Royal wedding: 3am is not a calendar item I ever envisioned making. But there it is.

Yes, I plan to watch BBC America’s coverage of the royal wedding on Friday morning. Ceremony at 3am Pacific time, yikes! Not including the pre-ceremony coverage and wedding arrivals– can’t miss critiquing all those hats, can I? Royal milliner Philip Treacy must be one strange dude. See one of his creations, below.

Even though we’re centuries past those days, America’s roots are in this monarchy. A royal wedding gives us a look back at our history, at a time when formality and protocol ruled. It’s a fascination, even though today, it’s really just ceremonial.

Every little girl of my generation grew up thinking her prince would ride in on a white steed. For Catherine Middleton, a version of the fairy tale actually happened and one day, she’ll be a Queen. Royals are born to it, but that’s got to be some kind of feeling for a “commoner.”

At our house, my night is planned. I’ve cancelled my 7:30am gym appointment. (“Gotta go to a wedding,” I told Trainer Chris.) The big TV’s going in the bedroom for the night and hubby’s heading for the guest room. I’ll nap and get up at midnight.

Champagne on ice, fruit and cheese plate. {No kippers and eggs, though.}

What to wear? In honor of the Queen, I’m thinking my red flannel nightgown with dogs {although they aren’t actually corgis, the royal family’s favorite dog} and –just to get in the mood, I am evaluating my hats. {You want photos, right? Maybe.}

In keeping with the official instructions to guests, I will not be tweeting during the ceremony, nor will I give the Queen a friendly hug. And since my husband won’t be escorting me to the wedding, I won’t have to worry that our outfits look harmonious together, as one royal wedding protocol expert suggests.

Oh, and my BFF on the East coast and I may be on the phone throughout, dishing on what we see.

So, you may wonder, why all the fuss? Well, here’s the thing. Time has marched on and so have generations of royalty. The Queen seem to be going to outlive us all, so we may not see a coronation in my lifetime. And it’s likely to be the very last pomp and circumstance I will ever have a chance to see. {At least in this incarnation.}

The young prince seems to have grown into a nice young man. And while I’m sure that most of us would chafe at the requirements of a royal marriage, there can be no doubt at this point that the couple are a love match. And that’s always worth celebrating.

I wish them well.

But one thing: have you seen Kate recently?

She is awfully thin. And she used to have breasts.

We know where this got Diana.

Just saying.

Eat something, girlfriend.

Oh, and for an acerbic take, here’s Christopher Hitchens on the royal marriage. I love him and hope he survives his horrible esophogeal cancer, which has now taken his voice. http://www.slate.com/id/2291497/