Serena Williams really did it. Serena married Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans on Thursday, in what seemed like a grand, black-tie affair at the Contemporary Arts Center. Wedding guests wore full-on gowns and tuxedos, and there was a theme: Beauty and the Beast. Seriously! Arguably the Greatest of All Time had a Beauty-and-the-Beast-themed wedding. I’m still trying to process that. Serena and Alexis arrived in New Orleans earlier this week, and they seemed to do a full-on wedding extravaganza, involving a rehearsal dinner for 100 guests and a star-studded bachelorette party in New York last week. The bride wore a custom wedding gown by Galia Lahav. Alexis and Serena haven’t posted any photos yet!
Wedding guests included: Venus Williams & her hot, low-key model boyfriend (for real), Kim Kardashian, Caroline Wozniacki, Colton Haynes, Ciara, Russell Wilson, Kelly Rowland, LaLa Anthony, Eva Longoria, Larsa Pippen, Boris Kodjoe, Selita Ebanks, Cynthia Erivo, assorted family members (I saw photos of her mom but not her dad?) and various members of Team Serena, included her forever manager. I didn’t see photos of Beyonce, but she was reportedly in attendance. Weirdly enough, Serena’s ex-boyfriend and current coach Patrick Mouratoglou did not attend. I don’t even think they’ve seen each other in months, which is crazy. She’s supposed to be training for the Australian Open! Patrick did post a lovely Instagram about her wedding though:
So… congrats to Serena, Alexis and AO Junior. They really are calling their baby girl “Junior” which is sort of cute to me, even if I want them to call her AJ, for Alexis Junior. Here’s the real question, and I know I’m being a Debbie Downer about this, but: is Alexis Senior really The One? Would Serena really have married Alexis if she didn’t get pregnant? The reason why I think Alexis and Serena will work, long-term, is because he seems more than content to let her be “the star” in their relationship. Like, he’s fine taking the backseat to Serena and her career. And she needed that. So… it will work, I hope.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
BUT WERE HARRY AND MEGHAN THERE? Plzzzz gossip genie tell me so!
No. Wo derful Princess in waiting Sparkle may not have been.. if so, another grand confirmation – and, as she is moving her dogd. Some guess are really below ‘royal protocol’- so to speak.
Really beautiful wedding. Love the theme and grand attires – beautiful!
They weren’t there. She was filming and he was in London.
Yeah…….I kind of expected Meghan to be there……..I hope they haven’t fallen out…..especially since Meghan (reportedly) ditched Serena’s baby or bridal shower (don’t remember which) to watch Harry at Polo….?
Also, I was under the impression Alexis proposed to Serena before she got pregnant….?
I think that meghan turning up at a bash where the Kartrashians were present would have been a step too far. Meghan fortunately or unfortunately has to be careful of the company she keeps. But I do hope she invites Serena to her royal wedding.
Yeah she wasn’t allowed to be photographed at the same event as Kardashians, I’m assuming. But how awesome would those photos have been? Meg, Bey, Kim, Serena…AHH.
Also I hope this doesn’t mean Serena isn’t getting an invite to the royal wedding, because she NEEDS to be there.
Congratulations to them. Serena seems so happy & he’s a handsome dude.
But Beauty & the Beast theme? Christ- I can hear the racist trolls already.
Racist trolls shouldn’t deter them from doing what they want! Having said that, themed weddings in general are weird to me, especially ones based on very specific characters and their fictional relationships.
Not just the theme…..the pictures that have come out so far……..(heavy sigh)
Nonetheless, I hope they’re very happy….Alexis seems like a wonderful guy and Serena seems like she’s really into him, (and him, her)…..so all good.
I can’t wait to see what Alexis Junior looks like in a couple of years…. 🙂
They can suck it because Serena is obvi the beauty!
It seems like a juvenile theme for a wedding, but it wasn’t my wedding so…. Congrats to Serena and Alexis, hope they stay happy.
Yesterday, when I read of the theme for this wedding I did think it slightly juvenile. I saw the wedding pictures last night and I was very wrong. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Serena sitting on that couch in her dress, under the light, wow. Little Alexis and her wiggling toes, the dress she was wearing was so pretty. Somebody should inform Duchess Kate that this is how you do buttons. Gorgeous wedding.
Huh? I don’t understand…
I wish Serena all the best. Also, i wanna see pic of kim and beyonce. Just for fun.
I don’t understand themed weddings. Does it mean all guests have some dress code?
Oh, there’s a thought. I could come as Madame Wardrobe, and fill my drawers from the buffet.
Yeah, glad they did what they wanted and stuck with it and did not worry about the inevitable racism and trolling over the theme.
Yeah, the racist trolls are over at Lipstick Alley spewing their venom about this. You should check it out.
Maybe at one time, but these days one could almost OD on the venom in the air thanks to the Trump administration.
Just looked at the pics, and I would have had zero idea the theme was supposed to be Beauty & Beast. There is nothing in the pics that indicate that.
Anyway… dress is amazing.
Anna Wintour and Beyoncé were there.
The baby is completely squishable adorable.
I get the same feeling about them. He gives her what she needs at the moment and he’s happy to do that, for how long that will last, who knows but that’s with any marriage. But yea don’t get the sense of truly, madly, everlasting love.
I get the sense they are compatible and crazy about each other. Even though Serena is a motivated and determined person, she still has this aura of being laid back, a person who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. He seems devoted to her with a laid back personality. They are perfectly happy with each other and I think they are in it for the long haul. I don’t see him taking a back seat either. He’s very successful with a totally different career, no need to be competitive.
i’m happy for her but even happier that’s it’s not some over the top sappy lovefest coming from them. truly, madly, everlasting love is overrated and usually fizzes out pretty quickly.
Excessive PDA and declarations of love at the wedding and beginning of a relationship have actually been found to correlate with divorce. So yup, that ott couple? They probably won’t make it to be obnoxious for much longer.
He looks incredibly proud to be with her in every picture I’ve ever seen of them. I think they both look very happy.
Oh I think so! Everything I hear about them they seem so smitten. I love them. I love that they have a dynamic that works for them.
Also, I love that they made there daughter a ‘junior,’ but I hate AJ. I hate initial names in general.
+1000
Not sure if Alexis is the one but he definitely seems best suited for her out of everyone she’s dated. Drake was too immature, Common’s career seems incompatible with hers although they were cute together, her relationship w/ her tennis coach seemed messy. Also everyone seems to have forgotten that she dated Brett Rattner. She could have, and has, done a lot worse than Alexis!
I think she truly loved Patrick but he would not commit.
His loss! I’m delighted she’s with someone who’s proud and ecstatic to be with her, not some reluctant hostage (however attractive he may be) 🙂
My 8 year old niece just had a Beauty and Beast Birthday party, but hey I can see it working as a Wedding theme. Party City had all the decorations for it.
We recently attended a family wedding [my husbands’ nephew] that had this theme. The reception had a Broadway show theme. It was great fun.
I actually think the whole thing sounds amazing. Serena seems good at the themed celebrations.
Yeah, her baby shower 50s theme looked great. Serena really knows how to have fun. I bet the wedding was fun.
Congrats. I hope they live happily ever after. He is handsome.
Given that they were planning to get married before she got pregnant, I think it’s fair to assume that the baby isn’t why they got married. From everything I’ve seen they seem totally happy and in love, they are both super successful in separate worlds so there’s nothing to be competitive about, it’s not necessarily an imbalance of power but rather two separate spheres of power. Those seem to be the type of relationships that work.
Exactly! This wasn’t a shotgun wedding. And it’s not like Serena was a serial fiancée. She waited and found the right man to start a family with.
Congrats, hope they have a long and happy.
“Would Serena really have married Alexis if she didn’t get pregnant?”
They were engaged before she found out she was pregnant.
She’s been engaged before and didn’t end up getting married tho.
so have millions of other people.
Don’t know why she can’t just, love him and want to marry him.
Say it again @cr.
This is beginning to get exhausting, that really wasn’t needed.. a simple congrats, cute baby, and move on.
The “One”? What is this, junior high? He’s her husband and father of her child. End of story.
yeah. they will make it work, or they won’t. i mean, cupid itself could literally come down and shoot arrows through two people and be all “you are destined. you are one. you are soul mates.” and if they aren’t willing to work at their relationship then it is not going anywhere, fast. so totally agree, marmalazed.
Thank you, marmalazed. “the one” is such an annoying concept.
Ha! Totally. Can we just enjoy something without negativity for once?
Congrats to Serena and Alexis. But I’m not feeling the Beauty and the Beast theme for a bride in her thirties. Be Our Guest was played as the guests entered the room getting a cocktail. And she sold the pictures to Vogue. I’ll have to see the pictures for a final opinion.
Right?? It seems a little juvenile. Hopefully it wasn’t disney princess-y, and done in a classy way, but the theme kind of turns me off.
I mentioned it was juvenile, above. I should have read a little further.
Yes, but Serena is a bit juvenile. She is the baby of her family and has never lived in the real world and she is a real diva too. Serena does behave like a child, which is not surprising really, and she loves being pampered and coddled so I hope Alexis knows this. But this new baby is going to make her either grow up or she will relive her lost childhood with the baby. Most top tennis stars never experience youth and childhood in the way we do.
I don’t know, it sounds fun and care free. I don’t mind women in their thirties (I happen to be one lol) letting a child like side come out. Men have “nerdy” groom’s cakes, I’ve seen sci fi themed wedding cakes and lots of gamer, sports or sci fi themed weddings online. So that’s why this doesn’t bother me. It sounds cute, but yeah I will have to see the pictures to really judge.
Lord…. please go look at the pictures of the wedding, it looked beautiful. No one was dressed up as Belle in a yellow dress, or a tea cup.
It was a gorgeous, extremely classy and elegant wedding
It was gorgeous. White couches instead of pews for guests to sit on? It looked amazing (and comfortable)
They were engaged before she got pregnant so I think it’s safe to say that they wanted to get married. As for him giving her what she needs, isn’t that what marriage is anyway? We marry people who fulfill what we need in a relationship. Anyway, congrats to Serena and Alexis. I won’t put any negative energy on them – they seem like a solid couple.
I am not too sure. She knew she was two months pregnant when she won the Australian in January and they were engaged in December.
I thought Beyoncé was going, I would be surprised if she didn’t considering she and Serena seem fairly close.
Tina Knowles and her husband Richard Lawson were photographed going into the wedding. Maybe Beyonce managed to sneak in without being photographed??
I hope so, I’m far too invested in looking forward to see what she wore. Plus every other site I’ve been to reported she attended besides this one.
Both Beyoncé and Kelly were there, there’s a few pictures of them online looking like proud sisters.
Alexis is like – wildly successful. He’s a major star in his own industry. I’m not sure I would categorize it as him taking a backseat to her. I think they are two successful, driven people who respect each other’s careers. Best wishes to them!
He is one of a few guys in charge at a non profitable site that mainly famous for misogyny and racism.
Its sad that a spectacular black woman has to settle for a mediocore white man.
She didn’t have to. Nobody put a gun to her head and forced her to marry him. She wanted to marry him.
there is so much wrong with your comment, but i’m going to let others tell you why. i’ll just say he’s the best she’s ever been involved with, by far.
Well..if we go by those rules, sometimes I see sexism and racism here. By regulars no less.
She didn’t settle for anyone, it’s disgusting that you think Serena flipping Williams has to “settle” she could very easily take care of a baby on her own.Or date and marry anyone. She chose him because obviously, she loves him.
I don’t believe she settled at all. They seem very much in love! And I don’t find anything about him mediocre.
you’re right – she’s spectacular. i don’t think she is settling for anything or anyone. i wonder if she would resent the hell out of that characterization?
He founded the 7th most popular website in America. What have you done with your life?
If you were talking about 4Chan, I’d jump on the hate train with you. But there is a huge amount of liberalism, intersectionality, and interesting content on Reddit. Like anywhere else on the Internet, it depends on where you go. As for myself, I’ve curated my front page to be the subreddits I want to see. If you stumble across TheDonald or something in that ilk, then you wanted to end up there.
Does he seems “mediocre ” to you just because he’s white, or is there something bad about him that I’m not noticing? They’re both very successful and attractive people, nothing mediocre about either one. Nobody forced them to fall in love, start a family together, and get married. Neither one of them let their skin color affect their relationship, so why are you?
I sure hope having a daughter has made her rethink her disgusting attitudes towards rape, but maybe that’s being optimistic…
@maine
She apologized. That is all she can do except grow from her mistake.
Many congrats to the happy couple.
Patrick is smokin’ hot. Maybe Alexis prefers him at a distance when Serena’s not practicing. In the least, I can see why an average looking person wouldn’t want his partner’s gorgeous ex-lover appearing at the wedding.
I have seen Alexis sneaking a glance at Patrick, and oh if looks could kill!
I think Alexis feels very uncomfortable with Patrick around because Serena is still very close to him. Now that they are married with a kid hopefully Alexis will feel more secure. I think Serena was deeply in love with Patrick and it is a wonder that they have been able to continue their tennis partnership given the emotions. There is a film with a bit where Patrick and Serena do a very sensual modern dance, you know him lifting her up, balancing her and swinging her around…..they really understand each other. But Patrick would not commit. Everybody on the tennis scene knew they were a hot couple. I wonder now if Serena will sell her lavish Paris apartment and let lapse the French she has tried so hard to learn.
Very interesting!
They broke up in 2014. That’s three years ago. The guy was married, and Serena had an affair with him. And it broke up his marriage. A lot of people have a hot relationship and then it fizzles, the charming man who sweeps you off your feet for about a year and then it’s over and they pull away. If he fell out of love with her in a year, he’s not her soulmate no matter how in love with him she was FYI. He moved on to a pretty woman and has a baby , and he posts lots of photos of him and his girlfriend and of his baby. Maybe neither one wanted him there. Patrick would bring the woman he’s settled down with. Maybe Serena doesn’t like her. Who knows why they weren’t invited. Patrick is hot and sexy, but everybody always says that you lose them how you get them. Maybe he cheated on her too, or maybe too really strong personalities and egos eventually fizzle out and can’t work. I would imagine having your coach as a boyfriend could be just as bad as it would be good for the relationship.
But at least they were able to move past the relationship and keep a professional relationship. And they’ve both moved on.
Patrick and partner.
https://www.facebook.com/pmouratoglou/photos/a.191789694185166.45523.109429335754536/1264444073586384/?type=3
Yes, but…Patrick already moved on and is in a relationship with another lovely woman AND they have a baby of their own. He seems quite taken with his new family in all the photos from his IG.
Yeah, Patrick with his baby girl. He’s smitten.
https://www.facebook.com/pmouratoglou/photos/a.191789694185166.45523.109429335754536/1594044033959718/?type=3
I’ve seen videos of them together and he simply adores her. It’s cute.
Yes, I saw some lovely videos of them at the Met , when Serena was playing around and being a diva. i wish them well.
I hope the wedding was as perfect as they wanted it to be and that they have a lifetime of happiness together.
I love that Serena and Alexis call their daughter Junior (though I assumed they were using Olympia, because that’s the name of her Instagram account). Reminds me of Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s daughter, who is Iman Junior but called Junie for short.
Tacky!
I thought Venus and Elio broke up. Now I hope to see a pic of them at the wedding. He’s a hottie.
I wish them luck, but that’s a terrible dress.
Yeah, the wedding dress itself is hideous and makes her look like she has no waist. The second one was much nicer, that should have been the wedding dress. And LOL at all the descriptions of the “star-studded” guest list…Kardashians? Really?
It seems like a bit of an odd couple but they work and I think they’re genuine. No need to be Debbie Downers.
Try hard Markel wasn’t invited.
They seem suited. Alexis seems to adore her and proud of her. It may be that this is just a comfortable, easy good relationship and those can work.
Mazel Tov and I wish them both luck and happiness. Right after I steal Junior that is. She is a little dumpling, and I would never stop cuddling her. 🙂
Vanity Fair just did a piece about the wedding, which sounds crazy over the top! Three dress changes and a carousel. It also sounds like a really fun party for all the guests. The thing that struck me was just how much they seem to love each other. They wrote their own vows which were really sweet and lovely. Mazel tov to them both!
Agree. I don’t get the settling comment. He’s successful, smart, adores her. She must really love him, because the wedding was held where he wanted it, one of his favorite places in the world. She named their child after him. She said they had their wedding on his deceased mother’s birthday to make it feel like she was part of the happy day, even though she had died nine years before. It sounds like Serena is a true partner to him and seems to love making him happy also. He is hugely supportive of her drive and career.
In other words, they complement each other well.
I always liked this photo of them.
https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/59512a746938fe2d736d72d2/master/h_590,c_limit/serena-williams-08-17-ss03.jpg