February 15, 2022 – 16:58 GMT
Nichola Murphy
Serena Williams wore three wedding dresses when she married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017. See photos and details of her Alexander McQueen and Versace gowns…
Serena Williams, 40, wore a total of three beautiful wedding dresses when she married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, 38, on 16 November 2017 – and it’s safe to say that they all left a lasting impression.
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The tennis pro turned to Anna Wintour for advice when it came to her gown, and she pointed her in the direction of Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the same designer who created the Duchess of Cambridge’s iconic lace dress for her 2011 nuptials with Prince William.
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Next to a photo of her strapless ball-gown style dress, she explained to her Instagram followers: “For the first dress When Anna Wintour asked me what I wanted to wear I said: ‘A cape, I just want to wear a cape’ she said: ‘Well Sarah Burton with @alexandermcqueen is the one for you.’ Thanks Anna. Thanks Sarah. I felt like a princess and superwoman all at once. [photo]: @mistadubb @ericamelissa_.”
As she walked down the aisle at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, she paired it with an embellished cape and jewellery by XIV Karats, which was supposedly worth a whopping $3.5 million in total. Her bridesmaids wore custom Galia Lahav dresses in champagne hues.
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Alexis shared a peek at Serena’s first dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
Serena told Vogue US: “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. I loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown, and it has turned out to be such an incredibly special piece.”
But she also had another two outfit changes at her Disney-themed Beauty and the Beast wedding, both of which were very different. The bride opted for a beaded and feathered Versace gown that Donatella Versace said took five embroiderers “worked nonstop to make” over “1,500 hours.”
The tennis pro changed into a Versace gown for the reception
Finally, Serena slipped on a mini dress with a feathered skirt for her first dance to Tale as Old as Time. And although an unearthed clip of the newlyweds on the dancefloor shared by Alexis showed Serena paired her dress with sparkly heels, she reportedly prioritised comfort in the evening and opted for bejewelled Nike trainers!
The bride later paired her third wedding dress with trainers
Serena and Alexis got engaged in December 2016 in Rome where they first met, and they welcomed daughter Olympia shortly before their wedding in 2017.
Speaking to HELLO!, Serena explained their wedding date on 16 November was deliberately chosen to pay tribute to the groom’s late mother who passed away nine years prior.
“It is her birthday, and we wanted her to be represented at the wedding. 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.”
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