All members of Calvary Episcopal Church have been invited to the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday.
Well, more precisely, they've been invited to watch a recording of the wedding at the church that evening. Still, if you're a fan of the royal family and can't fly to London to see the event, it might be the next best thing.
The idea for the party came from Edna Mezacapa, the wife of the Rev. Nicklas Mezacapa, known by Calvary parishioners and friends as "Father Nick." Edna is of English descent and thought a wedding party would be fun, he said.
"Folks were joking around here, saying, 'I haven't gotten my invitation to the royal wedding yet, have you?' ... So, we found the royal wedding invitation … and our office manager put it into the monthly newsletter and sent it around to the whole parish. So, everybody was invited to the royal wedding," he said.
Of course, the location on the invitation was changed from Westminster Abbey to Calvary Episcopal Church.
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"It's just a fun evening. It's nothing outside of having some good old fun," Mezacapa said.
The church hall will be decorated for the party, for which people are encouraged to wear formal attire (ladies, that means hats). There will be tea and scones for refreshments. Mezacapa is expecting between 75 and 100 people.
While it might seem peculiar to some that so many Americans are captivated by the upcoming wedding, Mezacapa said he gets it.
"I think it is the breath of fresh air that comes into the news. Because everything else seems to be bombs and fear and conflict and struggle. And this whole royal scene provides us a little fresh air," he said.
Rising early
Sue Krecke and about 30 of her friends will be among those who are watching well before dawn Friday. She's hosting a party that begins at 4:30 a.m. The wedding ceremony begins 30 minutes later.
"I'm shocked," said the Rochester resident. "I invited about 45 people because I thought I needed to invite 45 in order to get five who were interested. And everybody wants to come. I guess people are thinking if they're going to be up anyway, they might as well have some company," Krecke said.
