About 200 people gathered in Manhattan's Greenwich
Village to watch the wedding on TV and to munch on a British breakfast in a
restaurant bedecked with the Union Jack flag.
Others watched the ceremony on a giant projection from
Brooklyn, some dressed up in tiaras and frilly hats.
Cable TV station TLC sought to boost ratings by
organizing the wedding of three couples on a stage set-up just above
Manhattan's busy Times Square intersection.
"It's amazing it's the same day, it feels a little
bit for them," said groom Hector Abreu, 27. "No it's for us,"
butted in his future bride Candice Chapman.
The weddings were timed to happen roughly 30 minutes
after the Westminster Abbey ceremony, and were cheered on by the applause of a
live audience listening to the presenters through ear phones.
"This is better than London any day, right
guys?" said host Randy Fenoli. The audience, perhaps unconvinced, clapped
halfheartedly.
