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What Time Does The Royal Wedding Air In Central Time?

The royal wedding is just around the corner, and for those who didn't manage to snag a coveted invite — which I'm guessing is most of us over here across the pond — tuning into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials will be a top priority this weekend. Although coverage of the festivities will begin around midday in England, Americans wishing to tune into the royal wedding will probably want to set their alarms for Saturday morning. So, what time does the royal wedding air in Central Time? You'll need to be up bright and early for the historic event, that's for sure.

Here's the thing: the ceremony itself begins at noon in London — or 6 a.m. Central Time — at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Business Insider reported. However, it's important to keep in mind that coverage of the big day will begin significantly earlier. Town & Country magazine reported that guests will arrive between 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. CT. (And you'll definitely want to stick around afterward for the carriage ride around Windsor between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.) It seems major networks (like ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, PBS, and E!) will kick off their live coverage at either 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. CT. So yeah. It's probably in your best interest to hit the hay earlier on Friday and/or make sure to have plenty of coffee handy, if you're committed to watching the royal wedding unfold in real time.

And hey, if you don't have cable access — never fear! There are plenty of options for live-streaming Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials on May 19. Cosmopolitan reported that GoodMorningAmerica.com and ABCNews.com will be streaming the wedding ceremony beginning at 4 a.m. CT, where you can watch even if you don't have a cable provider login! A quick search for live coverage of the royal wedding turned up a streams from The New York Times, FOX, and PBS. Those who pay for streaming services will have even more options when it comes to watching the most-anticipated wedding of the year.

For those who can't bear the thought of rolling out of bed before 5 a.m. on Saturday (and parents, I totally feel you on that one), recaps and other broadcasts will on news channels Saturday night. E! News is among these, as well as and ABC, which will broadcast a 20/20 special, Cosmopolitan reported. That is, if you're okay with not seeing things go down as they happen — and consequently not monitoring the live Twitter commentary. To be honest, that is half of the fun, right?

So parents, the time is now to nail down your royal wedding strategy. Will you be getting together with your girlfriends and their kids for an early-morning "playdate"? (During which you sip wine at 6 a.m. while the kiddos destroy someone else's house.) Will you scrutinize wedding guest's outfits and fancy hats whilst sitting on the couch wearing pajamas? Or will you opt for a few extra hours of shut-eye because the royal wedding is "overrated" anyway?

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As for me? My kiddos start waking about by 7 a.m. ET every single day — regardless if it's the weekend. It's basically a guarantee that I'll be awake in time for the ceremony itself. The real question is: do I want to miss out on a couple of hours sleep in order to pre-game the Prince Harry-Meghan Markle nuptials? Hmm. I'll have to weigh the potential costs/benefits. Perhaps if I bribe myself with Starbucks coffee, I'll be able drag my tired mom butt out of bed. That's probably what I should do. Because after all, a royal wedding doesn't happen every day!