{"id":16846,"date":"2017-11-18T21:59:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-18T21:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=16846"},"modified":"2017-11-18T22:35:38","modified_gmt":"2017-11-18T22:35:38","slug":"serena-williams-weds-in-grand-style-in-2-6m-wedding-gown-how-he-meet-husband","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=16846","title":{"rendered":"SERENA WILLIAMS WEDS IN GRAND STYLE IN $2.6M WEDDING GOWN, HOW SHE MET HUSBAND"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Some might say that just like the protagonists in Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve\u2019s fairy tale, Serena and Alexis Ohanian are an unlikely match from two very different worlds. She\u2019s the greatest female athlete ever, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. (No man has ever taken home a title pregnant! Enough said.) Meanwhile, he\u2019s the founder of Reddit (the birthplace of many a meme), a guy who grew up playing Game Boy, and has been referred to as the \u201cmayor of the Internet.\u201d When they met, she\u2019d never heard of Reddit, and he had never watched a single one of her matches. But, as we all know, opposites attract.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It all started in Rome with a meet-cute worthy of a romantic comedy. Despite being notoriously disciplined, Serena is not a morning person. But she\u2019d heard good things about the epic breakfast at the Cavalieri Hotel, where she was staying for the Italian Open, so she got out of bed early and went with a few members from her team to check it out. They arrived at the buffet only to find that it had closed just five minutes earlier, so instead, they grabbed a table by the pool and ordered \u00e0 la carte. Alexis was speaking at a conference and staying at the same hotel. That morning, he had also made his way down early to indulge in the buffet he\u2019d heard so much about. When he, too, discovered that it was no longer open, he took a seat at a table next to Serena\u2019s with the intention of ordering food and doing work on his laptop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Frustrated that an interloper was encroaching upon their space, Serena\u2019s friend Zane started teasing Alexis, saying there was a rat at his table and that he should move. \u201cI was so annoyed that he\u2019d sat down next to me,\u201d remembers Serena. \u201cThere were so many empty tables!\u201d Undeterred by the frosty reception he seemed to be receiving, Alexis jokingly responded saying that he was from Brooklyn\u2014he\u2019d seen lots of rats, and they didn\u2019t bother him. Serena started cracking up and asked him to join her group. He obliged but was still a little unsure whether the person with whom he suddenly found himself having breakfast was actually the Serena Williams.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">You see, Alexis didn\u2019t follow tennis at all. The first time he went to watch Serena play he infamously Instagrammed a photo of her foot faulting. But no matter. The two hit it off. That first time she asked him to come see her in the Paris Open, he knew it was a bit far-flung but he thought, What\u2019s the worst that could happen? I know people in Paris, so if it doesn\u2019t work out, I\u2019ll have a great story to tell my friends about that time I almost hung out with Serena Williams.<br \/>\nSerena appreciated his happy-go-lucky approach to life, and their first date involved simply meandering around the City of Light with no destination to speak of, something the always-scheduled, always-surrounded athlete almost never gets to do.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Fast-forward 18 months later and the Internet entrepreneur was proposing to the superstar. \u201cI came home one day to find my bags already packed for me, and I had absolutely no idea where I was going until I got on the flight,\u201d Serena admits. \u201cAlexis flew me out to Rome, back to the exact table where we\u2019d met. We were both really nervous but also excited to take this huge step. It was such a beautiful moment.\u201d Ever the jokester, in addition to having the hotel cleared and flowers everywhere, Alexis had placed a small plastic rat on the table. Serena announced her happy news by posting a sweet poem on Reddit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In September, Serena gave birth to the couple\u2019s first child, Alexis \u201cOlympia\u201d Ohanian, Jr., and the two parents are absolutely besotted with their now 2-month-old daughter. The baby, who already has more than 105,000 Instagram followers, was present for the ceremony last night and looked on as her mom and dad tied the knot among 200 family and friends in the Big Easy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cAlexis really wanted to do New Orleans,\u201d explains Serena. \u201cIt\u2019s his favorite city besides Brooklyn. It\u2019s got a heavy European influence; it\u2019s fun and has amazing food. He just loves the vibe. The venue\u2014the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans\u2014was a decision we both made. Painting and art is something I\u2019m really passionate about, so it just felt natural and different to do it at a contemporary art museum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=15109&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The two chose November 16 as their wedding date in memory of Alexis\u2019s mother, who passed away nine years ago. \u201cIt is her birthday, and we wanted her to be represented at the wedding,\u201d says Serena. \u201cObviously, 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\u2019s still involved and made us feel more connected to her on our day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Once they\u2019d settled on a date and a place, they hired their wedding planner. \u201cI knew early on that I wanted to work with someone on the East Coast, and Jennifer [Zabinski] felt fresh and new, but also has a lot of experience in planning and is organized and thorough,\u201d explains Serena. When Jennifer first met with the bride, the tennis champ wasn\u2019t quite ready to get into specifics, so the two discussed their mutual love of dogs instead. \u201cI think she had to feel comfortable with getting to know me and me getting to know her,\u201d Jennifer says. \u201cThere\u2019s so much there in terms of her vision. She\u2019s actually an amazing planner herself, and the running joke now is that she\u2019s going to be my intern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThe whole process was so smooth!\u201d Serena adds. \u201cCommunication is really important to me, and Jennifer and her team were always great at giving updates and keeping things moving consistently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Similarly, Serena\u2019s dress search was the stuff wedding dreams are made of\u2014she worked with Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. \u201cI 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,\u201d Serena says. \u201cI loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown, and it has turned out to be such an incredibly special piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">At 5:15 p.m., guests including Beyonc\u00e9 and her mother, Tina Knowles; Kelly Rowland; Kim Kardashian West; Anna Wintour; Ciara; and La La Anthony arrived for cocktails before taking their seats in the ceremony space. There, everyone watched a short video that told the story of Serena and Alexis\u2019s relationship on TVs encased in gold frames above the aisle. The seating had a fashion-show feel: \u201cI wanted the whole thing to be as nontraditional as possible,\u201d explains Serena. \u201cWe did sofas instead of chairs, with everything facing the aisle instead of the altar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Bridesmaids made their entrances to rounds of applause wearing custom Galia Lahav dresses. Before the ceremony, Serena\u2019s best friend, Val Vogt, told Vogue: \u201cShe 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!\u201d Val carried the bride\u2019s beloved Yorkshire terrier, Chip, down the aisle in his very own tiny tuxedo.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Then, with all eyes on her, Serena emerged in a dramatic strapless, belted Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen princess gown with a cape, carrying a bouquet of white roses and sparkling with jewelry by XIV Karats, worth $3.5 million in total. Alexis, in an Armani suit, was smiling from ear to ear as Serena slowly walked up the aisle to join him. The couple wrote their own vows. Alexis\u2019s called Serena his queen and said that they already have their princess. With a bold, confident voice, he talked about how she takes such good care of everyone in her life, and now he wants to spend the rest of his life taking care of her. His words led to laughter at the start\u2014\u201cI will always have bad jokes that make your eyes roll, make you give me the side eye\u201d\u2014but by the end, everyone was crying happy tears: \u201cYou are the greatest of all time, not just in sport,\u201d he told Serena. \u201cI\u2019m talking about as a mother and as a wife. I am so excited to write so many more chapters of our fairy tale together. And my whole life I didn\u2019t 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\u2019re doing today. And I am so grateful, and I am so in love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">After the couple was pronounced husband and wife, cheers erupted and guests made their way out onto the street for cocktails while the bride and groom took their formal family portraits in the Arts Center\u2019s Black Box Theatre. During cocktails, Kardashian West told Vogue, \u201cI\u2019ve known Serena for so long and am so happy she\u2019s found her prince. From the moment she told me she met Alexis in Rome, it was like . . . she\u2019s been so happy and has this light about her that is so special to see. You just know it is so real. He makes her so happy and that just makes her friends happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">A second line parade then led everyone back inside where the band was playing \u201cBe Our Guest\u201d and an around-the-world-themed dinner by Creative Edge Parties was served. As guests found their seats at four long tables named after Serena\u2019s Grand Slam wins, the newlyweds were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Alexis Ohanian, and Serena debuted her second dress of the evening, a dramatic beaded, feathered Versace moment that made her look like a fashion-forward superwoman. It took a team of five embroiderers to create the dress, Donatella Versace told Vogue. They \u201cworked nonstop to make sure the tiniest details were perfectly taken care of, for a total of 1,500 hours.\u201d The newlyweds sat in gold throne-like chairs that looked like they were made for a king and queen. \u201cThe whole fairy-tale idea came to us early on,\u201d says Jennifer. \u201cSerena\u2019s very girly. She was like, \u2018I love Disney, how can we incorporate it in?\u2019 Then Serena and Alexis said, \u2018What do you think about a royal ball?\u2019 Serena was like, \u2018I just want it to be opulent. I want it to be like a fairy tale.\u2019 \u201d Southern, Armenian (a nod to Alexis\u2019s heritage), and Italian food, as well as a \u201csteak house\u201d station and a salad wall, were all available on offer. \u201cSerena wanted a ball, but she wanted a modern ball, not anything that was too stuffy,\u201d says Preston Bailey, the man behind all of the decor. \u201cFor the flowers and overall aesthetic, she wanted something that was very different and unique.\u201d Chandeliers encased in gold birdcages, trophy-style place cards, and the \u201cblack lam\u00e9\u201d table linens achieved this goal.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Following dinner, Alexis took the stage and asked the guests, who had been dancing to the \u00c9lan Artists\u2019s band, to clear the floor. \u201cThis is the only time I\u2019ll ask you to do this all night, but I need for you to get off the dance floor,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cThis is the first time I get to introduce Serena Williams as my wife. Come out, wifey!\u201d Serena appeared in her third dress of the evening: a stunning fitted Versace look with a short skirt. She joined Alexis on the dance floor and the band started playing \u201cTale as Old as Time,\u201d which then segued into \u201cIf I Can\u2019t Have You.\u201d There were spins, twists, and lifts, to lots of cheers\u2014the two totally nailed every step.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Guests then joined the couple for more dancing before moving into the next room for a surprise performance by New Edition. The band called the couple up onstage, where Serena and Alexis nailed yet another dance routine with the guys as Beyonc\u00e9, Kelly, and Ciara cheered them on.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Curtains then opened, and everyone relocated back to where the ceremony had taken place\u2014Preston\u2019s team had completely transformed the space into a chic lounge for the after-party. DJ Mike Wise was on the turntables playing lots of old-school \u201990s rap. At about 1:30 a.m., Alexis grabbed the mic to reveal the final surprise of the evening for his new bride. People told him it couldn\u2019t be done, he said. But, when people say no to Alexis in his business or personal life, he always accepts the challenge. Just then, a curtain dropped, revealing an illuminated, all-white carousel. Serena screamed with excitement, and guests jumped up on horses while Ginuwine\u2019s \u201cPony\u201d played in the background. The newlyweds cuddled on a bench while everyone partied on the carousel as it spun\u2014a picture-perfect scene to end a fantastical night.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Source:<br \/>\nVogue.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-16847\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-80x80.jpg 80w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-40x40.jpg 40w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-64x64.jpg 64w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2-75x75.jpg 75w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some might say that just like the protagonists in Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve\u2019s fairy tale, Serena and Alexis Ohanian are an unlikely match from two very different worlds. She\u2019s the greatest female athlete ever, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. (No man has ever taken home a title pregnant! Enough said.) Meanwhile, he\u2019s the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[4335,4334],"class_list":["post-16846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alexis-ohanian","tag-serena-williams"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/williams-2.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-4nI","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16846"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16852,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16846\/revisions\/16852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}