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Serena Williams switches her singles game to mixed doubles with New Orleans wedding

Alex Ohanian and Serena Williams "met by chance" in Rome, she said in a poem when they became engaged.

Alex Ohanian and Serena Williams "met by chance" in Rome, she said in a poem when they became engaged. Instagram

Just 11 weeks after welcoming daughter Alexis, Serena Williams has married Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian in a star-studded New Orleans ceremony.

The high-profile couple exchanged vows at the southern city’s Contemporary Arts Centre in front of A-list friends including Beyonce, Jay Z, Eva Longoria and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

Guest Kim Kardashian West, who is expecting her third child via surrogate, was apparently pressed for time. She changed into a long dress by Australian designer Alex Perry at a local airport before heading to the wedding venue.

The theme for the wedding was ‘Beauty and the Beast’, according to Entertainment Tonight, which quoted a guest as saying that on arrival, people were greeted with cocktails and the Disney song Be Our Guest.

Little Alexis, who was born in September, was reportedly a “big part of the nuptials”.

Williams arrived at the venue around 3pm (US time) on November 16 and did a dress change ahead of the reception, according to reports.

Retro R&B group New Edition are said to have played a five-song set after dinner, but Jay Z had to bail early for a concert date in North Carolina.

The reigning Australian Open champ also had fellow tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and her new fiancé, NBA player David Lee, on the guest list.

Williams has signed an exclusive deal with Vogue for the wedding photos, with guests banned from bringing mobile phones to the nuptials, according to ET.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbkg39Kj8YH/?tagged=serenawilliams

Williams, 36, and Ohanian, 34, began dating in 2015 and announced their engagement last December.

The night before the wedding, the couple held a rehearsal dinner at celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant Meril.

Ahead of the ceremony on Thursday, crews were spotted hauling giant floral arrangements into place and making other preparations under white marquees.

In the lead up to her big day, Williams – who scoped out New Orleans venues in October with Ohanian and their Yorkshire Terrier, Chip – stayed busy with a raft of social and wedding events.

Earlier this month, the bride-to-be celebrated the looming marriage with “an ultra-swanky girls’ weekend” in New York, according to People magazine.

The all-female party including the bride’s sister Venus Williams, La La Anthony and Ciara hit up the luxe Baccarat Hotel and Residences for a weekend which included five-star spa treatments, dance floor nights and trapeze classes.

Days before the wedding, Williams made her first re carpet appearance since giving birth, wearing a Versace mini to present friend Gigi Hadid with an award at the Glamour Women of the Year awards in New York.

Shortly before the wedding, Williams’ longtime coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, wished the pair a “very happy wedding” on Instagram.

The day after making it legal, the couple and their guests planned “a full-blown brunch at the Ace Hotel with a DJ, games and recovery bar”, said ET.

Williams, the winner of 23 singles titles, raved about Ohanian during the Australian Open in January.

“He’s incredibly — a really nice person,” she said.

“I think he definitely treats everyone the same, which is really cool to see. Really, really nice to see.”

So far, there are no details about what the newylweds have planned for their honeymoon.

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