Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian have been married for six years after their emotional Disney-themed wedding on November 16, 2017.
To celebrate their anniversary, we’re taking a look back at three of the tennis pro’s stunning wedding dresses, from a ‘Superman’ gown to a feathered minidress and Nike sneakers. Check out the very different – but equally stunning – looks designed by Kate’s wedding dress designer, Sarah Burton, for Alexander McQueen.
Alongside a photo of the off-the-shoulder gown, 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, ‘Oh, Sarah Burton with @alexandermcqueen for you.’ Thank you, Anna. Thank you, Sarah. I feel like a princess and a superhero at the same time. [photo]: @mistadubb @ericamelissa_.”
When she walked down the aisle at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, she paired it with an embellished gown and jewels by XIV Karats, which cost a whopping $3.5 million. Her bridesmaids wore custom-designed Galia Lahav gowns in champagne tones.
“I flew to London to meet Sarah and ended up falling in love with this style of gown, which is the complete opposite of what I thought I would choose for myself,” Serena told Vogue US. “I loved the idea of making a really spectacular gown and it turned out to be something very special.”
But she also changed into two other outfits for her Beauty and the Beast-inspired wedding. For the evening reception, the bride opted for a beaded and feathered Versace gown that Donatella Versace said took five embroiderers “working non-stop to complete” for “1,500 hours”.
Serena finally donned a mini dress with a feathered skirt for her first dance to Tale as Old as Time . And although a clip of the newlyweds on the dance floor shared by Alexis showed Serena pairing her dress with sparkly heels, she reportedly preferred comfort for the evening and opted for bejeweled Nike sneakers!
Serena and Alexis got engaged in December 2016 in Rome, where they first met, and welcomed their daughter Olympia just before their wedding in 2017.
Speaking to HELLO!, Serena explained that their wedding date of November 16 was deliberately chosen to honor the groom’s late mother, who passed away nine years ago.
“It’s her birthday today and we wanted her to be represented at the wedding. Obviously we wanted her to be able to be here, but choosing her birthday as the wedding day was a nice way to make sure she was still involved and made us feel more connected to her on our big day.”