A Royal Hoopla Restrospective

Dear Reader -  Well, the Lewes Royal Wedding extravaganza turned out to be one of those quintessential small town events that makes this one awesome. People had a blast playing with us throughout the day and taking advantage of the many ways to be a part of the festivities.

People paraded through the shop in their best hats and tiaras throughout the day, and the streets outside were filled with the charming "clip-clop" sound of the carriage-pulling ponies:

A whole passel of folks showed up for Lewes' own "royal wedding," officiated by our Mayor Jim Ford and organized by the folks at P.U.P.S. One of the grooms (Peludo, who is a regular guest here at biblion) and his bride stopped by the shop on their way to the park for the festivities:

I was thrilled (thrilled! thrilled!) with our own little corner of the hoopla. Since we didn't know what we were doing 'till that very week, we weren't part of the day's program - as such, I confess that I was beginning to wonder if folks'd find us in the midst of it all.

But they did! Over 40 people (based on the number of Champagne flutes lining the bookshelves) joined us to toast the wedding and the wonderful Margaret Caufield with a glass of Cava, and then we all proceeded to be entranced by her charming and informative self.

Margaret brought a wide cross-section of her royal memorabilia collection, including commemorative china, postcards, jewelry, and teatowels (thank you to Teri for taking a few pictures!):

 

Henry Evans from the Cape Gazette remained under her spell for a spell afterward, getting an awesome interview that appears in the Cape Life section of this Friday's edition (I'll link to it once it's posted on the Gazette's website).

We also included our "Book of Best Wishes" for the happy couple, giving visitors a chance to sign and to add a note, sharing their own sentiments for William and Kate:

This festive couple even grabbed a photo of themselves in the midst with it to help remember the day:

These two awesome ladies, Jill and Elle, signed the book as soon as they came in, and then, after roaming the shop for a bit, one of them (I think it was Elle) remembered that the last time they'd signed such a book was about a decade ago when they were visiting a tea shop up in New Castle County where the owners had a book of condolence for Diana. Poignant:

Elle and Jill were among the several playful guests who also added their "Royal Wedding Guest" names to our list (I learned of the guest name device from my friend Derek - your name starts with Lord or Lady, with one of your grandparent's names for your first name, your first pet's name as your last, and then "of" the street where you grew up). Here are some of alter-egos from Miss C and me and our guests:
- Lady Lucy Midnight of Melody Court (Miss C)
- Lady Florence Spooky of Angelina (yours truly)
- Lord Brian Lindsay of Edgewater Estates
- Lady Mary Midnight of Saratoga
- Lady Concetta Thumper of Maplewood
- Dame (an outlier, here!) Ethel Pepper of Moylan
- Lady Ethel Bayee of Sypherd
- Lord Frederick Duke of Tarlton
- Lady Cynthia Smith Jennett Snowy of Mickley
- Lord & Lady Moxie Van Pierce of Glendora
- Lady Lucy Ayers Buff of The Strand
- Lady Asha Parvati Beanie of Old Spring Lane
- Lord Nicholas Near Feldman of St. Peter's
- Lady Adelaide Beck Cuddles of Shawnee Road


It was fun. Truly  - Jenny

P.S. Had to include another wedding song - this time from a few of Miss C's and my favorite Brits: