According to Bloomberg.com, an estimated 2 billion viewers watched the Royal Wedding on April 29th, 22.8 million of those were in the U.S. and a part of that American audience was sipping tea at 5:00 am at The Wanderer's Teahouse and Cafe in East Lansing.
Guests were treated to a full three-tiered afternoon tea brunch while watching the live streaming of the wedding projected on the big screen. Each patron had a personalized name card with the title of "sir" or "lady" because as tea room owner, Elizabeth Marazita, explained, "everyone deserves a title who can make it to a 5:00 am engagement".
Marazita co-owns The Wanderer's with husband, Michael Spano. Among the reasons Spano's wanted to host the tea was the rarity of the occasion. “You only get one shot. It only happens once in a lifetime to celebrate a Royal Wedding Tea with English Breakfast and a Tea Brunch.”
Marazita also had reasons for sponsoring the wedding brunch which were both personal and community-inspired. On the local level, she said, "it was an honor to share a bit about the culture of tea, [and] the protocol of the British Royal Wedding with our Michigan Community."
On a personal note, Marazita is a descendant of family that were key in the British tradition of education and community. Her great uncle, John Harmar, was one of the translators of Queen Elizabeth I for the St. James version of the Bible. But the royal connection doesn't end there. Marazita met Prince Charles in 1995 when he was the head of our South London Mentor high school program. While living in London, she was impressed by the Royal Families’ commitment to the environment, public health and education and hopes the next generation of royals will continue to inspire their community with issues embraced by their parents.
Per Marazita, "the composition of all of the above made the public viewing of Prince William’s marriage to Catherine Middleton at the Wanderer’s Teahouse so special."
That sentiment was echoed by those in attendance, including Cristy Bennet, a tea specialist and East Lansing resident. who was accompanied by her husband. Bennett thought it would be fun to watch the royal wedding at the Teahouse with others and the idea of dressing up with her Mr. Song (Detroit millinery designer who created the hat worn by Aretha Franklin at President Obama's inauguration) hat was the "icing on the cake"!
When asked what the wedding meant to her, Bennett said, “I am part of the generation that watched Charles and Diana's wedding and lived through all their years of trials, tribulations and tragedy. To see their oldest son all grown up and marry such a beautiful woman whom he seems to really love is so heartwarming. I just kept thinking as I watched William and Kate how proud Diana would be of her son and new daughter.”
While patrons donned tiaras, fancy hats and sampled British-inspired treats such as Welsh rarebit and strawberry tarts, they came to The Wanderer's for more than just tea and scones.
Summing up the special occasion, Marazita remarked, “I think I will always remember the beaming faces enjoying each others’ company over this historic event.”
Comments