The Wedding of the Century

The royal engagement of England's Prince William to Kate Middleton has been all over the news. It was recently announced that their wedding will take place on April 29, 2011--3 days after my half birthday--in Westminster Abbey. Their chosen venue is full of history in itself. Famous burials and royal coronations make it a popular tourist spot, but it was also where the funeral of Prince William's mother, Princess Diana, was held. If the ceremony is held in the adjoining chapel of Henry VII, they will wed under a canopy of fan vaults.

Constructed in the English Gothic Perpendicular style by Robert and William Vertue, the fan vaults that cover the ceiling of the chapel of Henry VII were made solely for ornamentation. They are a series of vaults with radiating ribs that develop their own unique pattern. At the center of each fan vault is a pendant that resembles a stalactite. The rib vault was a vital part of French Gothic architecture, but the English architects characteristically saw its use for decoration rather than for structural purposes. The goal was not to help take on weight, but it was to create a disguise for the structural aspects. The overall effect is a ceiling that resembles a lace-like material.

Though I am not positive that this is the exact spot of the "wedding of the century," the fan vaults do produce a beautiful venue. Growing up idealizing the Disney princesses, I cannot help but envy the future princess, Kate. She gets the prince and the happily ever after, and I'll sit at home with the small satisfaction of studying her wedding venue in art history.