Second wedding invite for Hays

HAVING had to put up with her spouse’s delight at choosing a suitable suit for ‘the’ social event for decades, Doris Hay is a happy woman as she packs for London.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Apr 2011, 11:45 BST

Over a month ago a gilt-edged invite to the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton landed in William Hay’s inbox. Invited as Speaker of the Stormont Assembly, it did not include Mrs Hay.

That small fact aside, Mrs Hay had still intended to go to London and treat it like a mini-break, and enjoy the wedding from the comfort of her hotel and absorbing some of the atmosphere on the streets.

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So when a second invite wended it’s way into the Hay household the delight was palpable, and the hunt began immediately for a suitable outfit to go with Mr Hay’s suitable suit.

According to Mr Hay, it didn’t take Mrs Hay too long to settle on an outfit and instead of sitting on her own and watching her husband put on his best bib and tucker and head off to rub shoulders with the great and the good, he will now have a very glamorous - and understandably very happy - lady to accompany him.

It will not be all glitter and laughs however, as seasoned Royal Wedding attendees can attest - as Westminster will open at 8.30am to begin receiving guests, and an veritable army of personnel will be there screening the hundreds of civilians, ministerial, political, religious and celebrated people passing through the Abbey’s portals.

One thing they will all have in common is that they will have to queue, possibly for hours, to get to their seats, and once inside they will have to remain until the dignitaries have left.

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It is believed as many as 1,300 guests will attend Westminster for the nuptials, including some high-society names like Sir Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham, and in a break with tradition there will be a midday reception luncheon for about 650 at Buckingham Palace after the wedding. Previously only about 60 people were invited back for what was called ‘the wedding breakfast’, and they comprised of just immediate family and other visiting royalty. It is believed that Prince Charles will be hosting an evening reception for the couple’s friends and family at the Palace, with a guest list restricted to about 350.

Related topics:LondonPrince WilliamElton JohnKate Middleton