Royal Wedding!

I was quite lucky to be in London during all of the Royal Wedding madness.  And it was insane!  I've never seen so many Union Jack's at one time.

The Mall 

Upon advice from my good friend Liz Blackburn, I was told, that to get a good view of the wedding parade we needed to camp out beginning the day before the wedding.  So that's just what a couple of friends and I did.  We camped overnight in St. Jame's Park!

This is our campsite where St. Jame's Park meets Horse Guards Parade.  We picked our site because we had a great view the square in front of us and easy access to a toilet.

Carrie, holding up our souvenir flag

Chiara at our campsite!

We came relatively prepared, obtaining camping chairs and a tent and several blankets.  We also stocked up on tons of food and beverages.  This unfortunately was a rather cold evening, we all ended up buying another layer to keep warm with.

We certainly weren't the only one's camping either. 

In the foreground is my friend Kyann who came by to keep us company.  In the background though, you can see loads of tents set up.

On either side of us were Americans.  On one side was a couple who had flown in from Chicago just to watch the wedding.  The other side were the teachers from the American School up in St. John's Wood. 

The atmosphere that evening was so cool.  Everyone was excited and super friendly with each other.  We shared food and drinks and had a great time.

Carrie and I

Some friends who stopped by and had a few drinks with us.

The next morning was a bit rough, as we were all pretty tired from the night before (and a little hung over as well).  But by morning, there were loads of people around us, waiting for the big event.

And it became even more packed an hour or so before the procession began.

Here the three of us are, with front row seats!

Let the Show Begin!!

First to come through was the procession of cars going to Westminster Abbey from the Palace to Westminster Abbey.

Loads of the Queen's Guard everywhere

Princes William and Harry

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Pippa and the flower girls

Kate Middleton and her father



There were speakers throughout the parade route, so we were able to listen to the entire service while waiting for the return procession.  We also picked up a few official programs so we could follow along.

When the service was over, the royal family returned in horse drawn carriages.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Kate was absolutely beautiful and Prince William was quite dashing.

Pippa and the flower girls

Prince Harry and the flower girls

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Prince Charles, Camilla, and Kate's parents

All in all, I'm so happy I did this.  It's an experience I will remember forever.