Buckingham Palace cordially invites you to ...
... stay the heck away from the royal wedding.
Only about 1,900 invites went out to the big to-do at Westminster Abbey, which begins at 6 a.m. EST April 29. That leaves the rest of us back here having to make do.
Fortunately, the choices for celebrating (or at least being awake for) Will and Kate’s nuptials are just that: choice.
Tea time
“We think everyone is looking for a touch of royalty,” said Simon Rusconi, general manager of the St. Regis Atlanta, where afternoon tea all this month is getting a royal wedding reboot. From tuxedoed, white-gloved butlers pouring Laurent Perrier champagne to sumptuous little pastries cleverly crafted to resemble Big Ben’s face and the bride’s blue sapphire engagement ring, it’s a lush, unhurried way to get in the wedding watching frame of mind.
Or perhaps recover from it, suggested Rusconi, noting the large number of advance reservations for the afternoon of the early-morning wedding. Best of all, the price — $48 per person — won’t require hocking the crown jewels. Reservations: 404-563-7910 or www.stregisatlanta.com.
VIP treatment
Meanwhile, the reception’s the best part of any wedding and the “Royal Wedding Reception” being organized by the British consulate-general in Atlanta promises not to disappoint.
The event, at the Crown Plaza Ravinia hotel, is a chance to rub fancy dress elbows with Consul-General Annabelle Malins and VIP guests like Gov.
Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. You’ll also dine, dance and watch video highlights of that morning’s wedding ceremony — all while raising money for a cause close to the bride and groom’s heart.
“The royal wedding announcement has been a great good-news story and we wanted to respond to that,” Malins said about the April 29 event. It benefits the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which helps seriously ill youngsters in both the U.S. and the U.K. “Both Miss Middleton and His Royal Highness Prince William are patrons of this charity. They discussed early on the idea about giving to charity instead of wedding gifts.” Information and reservations: 404-954-7700; www.ukinusa.fco.gov.uk (click “about us,” then “other locations/Atlanta”)
An all-nighter
For those looking to start celebrating early, the W Hotel in Buckhead is offering a Royal Wedding Package that includes overnight accommodations on April 28, a specialized wake-up call so you don’t miss the “I do’s” and VIP access to a hen and stag night party (the Brits’ versions of our bachelor’s and bachelorette’s bashes) at its Whiskey Blue bar.
And for any other couples so inclined, a W concierge is available to officiate at their weddings during the party, the hotel says.
No word yet on whether the doorman’s a divorce attorney available to spring into action the morning after. Information and reservations: 678-500-3100; www.atlantabuckhead.com (click “special offers”).
