As you may have heard, England's Prince Harry is marrying American actress Meghan Markle this Saturday.
The festivities across the pond will of course be massive, but Southern Californians are also getting into the royal wedding excitement.
Watch Parties
For British ex-pats living in L.A., this royal wedding carries special significance, said Craig Young, founder of Brits in L.A., a group that helps Britons moving to Los Angeles adjust to life here and find a sense of community.
"When Harry first announced he was going to marry an American, Meghan Markle, we were very excited and very happy because most of us have made America our home and everyone seemed to be excited about the fact that America and Britain are going to be united in some way," Young said.
Brits in L.A. often celebrates events related to the royal family, like the birth of Prince George, and the upcoming wedding will be no exception.
"Brits in L.A. have partnered with the Cat and the Fiddle pub in Hollywood. We're going to do a royal slumber party because obviously it's in the middle of the night for us. We're suggesting that people wear fascinators, onesies or pajamas and we're going to give prizes to the best dressed," Young said.
https://soundcloud.com/taketwoshow/brits-in-la
Tickets for the slumber party are sold out, but you can head over to the Cat and the Fiddle for an 'Afternoon Tea Party' Saturday afternoon from 2-5 p.m.
And if you're set on a live viewing party, the White Harte Public House in Woodland Hills is hosting their own celebration from 3-6 a.m. on Saturday; tickets are $25.
If you want to host your own royal wedding viewing party, plenty of networks will broadcast the event and for all the cord-cutters, websites will stream it too. We've got a list here.
The Markle Connection
Meghan Markle is about to become British royalty, but her roots are right here in Southern California.
Her alma matter, Immaculate Heart High School, took some time this week to celebrate her with festivities on the school's grassy quad.
Honoring Markle isn't just about celebrating her wedding, said Callie Webb, communications director for the school. It's about her other achievements up to this point.
"Immaculate Heart has been proud of Meghan long before she met Prince Harry. She did an incredible job of speaking before the U.N. on behalf of women's rights and education for girls several years ago. So many of our students were aware of Meghan through that U.N. speech, as well as some of her humanitarian efforts," Web said.
Markle is a good example of Immaculate Heart's core values, which is why students there look up to her, Webb said.
"The school is really big on community service and Meghan, when she was here, she worked at a soup kitchen down on Skid Row... She represents what we teach all of our students, that we want them to become women of great heart and right conscience," Webb said.
https://soundcloud.com/taketwoshow/immaculate-heart
The school's "Here's to Meghan" party included tea party-esque refreshments with cookies and lemonade and speeches recognizing what Markle has accomplished.
Tea and Treats
If you're looking to salute Meghan and Harry's nuptials in proper British style, look no further than Pasadena. The Rose Tree Cottage will be serving a special royal afternoon tea on Saturday.
When Rose Tree's owner, Edmund Fry, moved to Los Angeles from London, he was disappointed by the tea selection so he decided to create his own.
"I used to work for Fortnum and Mason. Their specialty was their tea, and when I came here I couldn't find a place with a really good cup of tea with a really good tea leaf, and that's how it all started," Fry said.
This weekend's menu will include Rose Tree's special tea blend as well as a full spread of British specialties fit for a princess.
"[There will be] an assortment of finger sandwiches from Scottish smoked salmon, to roast beef to obviously English cucumber. And roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. We follow that with our scones, we go through 500 or 600 a day, and then we follow that with desserts. People don't go away hungry when they come to Rose Tree for tea," Fry said.
https://soundcloud.com/taketwoshow/rose-tree-cottage
And those aren't the only local treats being cooked up to honor the royal couple. Cupcakery, Sprinkles, will have a special Royal Wedding cupcake on their menu this weekend. It's a lemon blueberry cake with St. Germaine vanilla buttercream frosting topped with edible flowers.
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, which has several shops and food trucks across L.A., will also be mixing up a special flavor. It's got a sweet cream ice cream base, with swirls of elderflower buttercream frosting, and house-made lemon pound cake pieces.
And if you're more of a savory treat fan,
Countdown is on! #PinksHotDogs is serving up the #RoyalWeddingDog! Come and enjoy #2DogsIn1Bun #royalwedding #WhenHarryMetMeghan pic.twitter.com/8M0CIRPiLH
— Pink's Hot Dogs (@pinkshotdogs) May 16, 2018
has you covered. They're serving up a Royal Wedding Dog with two hot dogs in one bun.