George and Amal set a new standard for Hollywood weddings

George and Amal set a new standard for Hollywood weddings

By Mackenzie DawsonSeptember 30, 2014

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After their civil ceremony, newlyweds George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin took a ride in a water taxi named Amore.  As the sun set pink over Venice on Saturday evening, George Clooney rode up the Grand Canal in a water taxi in his last few minutes of public bachelorhood.

The 53-year-old actor looked happy and relaxed, waving to the crowds of well-wishers who shouted “Auguri, George!” (“Congratulations, George!”) as he arrived at the luxury Aman Canal Grande Resort, where the ceremony would take place.  The water taxi was dubbed “Amore.”

The groom wore a classic tuxedo by Armani.  And the bride, Amal Alamuddin, wore a breathtaking Oscar de la Renta gown.  But while the ceremony itself was kept private — the couple banned cellphones during the vows because they didn’t want photos appearing everywhere — Clooney and the lovely Alamuddin seemed more than happy to pose for shots during the long wedding weekend.

On Friday, high-profile guests, including actor Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso, as well as night-life impresario and best man Rande Gerber and his wife Cindy Crawford, arrived in Venice.

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Matt Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso board a boat while Rande Gerber and his wife Cindy Crawford wait on a balcony to join the fun.

Later, Clooney, Gerber and pals headed to Da Ivo for a bachelor party dinner, where they drank tequila and red wine. Alamuddin, dressed in a stunning Alexander McQueen number, headed to the Aman resort with her mother, sister and lawyer friends.

The main event was held on Saturday night. Guests were given preapproved cameras that routed all photos to a centralized database, according to TMZ. The party was said to last until the wee hours.

On Sunday, the couple hosted a brunch at Venice’s Belmond Hotel Cipriani, emerging again on Monday for a civil ceremony held at the Venice Town Hall. Every single appearance was the epitome of style and grace: Alamuddin sported four exquisite outfits fit for a classic Hollywood movie — including a dramatic wide-brimmed hat straight out of “Now Voyager.” (And at an estimated $13 million cost, the wedding had a Hollywood budget, too.)

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Over the course of her wedding weekend, Amal was spotted wearing: Giambattista Valli, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana and Stella McCartney.

Clooney knows how to strike that fine balance between privacy and media participation; after all, when you’re one of the world’s most famous actors and you get married in Venice, you’re pretty much begging the paparazzi to come along for the ride. It’s tough to make a quick getaway on foot down those narrow, winding streets, and it’s difficult to hide when you’re waiting at your water taxi stand.  But the Oscar-winning heartthrob and his bride didn’t seem to mind the attention.

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George Clooney, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber enjoyed a morning coffee date.

We saw him smiling while stepping into water taxis, waving to the crowd. There was Clooney sharing a wedding-day morning coffee with Crawford and Gerber — even bantering with photographers, who shouted, “Is this really happening, George?” “Yeah, right now!” Clooney replied in mock alarm, pretending to check his watch-less wrist for the time.

Even Clooney’s regular Venetian taxi driver, Alessandro Greco, had been invited to the wedding and intended to take the day off from the taxi business, leaving his assistant in charge, according to reports from Us Weekly. (Greco also reportedly acted as witness at the couple’s civil ceremony on Monday.)

But in a way, it was like we were all invited. There was so much for the casual laptop observer to enjoy about the occasion, not the least of which was the fact that the dapper Clooney’s new wife is a 36-year-old human rights lawyer who, by pretty much everyone’s account, is a wonderful person, in addition to being incredibly intelligent and great at what she does. Seriously, I have lawyer friends who have worked with her, and they rave about her. When was the last time you heard a lawyer say something good about another lawyer — or anyone, for that matter?

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Bill Murray waves to the crowd while on a boat.

But what really knocked the whole thing out of the park — the Laguna, as it were — was the fact that Bill Murray was a wedding guest.  The 64-year-old actor recently delivered fantastic love advice to a Charleston, S.C., bachelor party he crashed.

“If you have someone that you think is The One, don’t just sort of think in your ordinary mind, ‘OK, let’s pick a date. Let’s plan this and make a party and get married,’ ” he advised. “Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world, and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of. And if when you come back to JFK, when you land in JFK, and you’re still in love with that person, get married at the airport.”

We can only hope that he delivered a similarly awesome toast to Clooney and his lady, and that it will at some point (soon, please) be leaked to an eager public. Don’t let us down, Bill!  Auguri, George and Amal!

Where were Brangelina?
This probably halved the catering bill. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and their gigantic brood of children were wedding no-shows. Rumors had Clooney falling-out with his friend because Pitt’s young’uns trashed his Lake Como palace.
More likely: scheduling conflicts.

globalchick wrote:I think it sets a new standard of publicity seeking. I don't think we'll see another Hollywood couple selling out like this for a long time. The last 2 on this scale were the Kardashian wedding and TomKat. And Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas but that was a long time ago. George should have kept his wedding private and released one photo for free like JFK and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston did, which is the classy thing to do. That's class not this spectacle. I'm afraid that blowing this kind of money when you claim to be a humanitarian is hypocrisy at it's finest. As was the $750,000 engagement ring. I think George's wedding cost more than the Royal Wedding of William and Kate which almost looks low key compared to what we have just seen. I liked George back when he was more authentic and before he "went Hollywood".

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I didn't know the name of George's boat-taxi driver and that he acted as a witness to their legal wedding ceremony.  

Way2Old4Dis wrote:

globalchick wrote:I think it sets a new standard of publicity seeking. I don't think we'll see another Hollywood couple selling out like this for a long time. The last 2 on this scale were the Kardashian wedding and TomKat. And Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas but that was a long time ago. George should have kept his wedding private and released one photo for free like JFK and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston did, which is the classy thing to do. That's class not this spectacle. I'm afraid that blowing this kind of money when you claim to be a humanitarian is hypocrisy at it's finest. As was the $750,000 engagement ring. I think George's wedding cost more than the Royal Wedding of William and Kate which almost looks low key compared to what we have just seen. I liked George back when he was more authentic and before he "went Hollywood".

Are you doing copy-and-paste for your posts now?