Serena Williams, former World No 1, married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in a private and intimate ceremony in New Orleans on Thursday night. The couple had signed a deal with Vogue to shoot pictures for their big day. And the magazine posted a few of those pictures on its website on Friday night in terms of a story.
The celebrity guests for the ceremony included Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, tennis player and close friend Caroline Wozniacki, sister and fellow tennis player Venus Williams, actress Eva Longoria to name a few. [See photos]
The ceremony took place at the Contemporary Arts Center with a tight security cover and the guests asked not to carry mobile phones to avoid any pictures from being leaked from the wedding. The guests were ferried in a sea of cars throughout the night to the venue and back. The wedding was reportedly kept in a Beauty and the Beast theme.
On Friday, both Serena and Alexis shared intimate pictures of the wedding day. In the picture posted by Serena, she has sat alone in her wedding dress. Once you look close, you notice that it is not a white couch or bed but her dress itself.
Vogue magazine on the other hand published multiple photos from the night including some exclusives. In an Instagram post by Ohanian posted on Friday, he wrote, “You are the greatest of all time, not just in sport–I’m 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’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.”
After the Sarah Burton dress that she wore the ceremony, Serena slipped into something more comfortable for the reception party. The second dress, a beaded and feathered dress by Versace made its presence felt during the dance.
Later Ohanian shared possibly the most beautiful moment of the night on his Instagram account. The picture features himself, Serena and their daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. who was born on September 1. Mum Serena carried the little one in her arms for the picture.
Serena hasn’t taken court since winning the Australian Open back in January while she was pregnant. She said she intends to return to court for the same event next January.