Royal Wedding Fever in Newtown

Alarm clocks were going off earlier than usual Friday morning as people tuned in to the most talked about nuptials of the year.

Television coverage of the wedding of Prince William, heir to the throne of England and his commoner bride Kate Middleton began at 4 a.m. Newtown time, although with the use of DVRs, the festivities began for some on their own time.

Newtown resident Cathy Filiato hosted a group of friends for a wedding-watching party that began after her children boarded the school bus.

Filiato and partygoers Lisa Romano and native Brit Carol Branchflower sported hats in honor of the occasion while Heather Smith was resplendent in a jeweled tiara.

As the guests dug into the table laden with scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream, Cadbury Flake biscuits and other English treats, they tried their “royal wedding guest” names on for size. 

A status update making the rounds on Facebook urged users to create the name using Lord or Lady, a grandparent’s first name, followed by a hyphenated surname comprised of the name of the user’s first pet along with the street they grew up on.

Settling down with cups of tea and mimosas in champagne flutes, commentary flowed as the women watched the rewind of the events.

Talk turned to hats as Filiato and partygoers watched as wedding guests filed into Westminster Abbey sporting hats ranging from fanciful to downright bizarre, many of which were designed by English milliner to royalty and the rich and famous, designer Philip Treacy.

“I got mine at Cracker Barrel in Milford,” said Romano.

The talk even turned political as Kate Middleton’s brother James stepped to the podium to do a reading from the Bible.

“He’s so tan,” said Romano. “He can’t be British.”

“Where’s his birth certificate?” she quipped.

Elsewhere in Newtown, royal wedding fever was in evidence. At Klickers Hair Studio, stylists sported brightly colored fascinators. Toni Ribero said she got up early to watch, but missed the kiss.

“It’s fun (wearing the fascinator),” said Ribero.  “Anything to make a humdrum day better.”

Dayna Djonne swept into Starbucks wearing a black and white floral frock and matching oversized hat. Djonne, maitre d’ of the dining room at Maplewood of Newtown said employees all dressed up to celebrate the royal wedding. Residents likewise celebrated with Triscuits, tea and lemonade and competed in contests for “best hat” and “most bling.”

According to Lisa Whitmore of the UK Gourmet, royal wedding fever in Newtown started last week she watched as English-made foods and other products fly off the shelves.

Whitmore’s customers were planning various ways to celebrate the event. Some reported they were having sleepovers, while others were wearing their pajamas to parties and still others were dressing up. But all were wanting authentic products to give their parties that English flair.

Ready-to-bake scones in three flavors and Devon and clotted creams were big sellers, according to Whitmore.  On Thursday, customers calling in looking for the sold-out mini scones in Kate Middleton’s favorite flavor — sticky toffee pudding — and Prince William’s favorite — chocolate  — were told a new shipment of the treats were due in later that afternoon.

Julie Shull and daughter Olivia, a fifth-grader at Reed Intermediate School, watched the ceremonies and weighed in on it.

Olivia said she thought the wedding dress was beautiful.

Shull said, “I thought it was beautiful. I didn’t think I’d be as emotional as I was. It was nice to have a positive and uplifting event in the news.”