Auguri to George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin, who were married in Venice on September 27!
The Oscar-winning actor/director, 53, and London-based human rights attorney, 36, met in Italy last September, so it's only fitting that they became husband and wife in the city of amore. They tied the knot at Aman Canal Grande Venice, arriving by vintage water taxis as a crowd of fans cheered along the canal. Clooney's close friend (and the former mayor of Rome) Walter Vetroni officiated the ceremony. Following the ceremony, the couple and their guests enjoyed a five-course dinner and dancing before capping off the evening with late-night drinks and fireworks by the pool. The bride wore an Oscar de la Renta gown, and the groom chose a Giorgio Armani tuxedo.
The star-studded guest list included Rande Gerber and his wife Cindy Crawford, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and wife Luciana Barroso, Bono, Bill Murray, Anna Wintour, Richard Kind, and Ellen Barkin.
For their wedding weekend, the couple and their guests set up camp at Belmond Hotel Cipriani, where Clooney always stays during the Venice Film Festival — he's even helped develop drink recipes for the bar's menu. The newlyweds began the celebration on Friday with a boat ride down the Grand Canal in Venice, joined by Gerber and Crawford. The foursome then headed over to Cipriani for the rehearsal dinner before going their separate ways that evening for their bachelor and bachelorette parties. And the party will continue all weekend — they're reportedly hosting another dinner at Cipriani on Sunday, and they're having their civil ceremony on Monday. According to insider reports, they are also throwing a reception in Alamuddin's Lebanese hometown at a later point in time. Believe it or not, a source tells Us Weekly that the bride's ultra-traditional parents ended up footing the bill for most of the extravaganza!
Clooney owns a spectacular villa in Lake Como just a few hours away, but he decided against tying the knot there because of privacy concerns. Regardless, they've attracted a slew of paparazzi and fans throughout their weekend. They're taking it in stride, though — after breakfast this morning, Clooney had bottles of his Casamigos tequila delivered to a few of the photographers camped outside. He warned them, "Don't drink a whole bottle at once."
In the weeks leading up to the momentous event, the groom expressed his excitement at a charity event in Florence: "I would just like to say to my bride-to-be, Amal, that I love you very much and I can't wait to be your husband." During that same awards speech, he accidentally let the wedding location slip. Mea culpa! In July, the smitten groom quipped to Variety that "I'm marrying up."
He popped the question to his fiancée in April with an ethically mined emerald-cut diamond clocking in at over seven carats. Clooney's first cousin, Miguel Ferrer (an actor on NCIS: Los Angeles) tells People that although their family "was surprised" to learn of their happy news, he's gotten to know Alamuddin as "a wonderful woman."
Clooney and Alamuddin hit a bump in their engagement when The Daily Mail published a report claiming that the bride's mother disapproved of their marriage on religious grounds (they have since issued an apology). The groom defended his in-laws to USA Today, referring to the story as a "premeditated lie." A source told People that the bride's father "couldn't seem more delighted" and says Clooney is "very sympathetic, intelligent, cool, easygoing and crazy in love with Amal!"
This will be Clooney's second marriage: He was previously wed to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993.
—Stefania Sainato and Kristen Klein
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