<p><br /> Prince William will marry Kate Middleton on Friday, April 29 next year at Westminster Abbey.<br /> </p><p><br /> St James's Palace has also said the wedding - including the costs of the church service, music, flowers, decorations reception and honeymoon - will be paid for by the Royal family and the Middleton family.<br /> </p><p><br /> The public will pay for associated costs like security. Downing Street announced that the wedding day would be a public holiday.<br /> </p><p><br /> Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, private secretary to Prince William, said the couple chose Westminster Abbey for its "staggering beauty", 1,000-year Royal history and intimacy despite its size.<br /> </p><p><br /> By coincidence April 29 is the feast of St Catherine of Siena.<br /> </p><p><br /> Mr Lowther-Pinkerton said those planning the nuptials were very conscious of Britain's precarious finances.<br /> </p><p><br /> "All parties involved in the wedding, not least Prince William and Miss Middleton, want to ensure that a balance is struck between an enjoyable day and the current economic situation," he said.<br /> </p><p><br /> "To that end the Royal family and the Middleton family will pay for the wedding."<br /> </p><p><br /> He said this move drew directly from the precedent set by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's wedding in 1947 and Charles and Diana's nuptials in 1981.<br /> </p><p><br /> Mr Lowther-Pinkerton said William and Miss Middleton were "completely over the moon" about their engagement.<br /> </p><p><br /> "I've never seen two happier people, which is absolutely fabulous to work in that sort of environment," he said.<br /> </p><p><br /> "They're on Cloud Nine, like any other newly-engaged couple. They're now getting stuck into organising their wedding. They are very much in charge of the arrangements for the big day."<br /> </p><p><br /> The couple announced their engagement last week, nine years after meeting as students at St Andrew's University, sparking fevered speculation about where and when they would tie the knot.<br /> </p>
