortable, cold, using porta potties, spending money on jacked-up food, lodging and merchandise, and more than likely missing the whole ceremony.

So we decided to stay in Chester.  And it was just as well — Dave’s parents’ neighborhood was having a block party!

It was a familiar scene, watching those freezing people in Times Square London as they watched the ball drop bride and groom wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.  We were thankful to be inside, nice and warm and sipping champagne hot tea and getting ready to dance all night dance all night.

Viewing from home?  Definitely a good decision.

The Royal Wedding was a national holiday, so nearly everyone had the day off!  (And since late April is flush with bank holidays in the UK, some people took the whole week off — or, if you were Dave, TWO weeks off!)

Everyone wore red, white and blue, and the street was covered with Union Jacks. (Two of the most festive?  A pair of American expats who recently got their British citizenship!)

People really outdid themselves on the food.

And the kids created some…interesting artwork.  Check out the rack on that Duchess!

I really liked being in another country overflowing with nationalism. You don’t see that very often — you see it during the Olympics or the World Cup, but rarely beyond that, unless you time your trip with a holiday.

By the end of the night, the kids were on a sugar rush and running around screaming, decapitating Will and Kate in the process.

We made the best of it.

I have to admit, I got a bit emotional watching the Royal Wedding. Prince William is a few years older than me, and I feel like I’ve grown up with him.  I felt the same way at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding last year.

You know, the Royal Wedding was one of the best weddings I’ve “been” to, so to speak!

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