A royal party in Queen City

Clockwise from top left: The crowd gathered early in the morning to watch the nuptials live at the Hotel Saskatchewan. Royal watcher Donna Sanders was on hand dressed as the groom's grandmother. Beefeater Chace Bock (left, behind ladies) and Justin Nenson were a hit during Friday morning's event. Grandmother Shirley Warden, mother Kathryn Warden and daughter Alixandra Stoicheff came from Saskatoon to take in the event in Regina. And Emma-Grace Cameron, 9, brought her doll Jenna to watch the event on the big screen.

Clockwise from top left: The crowd gathered early in the morning to watch the nuptials live at the Hotel Saskatchewan. Royal watcher Donna Sanders was on hand dressed as the groom's grandmother. Beefeater Chace Bock (left, behind ladies) and Justin Nenson were a hit during Friday morning's event. Grandmother Shirley Warden, mother Kathryn Warden and daughter Alixandra Stoicheff came from Saskatoon to take in the event in Regina. And Emma-Grace Cameron, 9, brought her doll Jenna to watch the event on the big screen.

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post, Leader-Post

 

 

Royal wedding watchers in the Queen City flocked to the regal Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza early Friday morning to watch the televised wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William."It's the next best thing to being there," said Lori Good of Regina, who recruited a group of girlfriends to attend the soldout royal wedding tea, which got underway before 3: 30 a.m.
That sentiment was echoed by many of the 200 royal watchers who filled the hotel's tea room, lounge and dining room. A sea of fancy hats and feather fascinator hair accessories flooded the main floor of the elegant downtown hotel.
Young and old alike seemed mesmerized by the fairytale-like wedding.
Three generations of the Warden family gathered at the Hotel Sask to share the royal wedding experience -82-year-old Shirley Warden of Regina, her daughter Kathryn Warden, 60, and her 24-year-old granddaughter, Alixandra Stoicheff, both of Saskatoon.
"Everybody loves a love story," said Kathryn Warden, a journalist who interviewed both Prince Philip and Prince Charles while reporting for the Calgary Herald.
"I decided it would be a nice Mother's Day gift for my mother," she said. "And it's something that my own daughter could one day tell her children about -we celebrated in the Queen City at the hotel that the queen stayed at."
The Kaminski family -Dwight and Laura, and their children Karsen, 4, Karter, 7, and Karlene, 9 -described the royal wedding tea as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Four-year-old Karsen was up bouncing on his bed at 2: 15 a.m.. "He was excited. This is his first wedding," his mom said.
The Queen, a.k.a. Regina standup comedian Donna Sanders, arrived at the Hotel Sask at the same time Queen Elizabeth arrived at Westminster Abbey. For more than 30 years, Sanders has been entertaining audiences across Canada and the United States with her humorous 'regal speech.'
Dressed as the Queen, Sanders greeted royal watchers Friday morning and posed for numerous photos. But when she saw Kate Middleton appear on a TV screen, her focus shifted to the royal wedding.
"I'm going to cry," Sanders said, as her eyes began to tear up. "It's very moving, very exciting."
"If this had been any other weekend, I would have been in England," said Sanders, who arrived in Regina before 4 a.m. Friday, but had to be back in Moose Jaw by 8: 15 a.m. to attend an Order of the Eastern Star conference.
Attire at the royal wedding tea ran the gamut. Hotel guests were welcome to mosey down in their Hotel Sask robe, pajamas and slippers. But the majority opted to dress up in fancy weddingappropriate dresses and suits.
Eleven-year-old Erika Hallemann of Regina wore her fancy Christmas party dress and a hat from the Government House gift shop, which she'd received for her birthday.
Marian Lozinsky of Regina borrowed a hat that was made for a friend's 75th birthday. The large straw hat was adorned with a tiara and plenty of red feathers.
Roxanne Secco of Regina sported a hat purchased at the Government House gift shop, which she bought to wear to a Victorian tea wedding shower last year.
Connie Saelhom of Regina purchased a vibrant blue feather fascinator hair accessory at a local bridal shop specifically to wear to the royal wedding tea.
Didi Mccreary of Regina wore a large, fashionable hat, which her sister, Gillian Mccreary, created for a fundraiser to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Regina Symphony Orchestra.
Jackie Schmidt chuckled when asked about her eye-catching hat. "It's my Halloween hat, and I cut the spider off," she explained.
An avid hat wearer, Susan Swedberg-Kohli of Regina was right in her element at Friday's royal wedding tea. "I love hats," she said.
With a son getting married in England in a month, Swedberg-Kohli watched with keen interest as the royal couple walked down the aisle.
"The enthusiasm with hats was so much fun to see," said Donna Newman, who wore a stylish lavender hat.
Ella Tate celebrated her ninth birthday at the tea. She even got a chance to tour the hotel's royal suite, which is where the queen stays when she's in Regina. It typically rents for $1,500 a night.
A draw was made for a dinner for six, featuring a British-based menu, in the royal suite. The lucky winner was Kim Helfrick of Regina.
As they left the royal wedding tea at about 7 a.m., nine-year-old Ella Grace Cameron and her 11year-old cousin Kelsey Bilokreli were all smiles.
"It was exciting and wonderful," Bilokreli said.
"I like that Kate went to bed as a ormal person and woke up a rincess," Cameron said.



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