Where to Celebrate Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding in Philly

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo by Matt Dunham/AP

Any royal wedding is a much anticipated event — it’s an alluringly grand spectacle that can’t be missed. Happening this Saturday, May 19th, the royal union of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, however, is an a big deal on this side of the pond because the bride-to-be is an American! Markle is the first-ever to enter the British royal family, which is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of this groundbreaking marriage.

For these reasons, and many more, the royal wedding shan’t be missed and must be celebrated. Below, you’ll find a myriad of ways to celebrate the royal couple-to-be. From watch parties taking place all over the city to tons of brunch and drink specials, there’s plenty of ways to get in on the fun.

Royal Wedding Viewing Parties in Philadelphia

A ROYAL SUITE AND VIEWING PARTY | Get set up like royalty at The Rittenhouse Hotel on the eve before the royal wedding. On Friday, May 18th, The Rittenhouse will be transforming their best suite into a royal wedding suite for the most opulent overnight viewing party complete with butler service, and once again in the morning for the actual ceremony. View live coverage of the royal wedding while you and up to nine friends (10 people total) enjoy a buffet-style breakfast and tea service, along with unlimited Pimm’s cup cocktails as well as a champagne toast for the happy couple’s first kiss. Contact the hotel here to book the suite.

ROYAL WEDDING TEA SERVICE AND VIEWING PARTY | In addition to their royal suite offerings, The Rittenhouse Hotel will be hosting their standard afternoon tea — in the morning, because of the time difference — in their beautiful Mary Cassatt Tea Room and Garden starting at 7:30 a.m. on the day of. The tea already includes a glass of sparkling wine, traditional tea sandwiches, scones, sweets and a stellar selection of teas. Unlimited Pimm’s cups and a commemorative cake will be enjoyed by all guests as well. Come dressed to impress because there will be a fascinator giveaway to the best dressed! Grab your tickets here — they’re $100 per person.

BREAKFAST AND ROYAL WEDDING VIEWING | The British Officer’s Club of Philadelphia is hosting a breakfast and viewing party of the royal wedding at the Merion Cricket Club. Kicking off at 5:30 a.m., folks will be gathering at the club to view the proceedings. Blazer, tie and summer dress attire are required. Tickets are $75 each; grab yours here.

EARLY BRUNCH AND VIEWING PARTY | Instead of their standard 12 p.m. opening time, The Victoria Freehouse, a British pub in Old City, will be opening their doors at 7 a.m. so patrons can watch the royal wedding live — and, of course, eat traditional English breakfast foods. On the menu is scones, treacle tarts, Cadbury French toast, and eggs Benedict with a Welsh rarebit hollandaise served on a garlic parmesan scone. YUM. The best part? There’s no cover charge to enjoy.

A ROYAL CELEBRATION IN FAIRMOUNT | The London Grill is hosting a watch party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and they’re encouraging all to bring their furry companions — especially corgis, which are a majorly royal dog in case you didn’t already know. This Fairmount spot will be offering discounts for all that show up dressed to impress — we’re talking fascinators, festive hats and more and will be featuring a specialty Gin Fizz in celebration of the big day.

ROYAL WEDDING ON THE BIG SCREEN | Watch history in the making — the union of Harry and Meghan — in an advertisement-free live stream, straight from Windsor Castle, on the big screen. Movie theaters in the Philadelphia area — King of Prussia, Somerdale, Bensalem and Warrington to be exact — will be showing the royal nuptials for the first time ever (really!). Search here for a theater near you.

Royal Wedding Food and Drink Specials in Philadelphia 

WINE-FILLED ROYAL RECEPTION | Old City’s Panorama will be hosting a royal reception in their wine bar from 12 to 2 p.m. They’ll be popping bottles of British sparkling wine, including the brand they will be pouring at the actual royal wedding toast. The afternoon will be pay as you go, with sparkling wine options starting at $13 a glass.

A THREE-COURSE DINNER FIT FOR ROYALTY | It’s no surprise that Stephen Starr’s British-inspired pub and restaurant, The Dandelion, is showing some love to their roots for the royal wedding. At 5 p.m., this Rittenhouse spot will be offering a three-course, prix fixe dinner full of many English classics (Yorkshire pudding, anyone?). It’s $55 per person for the dinner, which includes a elderflower lemon cake — just like Meghan and Harry’s — as well as a complimentary glass of house champagne. Call 215-558-2500 to RSVP.

BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS AND AN ENCORE VIEWING | So, not everyone is an early riser — and that’s totally okay — but that means they’ll be missing the live broadcast of the royal nuptials. Tavern on Broad is hosting a bottomless mimosa brunch — $15 with the purchase of an entree — from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plan is to show an encore of the royal wedding during the bottomless mimosa drinking.

A DRINK IN THEIR HONOR | Sip on a Harry and Meghan-inspired cocktail from the Stratus Lounge rooftop — the bartenders have created a cocktail dubbed “Harry Matrimony” in honor of the royal duo. The cocktail mixes gin with earl grey-infused honey, lemon juice, blackberries and mint, and is topped with club soda. Stop by the Kimpton Hotel Monaco and climb to the rooftop to sip on one of these royal concoctions.

Royal Wedding-Inspired Sweet Treats in Philadelphia 

ENGAGEMENT RING COOKIES AND DESSERT SHOOTERS | Hosting your own royal wedding watch party? The Sugary in East Falls will be baking up some confections in honor of the special day. On the menu are two dessert shooters: lemon posset with a blueberry scone crumble and Eton mess with berries and chamomile cream. $30 for a dozen. Additionally, engagement ring-shaped cookies will be offered for $5 each.

A TASTE OF THE ROYAL CAKE | As we all know by now, Harry and Meghan have announced that the wedding cake du jour will a lemon and elderflower confection — sounds pretty delish, right? Well, you can score a taste of something similar right here in Philadelphia in celebration of the royal wedding at Cake Life Bake Shop in Fishtown. They’ll be slinging cupcake versions of the cake for $3.75 a pop.

Royal Wedding Celebratory Activities in Philadelphia

MAKE YOUR OWN FASCINATOR | From a fashion perspective, one of the most unique facets of the royal wedding is the fascinator. Fascinators are essentially smaller, lighter and more intricate hats that only cover a small portion of the head. Sometimes, they’re pretty funky; other times, they match the wearer’s outfit perfectly. On Wednesday, May 16, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Logan Hotel, create your own fascinator and be prepared to dress to impress for your viewing of the royal wedding with tips from a local fascinator expert. It’s $25 to reserve your spot, which you can do here.

TOUR ROYAL HISTORY IN GERMANTOWN | After watching the royal wedding in the morning, spend the afternoon touring Philadelphia’s own little slice of royal history. The Cliveden, a historical site in Germantown, is home to a unique, and slightly curious, artifact of Queen Victoria’s wedding from 1840: crumbs from her wedding cake. How did that come to be, you might wonder? After Queen Victoria’s wedding, pieces of her cake were given out to attendees and the public as wedding favors. One piece was obtained by a prominent Philadelphian, Anna Maria Rush, who sent them along with a letter to her friend, Anne Sophia Penn Chew. A copy of the letter and the crumbs will be on display in the Cliveden house, which you can tour from 12 to 4 p.m. for $10. The best part? Save your ticket from the tour and score a free Harry and Meghan-inspired cupcake from The Frosted Fox. 

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