Throwing a watching party for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton doesn’t have to be a royal pain.

But with the wedding scheduled for 5 a.m. Central time, you probably are going to find that plenty of coffee is, so to speak, your cup of tea.

Patra Wroten, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area and writes about parties and other occasions on her blog, I Do Declare, has found a workaround to the inconvenient timing — a slumber party for some friends.

“We just love weddings,” she says. “It really was just a great excuse to get a group of our girlfriends together, take off work and theme a party around such an exciting wedding.”

They plan to watch a tape of the marriage of the prince’s parents, Charles and Diana, eat English food such as mini shepherd’s pies, and may just have a little drinking game — a sip for every time someone says “future princess,” for instance.

And, of course, there will be fake tiaras.

For Penny Bradley, co-owner of the Lyon restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village, throwing a wedding party took a bit of smooth-talking. Specifically, she had to persuade her partner in the restaurant, French chef Francois Latapie, to be English for a day.

He agreed and now neighboring businesses, including the British restaurant Tea & Sympathy, are joining in. Festivities will start with a Champagne breakfast and screenings of the ceremony, with reruns for later in the day.

On the menu: bacon and egg sandwiches, smoked haddock with scrambled eggs and Buck’s Fizz (mimosas to us Yanks). There’ll be bunting, big hats are encouraged, and the dinner menu will include such notable items as toad in the hole and Lancashire hotpot.

Ready to host your own wedding watching party? Here’s a classic recipe idea

Classic to afternoon teas, scones are commonly baked plain or studded with currants, then accompanied with jam and clotted cream, a thick, creamy spread. You can make your version with any dried fruit, such as blueberries, cranberries or apricots. You also can add chopped nuts or chocolate chips.

Fruit and Chocolate Scones

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups dried fruit, nuts and/or chocolate bits

Coarse sugar, optional

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until well distributed. Add the cream, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until almost combined, then add the fruit and nuts and mix just until distributed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick and 10 inches across. Cut the circle into 8 wedges, then transfer each wedge to the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze until well chilled, 15 to 30 minutes.

While the scones chill, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool before serving. Serves 8.

— Recipe by Alison Ladman