Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard about or seen photos from the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which took place this past Saturday, May 19. What you probably
don't know is that Saturday, May 19 also happened to be my 26th birthday.
When the Royal Family first announced the date of the wedding several months ago, my roommate texted me and told me I needed to somehow incorporate the wedding into my birthday weekend. Never one to turn down a fun theme or a celebration, I created an event page on Facebook seconds later inviting my friends to "Princess Stephanie's Royal Wedding Slumber Party."
Yeah, you can say I had a little too much fun with the theme. This was the cover photo for the Facebook invite, created by my friend Erin:
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| What can I say? I like to go all out. |
And just like that, after months of built-up excitement, my "Royal Birthday" weekend finally arrived. My sister stopped by on Thursday night to help me shop, bake and decorate. We spent all night Thursday and all day Friday prepping (lucky for me, I got the day off of work). Here's what I purchased for the party and how I decorated the apartment:
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| On the coffee table: London candle, Bath & Body Works; Big Ben filled with Ahmad English Breakfast Tea bags; The British Shoppe. In the background: music by U.K. artists streaming all night on Spotify |
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| Ring Pops from Party City; Polaroids; more Princess Diana books |
Friday Night
Finally, on Friday night, my friends, sister and mom arrived at my apartment dressed in silky pajamas, crowns and pearl necklaces. We danced and sang along to music by some of the most iconic U.K. artists and bands, took pictures, drank wine, ate three boxes of pizza (and a box of cheesy garlic knots - I'm grateful Pizza Hut is down the street), ate a lemon cake (yes, the same flavor as the Royal Wedding cake) and watched The Princess Diaries before crashing on air mattresses and couches in the living room. The plan was to pass out at a decent hour so we wouldn't be exhausted waking up at 6:45 a.m. to watch the wedding, but somehow, we didn't fall asleep until almost 3 a.m.
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My best friend, matching my level of Extra.
On me: pajama slip, Victoria's Secret; gloves, Party City; pearl necklace, Target; crown, Amazon |
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| My dad was hesitant to walk into a room full of women drinking wine in crowns and pajamas, but he was a trooper and agreed to stay a few minutes for some pictures |
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| Our Royal Riley! |
Saturday Morning
Royal Wedding/My Birthday!
At about 6:30 a.m., my mom marched into the living room to turn on the TV and wake me and my friends up. It took a few minutes to feel excited to wake up early on a Saturday, but once I heard those English accents on TV, I was ready for round 2. We watched the wedding (alternating between ABC, BBC and E!) while enjoying Buck's Fizz (mimosas); Ahmad English Breakfast Tea (purchased at
The British Shoppe); homemade smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion and caper tea sandwiches; homemade scones with strawberry jam imported from England (purchased at
British Marketplace), homemade honey butter and cool whip; puff banger pastries imported from England (purchased at
British Marketplace), and fried eggs on English muffins.
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| Homemade scones (a friend's secret recipe) that tasted delicious despite their awkward shape; homemade smoked salmon tea sandwiches (recipe from BBC) |
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| Like mother, like daughter (my friends weren't feeling photo-ready at such an early hour) |
Cheers to a beautiful (and historic!) Royal Wedding and to turning 26 surrounded by people I love. It's a birthday I'll never forget!
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