On Thursday, Grand Slam champion and arguably the greatest athlete of all time, Serena Williams got hitched to fiancé and Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans. Unsurprisingly, it was quite the lavish fete. Nevermind the celebrity guest list, it was Williams' wedding dress that took centre stage. She wore a voluminous Alexander McQueen gown fit for the queen of the court. It was a style Williams herself admitted was unexpected.
According to Vogue, the tennis star fell head over heels in love with the silhouette before choosing the actual dress alongside McQueen designer Sarah Burton. “I flew to London to meet with Sarah and ended up falling in love with the ball gown silhouette, which is completely the opposite of what I ever thought I would choose for myself,” Serena said in an interview with Vogue. “I loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown, and it has turned out to be such an incredibly special piece.”
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The gown is epic but beautifully sparse: a smooth strapless neckline and a voluminous princess skirt, topped off with a simple cape and over £2.2 million worth of jewellery. Not too shabby.
As for Ohanian, he wore an Armani suit and classic bow-tie. Though the biggest tear-jerker is actually the date of the ceremony, November 16.
As Williams explained to Vogue, this is the date of Ohanian’s mother’s birthday, who passed nine years ago. “Choosing her birthday as our wedding date was a nice way of making sure she’s still involved and made us feel more connected to her on our day,” she said.
As for the event, the couple wed in New Orleans at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Louisiana and from the looks of it, no expense was spared. The couple’s daughter, Alexis Olympia was in attendance (of course) and Serena’s bestie, Val Vogt carried her Yorkshire terrier, Chip, down the isle. Chip wore a teeny tuxedo.