Harry's Wedding Bash: A Royal Guide

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding was a historical moment, with over two billion people tuning in to watch the ceremony. If you're throwing a party to celebrate the royal nuptials, there are a few things you can do to make it a right royal shindig. From food and drink to decorations and activities, here are some ideas to get you started.

Serve Meghan's favourite flowers, soft blooms like garden roses or peonies

To celebrate Prince Harry's wedding in style, you can serve Meghan's favourite flowers: soft blooms like garden roses or peonies. These flowers are renowned for their beauty and elegance, and will undoubtedly add a touch of royalty to your party. Here are some tips and ideas to help you incorporate these flowers into your celebration:

Garden roses, also known as rose bushes, come in a variety of colours and types. You can choose from blush garden roses, white garden roses, or explore bundles with names like "Pretty in Pink", "Peaches and Cream", and "Raspberry and Cream". These roses will bring a soft and romantic atmosphere to your party. You can use them as centrepieces, or create elegant bouquets to decorate tables or other spaces.

Peonies, on the other hand, are known for their spectacular blooms and rich fragrance. They are available in a range of colours, including red, white, pastel shades, and bi-colours like yellow and white. Peonies are excellent as cut flowers and are often used in bridal bouquets. Their large, delicate flowers and sumptuous petals make them a stunning addition to any celebration. You can display them in vases, or use them to create floral arrangements or centrepieces.

To save costs, you can try this party hack: add a dozen balloons and a tablecloth to any empty space, and you've instantly transformed it!

By incorporating Meghan's favourite flowers into your party, you'll be bringing a touch of her elegance and style to your celebration of Prince Harry's wedding. Whether you choose garden roses, peonies, or a combination of both, these soft blooms will undoubtedly add a touch of royalty and charm to your event.

Serve a high tea-inspired menu: finger sandwiches, pastries, and Meghan and Harry's lemon elderflower cake

To serve a high tea-inspired menu, you'll want to provide your guests with finger sandwiches, pastries, and, of course, Meghan and Harry's lemon elderflower cake.

For easy cucumber tea sandwiches, you'll need just 15 minutes to assemble the following ingredients: cucumbers, cream cheese, fresh dill, and white bread. You can also offer other varieties of finger sandwiches, such as those with egg mayonnaise or smoked salmon and cream cheese.

For pastries, you can opt for traditional British scones, which can be easily procured from your local bakery or made at home. Serve them with clotted cream and jam for an authentic English tea experience.

Now, for the star of the show: Meghan and Harry's lemon elderflower cake. This cake was a unique choice for a royal wedding, as traditional royal wedding cakes are fruitcakes. However, the couple opted for a spring-inspired cake covered in buttercream and decorated with fresh flowers.

To make the cake, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Unsalted butter at room temperature
• Caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Four unwaxed lemons, zest only
• Eight large free-range eggs
• Self-raising flour, sifted
• Ground almonds
• Elderflower cordial
• Fresh flowers and fruit, to decorate

The process of making the cake is as follows:

• Preheat your oven to 200°C and grease and baseline three 20cm loose-bottomed round cake tins with baking paper.
• Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
• Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour occasionally to prevent the mixture from splitting.
• Fold in the remaining flour and ground almonds, then fold in the elderflower cordial.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden.
• To check if the cakes are cooked, insert a cocktail stick or skewer into the centre; if it comes out clean, the cakes are ready.
• Transfer the tins to a wire rack and use a skewer to pierce holes all over the surface of the sponges.
• Mix together the elderflower cordial and lemon juice and spoon this mixture over the sponges.
• Allow the cakes to soak and cool in the tins for 30 minutes, then turn them out and let them cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, beat the butter with a mixer until soft, then gradually beat in the icing sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Beat in the cream and elderflower cordial.
• Assemble the cake by placing a spoonful of buttercream onto a cake stand, then laying one of the sponges on top.
• Spread the sponge with a layer of buttercream, then repeat this process for the second and third layers.
• Spoon the remaining buttercream on top of the cake and use a palette knife to spread it evenly over the tops and sides.
• Finally, turn the cake while holding a palette knife down the side to scrape away some of the buttercream so that the sponge is visible underneath.
• Decorate the cake with fresh flowers and fruit, and it's ready to serve!

This cake is sure to be a show-stopper and a delicious way to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding.

Play 'Suits and Fatigues', a competition with two teams: one in camouflage, the other in suits

If you're throwing a party to celebrate Prince Harry's wedding, there are a few things you can do to get into the spirit of the occasion. You could ask your guests to wear fascinators and their fanciest dresses, for instance. You could also serve Meghan Markle's favourite flowers, soft flowers like garden roses or peonies, and serve a high tea-inspired menu of finger sandwiches, pastries, and scones.

For entertainment, you could play a game of "Suits and Fatigues" to celebrate the couple's accomplishments. Divide your guests into two teams: one team in camouflage to represent Prince Harry's time in the British Army, and the other team in suits to represent Meghan Markle's time on the TV show "Suits".

Tug of War

Provide a thick rope and mark a line on the ground. Each team will need an equal number of players to pull on the rope, with the aim of pulling the other team across the line. This is a great option if you have access to an outdoor space and want to get everyone involved in a physical activity.

Touch Football

If you have a larger group and want to get everyone moving, touch football is a fun option. It's a less intense version of American football, where players touch the ball carrier instead of tackling them. Mark out a field with cones or other markers, and provide a football. Each team will try to advance the ball down the field and score points by reaching the end zone or kicking the ball through the uprights.

Checkers or Rock, Paper, Scissors

For a more relaxed option, especially if your guests are less physically inclined, you could set up a checkers board or have a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament. These games are simple to play and don't require a lot of equipment, making them accessible to everyone.

Other Ideas

If you want to get creative, you could also come up with your own unique competition. For example, you could have a dance-off, with each team performing a routine to a song chosen by the other team. Or, you could have a fashion show, with each team showcasing their best "suit" or "fatigue" looks. The possibilities are endless!

Make lemon elderflower cupcakes, or a cake, in homage to the couple's wedding cake

Lemon and elderflower cupcakes or cake are a perfect nod to Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding. The light and floral taste of elderflower, with a hint of citrus, is a delightful combination.

Lemon and Elderflower Cake

To make a three-layer 8" cake, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest from one large lemon
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup of milk at room temperature
• 1/3 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed from one medium lemon
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed from one large lemon
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest from one large lemon
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cubed

For the elderflower Swiss meringue buttercream:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2-4 tablespoons of elderflower cordial, to taste
• Elderflower cordial or syrup

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8" cake rounds and line them with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set this aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and lemon zest until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes).

Reduce the speed and add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Then, add the vanilla extract.

Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk & lemon juice, beginning and ending with the flour (you should add the flour mixture 3 times and the milk & lemon juice mixture twice). Fully incorporate after each addition.

Spread the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean.

Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon and Elderflower Cupcakes

Alternatively, you can make cupcakes with the same flavours. You will need:

• 175g of butter or baking spread
• 2 tablespoons of elderflower cordial
• 175g of self-raising flour
• 2 tablespoons of elderflower cordial
• White fondant, silicone rolling pin, flower cutter, and press (optional, for decoration)

Preheat your oven to 160°C Fan/180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4, and line a cupcake tin with paper cases.

Mix together the butter and caster sugar, ideally using an electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy. Add the elderflower cordial, lemon zest, and eggs, and whisk them in. Gently whisk in the self-raising flour.

Divide the batter between the paper cases and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool completely.

For the buttercream, mix the icing sugar and butter together using an electric mixer. When it starts to come together, add the elderflower cordial and lemon zest and keep mixing until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff, you can add a little milk.

Pipe or spread the buttercream onto the cupcakes and add decorations of your choice, such as fondant flowers, sprinkles, wafer flowers, or lemon zest.

Tips

• You can find elderflower cordial in most grocery stores.
• Elderflower is quite subtle, so taste as you add it to your buttercream to ensure you don't overpower the other flavours.
• If you want to add a pop of colour to your cake or cupcakes, you can add food colouring to your buttercream.
• If you want to make a larger cake, you will need to adjust the measurements accordingly.

Wear fascinators and your fanciest dresses

It's a royal wedding, so it's time to dress up! Tell your guests to wear fascinators—you can find them on Amazon for as little as $8—and their fanciest dresses. If they don't want to break the bank, suggest renting a dress from Rent the Runway, which carries brands like L.K. Bennett, a favourite of Kate Middleton's, for $75. Or they can opt for a steal from Revolve.

If your guests are feeling particularly festive, they can take inspiration from British culture and wear something themed. For example, they could wear a Union Jack dress, a dress with the British flag's colours (red, white, and blue), or a dress with a London-themed print.

For the men, they could wear a suit with a Union Jack print, or something more subtle like a suit with a red, white, and blue tie. They could also wear a traditional British hat, like a flat cap or a bowler hat.

If your guests really want to go all out, they could even dress up like the royal family! They could wear a prince or princess costume, or even come as the Queen herself.

So, don your finest attire and get ready to celebrate in style!

Frequently asked questions