Tennis star Venus Williams married actor, producer, and model Andrea Preti not once, but twice. In an interview with Vogue, Williams shared that, three months after their first September wedding in Italy, they tied the knot again in Palm Beach last week with a six-day extravaganza.
Williams explained that after their January engagement in Tuscany (which included floating in saltwater pools), the couple dreamed of an Italian wedding to honor Preti’s heritage. But apparently, there wasn’t enough time to process Williams’s paperwork as a non-Italian citizen, so they settled on a compromise: Wedding No. 1 in Ischia, and a second ceremony in Palm Beach in December to pay homage to Williams’s Floridian roots. Problem solved.
The couple, who first met at a Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week in 2024, hired sister Serena Williams’s wedding planner Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events to organize a full week of events, including daily pool parties at their house, leading up to the ceremony. “We started on Monday. Serena gave us this gift of a beautiful yacht, and she arranged all the food, everything,” Venus said. “We had 10 to 12 of our closest family and friends who were in town on the boat, and we were singing, dancing, gossiping, and just enjoying each other.” I’m suddenly feeling inspired to put “beautiful yacht” on my future registry.
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The next five days included a boudoir-themed bridal shower, where the whole crew, including Serena, did a lip-sync battle exclusively to Beyoncé songs; more pool parties; an Italian meal organized by Preti at the members’ club Sopra; a sports day offering volleyball, tennis, dodgeball, wheelbarrow races (!), and pickleball; and, finally, a 6:45 a.m. courthouse wedding. For the ceremony later that day, the couple wrote their own vows in English and Italian — Preti confirmed that Venus, though shy, “speaks Italian very, very well.”
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Following the reception, a party bus took everyone to the after-party at Sophia’s Hobe Sound … except Preti. “Andrea went to sleep — God bless his soul,” Venus said. “He had to get some rest with our dog. But I jumped on. They were popping Sexyy Red and French Montana, and we were dancing on the bus.” Sounds like a hell of a time. Congratulations to the happy couple, and if there is a third wedding, please invite me.
