Inside Serena Williams' fairytale wedding
On Thursday, Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian at a private wedding ceremony at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
The couple, who were secretly dating for 15 months after meeting in Rome and kept a low profile until their engagement was announced in December 2016, had a Beauty and The Beast-inspired ceremony with a star-studded guest list.
Guests of the special event included Serena’s sister Venus Williams, Meghan Markle, Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z.
The newlyweds chose the wedding date of November 16 in honour of Ohanian’s mother who passed away nine years ago.
"It is her birthday, and we wanted her to be represented at the wedding," Williams told Vogue. "Obviously, we wish that she could be here for this, but 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."
Serena chose a princess-inspired wedding gown featuring a luxurious cape, which was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. Vogue exclusively published snaps of the special day.
“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 told Vogue.
"I loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown, and it has turned out to be such an incredibly special piece," she said.
Serena’s bridesmaids all wore custom Galia Lahav dresses.
"She talked to all of us and just kind of let us have creative control as to what dress fit our personality. And then she approved it, of course!" William's best friend Val Vogt told Vogue.
For the reception, Serena surprised guests with a second wedding dress. The Versace dress was detailed with lace and feathers took a total of 1,500 hours to complete.
The couple chose to write their own vows during their ceremony and Alexis shared a heartfelt tribute to his bride.
"You are the greatest of all time, not just in sport," he said. "I’m talking about as a mother and as a wife. I am so excited to write so many more chapters of our fairytale together. And my whole life I didn’t even realize it, but I was waiting for this moment. And everything that I have done, everything that I am so proud of in my career, and in my life, for the last 34 years, pales in comparison to what we’re doing today. And I am so grateful, and I am so in love."
Following the reception dinner, Alexis introduced his new wife as she entered wearing a third wedding dress and the couple danced as the band started playing “Tale as Old as Time”.
Serena and Alexis’ wedding comes three months after the birth of their first child, Alexis “Olympia” Ohanian Jr.