A little over a year ago we told you about the Waddeson Wedding Cake Pavilion project by artist Joana Vasconcelos and we expressed how we couldn’t wait to see it finished. Not only is the art installation completed but it’s more intricate, colorful and beautiful than we could have imagined! It now ranks up there with one of the coolest places to get hitched.
Waddeson Wedding Cake Pavilion
Portuguese artist Vasconcelos has unveiled her ornate and colorful sculptural pavilion in the style of a three-tiered wedding cake. It took a tad longer than expected, given the pandemic and logistics of getting the pieces from her Lisbon studio to Buckinghamshire, but it was worth the wait.
Constructed from 25,000 handcrafted ceramic tiles, the monumental structure, measuring 12 meters (39′) high and 15 meters (49′) wide, is an avant-garde architectural commission by collector and arts philanthropist Jacob (aka Lord R) Rothschild of the Rothschild Foundation, in which people can actually get married.
Officially opened June 15th, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was there to cut the ribbon in celebration of the 650th anniversary of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, an ongoing relationship.
The ornate exterior is predominantly white with touches of pastels and embellished with cherubs, dolphins, birds and saints, all cast in ceramic.
Illuminated at night, the details and tactile quality of the building are nothing short of remarkable.
The breathtaking interior is blue, pink and yellow, and boasts a ceiling and columns decorated with glowing LED “stars.” A spiral staircase takes you to the open air top to take in the surroundings.
This took over 6 years to create with many workers at Vasconcelos’ Lisbon studio helping to cast each individual piece and tile which were then hand-painted and glazed, shipped to Buckinghamshire, England and then assembled.
Couples will be able to get married inside of it, and climb the cake’s three tiers to take in the view.
They are offering tours of the building from 18 Jun – 26 Oct every hour on Thursdays from 10.30am-4.30pm and every hour on selected Sundays from 10.30am-1.30pm. Book your tour here.
Dress | Vestido @atelierfilipefaisca
Cake | Bolo @@byyevnig
Photos | Fotografias @lionelbalteiro
photos courtesy of the artist
