Royal Wedding Breakfast

Apparently I was so inordinately excited about the Royal Wedding that I woke up at 3 a.m. to make sure I didn't miss a moment. After an unsuccessful attempt to fall back asleep (my alarm was set for 5:30), I got up and started watching the coverage when it began at 4.

I was glad I did! I loved every minute of it. The arrivals were fab. Even better were the pictures coming through from the neighborhood watch party hosted by my mom's friends in Florida. There is nothing better than trading 4 a.m. Facebook posts with your hometown buddies, including this picture of my favourite fourth-grade teacher and her nod to the queen.

My mom also gets a spirit award for her a.m. headgear. 

As much as I am loving New York, there are times when I really miss everyone in Quincy, so it was neat to be able to share in some of their pre-dawn fun.  

Back to the real hat parade. One of my faves was the large pink sombrero worn by Earl Spencer's fiancee (I think). It was so massive, it was hard to get a good look at her, but I am a sucker for pink. Unfortunately, can't seem to find a pic better than this one...

So, as I am incapable of fully declaring that my favorite look, I think I'll give this one my blue ribbon.

Elegant, and a fun color to boot. (On that note -- maybe Kate's mom thought she needed to play it safe, but I thought her blue-grey getup was just blah.) Speaking of color pops, I also loved what Joss Stone was wearing, right down to the red peep-toe shoes.

Not sure what's left to be said about Bea and Eugenie's Halloween costumes...

Really, girls? There's plenty of room to be creative without crossing the realm of bizarre. I'd love to know how much those creations cost. Until I saw Eugenie's figure-eight concoction, I thought this Dianne Lane lookalike on the left had taken the cake with the football bleu avec rose.

You can be unique without being completely off the wall. Reference Exhibit A below.  

Finally, I always adore what Prince Felipe's gorgeous wife Letizia wears. Those Spaish royals are pure class.

Speaking of Letizia, did anyone else think Kate's gown was slightly reminiscent of Letizia's from 2004? (Swoon as you will over William and Harry, ladies, I maintain that Prince Felipe truly is Prince Charming.)

And -- on the beautiful people note, how is it I've never seen these gorgeous Spencer cousins before? Stunning!

Anyway, for wedding breakfast, I scurried around the neighborhood (oops, neighbourhood) Thursday evening. Somehow no one had anticipated the run on scones. Really? I had to settled for some sad, dry Irish scones in a plastic bag. They were only one step above English muffins. But heated up and dabbed with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and/or orange marmalade, they did the trick. Snaps to Kurt for his presentation...

Kurt had come out of his room around 5:30 looking absolutely presh in his fedora. We enjoyed our scones with lots of tea while we watched the pre-ceremony buildup.

Kurt insisted I put on my hat so we were both properly attired for such an auspicious occasion... (Kurt, does this bathrobe make my butt look big?)

For our second course, Kurt toasted English muffins and cooked bacon in the toaster oven and made Welsh rarebit. For the uninitiated (like moi), that would be cheese sauce over toast. Add-ons like tomato and bacon are optional. You make a basic bechamel sauce and then add cheese, porter (dark beer), worsterchire and a dab of hot sauce.

We enjoyed it with wine glasses of sparkling orangeade. Such fun! Leigh Ann might have called this a "no carb left behind" extravaganza, but you can't beat a breakfast that combines sweet and "savoury" elements.

Maybe it's just the cheese talking, but I really loved watching the wedding -- all five hours' worth. I finally made myself turn it off at 9. I got a little teary-eyed watching both the moment William first saw Kate in the Abbey and the kisses on the balcony. There was just something so sweet and human about it. So, here's hoping happily ever after isn't just for fairy tales.