Place Your Bets: Where and When Will the Royal Wedding Take Place?

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Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters

It’s often said that you never see a bookmaker go out of business. And they take betting seriously in the U.K. (you can place a wager on whether it will snow on Christmas Day) so who better to look to as the world speculates over the finer details of Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s 2011 Royal Wedding.

Let’s see this then as a time capsule for Royal historians to look back on in years to come. Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is offering a staggering 13 markets to make (or indeed lose) money on. And before we proceed, NewsFeed is in no way condoning betting — the fact that we’re not welcome in Las Vegas is for entirely different reasons — and suggests that you read on in the name of entertainment as opposed to making a quick buck.

(See pictures of Kate Middleton.)

When Will the Marriage Take Place?

Saturday August 13 was the 3/1 favorite but this market has been refined to only offer the month that the marriage takes place in. July and August are the joint 5/4 favorites though you can get 12/1 if you think September is likeliest.

Where Will the Marriage Take Place?

Westminster Abbey is the odds-on favorite at 4/6 (meaning that a successful bet only returns your stake money and then winnings which are less than what you put on in the first place). But bear in mind that both the funeral of Prince William’s mother and the Queen Mother took place there so he may wish to look to St. Paul’s Cathedral (11/10) which is where his parents tied the knot (though their union didn’t last the course). It’s rumored that William himself would like to use St. George’s Chapel in Windsor (20/1). Why the long odds? Royal protocol demands that heads of state from around the world attend and the 800-seat venue just ain’t gonna cut it.

(See pictures of Royal weddings.)

Wedding Dress Color

You can choose from 24 colors: favorite is ivory (10/11) all the way through to green and brown, which come in at 66/1. NewsFeed likes egg shell at 33/1, mainly because NewsFeed is only ever seen in egg shell.

Best Man

Nothing quite so common for a Royal groom, of course, as the official term is “supporter.” Prince William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, is 1/100 on with Ladbrokes to get the gig (this means you need to place 100 pounds to win one back!) so better to look to the likes of Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips (14/1) or one of William’s former housemates. Good luck and the best of British (though NewsFeed still thinks you should just enjoy the day and watch events unfold on television.)