Women in gowns and gaudy hats, young girls with garlands in their curly hair and even a couple who brought their own English tea set turned out to toast the royal couple on their wedding day Friday night at the Ann Arbor District Library.

Sipping proper English tea and eating biscuits and a sheet wedding cake just tacky enough to fit in, close to 70 people came to watch the pomp and pageantry of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, taped from early Friday morning.

Such a festive event deserves a crowd, even on the other side of the pond, said Erin Helmrich, teen services librarian and organizer of the royal wedding party. “It’s a very big event,” she said. “And we thought people would enjoy watch it together.” A presentation on the history of hats and millinery was held earlier in the week at the library to kick-start the celebration.

A costume contest with prizes was held to encourage the crowd to dress royally. Cindy Overmyer of Ann Arbor was decked out head-to-toe in British style: A flowing yellow skirt (to honor the yellow outfit worn by Queen Elizabeth at the wedding) and an over-sized straw hat with blush veil and festooned with pink and white roses (and one fading daffodil). “I’d be wearing gloves if I owned a pair and doing the queen’s wave,” she said.

The wedding event was an excuse to wear a long burgundy velvet gown and jeweled headband (which stood in for a tiara), said Sonja Srinivasan, of Ann Arbor. “I’ve spent time in the UK and I hate the class system,” she said. “But I wanted to watch the wedding. William and Kate seem like a wonderful pair.” As for Kate’s wedding dress: “It was old-fashioned looking. It wasn’t as hip or wild as I thought it was going to be,” Srinivasan said.

Paula Frank of Ann Arbor said she came as a way to honor Princess Di. “I was a teenager when Princess Di and Charles were married and it was memorable,'' she said. "When Princess Di died, it was so sad and I felt so sad for her sons. That’s why I wanted to come tonight, to pay my respects. I hope William is more happily married than his parents.”

Julia Anon, also of Ann Arbor, said she came to see the fashion. She said she likes the distinctly British style, and wanted to get a look at “the dress,” Middleton’s top-secret wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. “Kate seems sleek, stylish and aware and I want to see her dress,” Anon said. “I thought Princess Di’s dress was a little over the top.”

It wasn’t just women who appreciate a royal soiree. Tadd Rosa said he’s been a royal wedding-watcher since Queen Elizabeth was married in 1947. “I like the pageantry,'' he said, "but I also like to see how the weddings have changed over the years.”