George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin have delighted crowds of onlookers as they took to the waters of Venice to show off their wedding rings for their first day as a married couple.

The Hollywood heartthrob and his bride cut an elegant pair on Sunday at the prow of a vintage water taxi as they led a flotilla of boats down the Grand Canal, after dancing nearly till dawn during a star-studded overnight ceremony and party.

• In pictures: Amal and George’s amazing wedding

Lebanese-British lawyer Alamuddin looked effortlessly graceful in a long-sleeved white lace dress covered with pink and red flowers in her first appearance as Mrs Clooney, while the US actor was suave as ever in a finely cut grey suit.

The 53-year-old was begged by the crowd to show off his ring, a wide band in white gold, but jokingly looked at his right hand in surprise – after so many years as a bachelor, you could forgive him for taking a while to get used to being married.

Amal’s ring. Photo: Getty

Alamuddin’s ring was more delicate and looked like it featured a band of small diamonds.

They are expected to spend their honeymoon in Morocco’s former imperial city of Marrakech, according to a source.

The pair said “I do” late Saturday at a private ceremony in Venice’s palatial Aman Canal Grande hotel, before celebrating with a star-strewn guestlist in one of the most eagerly awaited celebrity weddings in years.

There were wolf-whistles and cheers as the actor scooped his new wife into his arms for a nuptial kiss, and his hands were shaking so much that he did a botched job cutting the wedding cake, a source close to the hotel said.

Attendees including Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber – rumoured to be Clooney’s best man – reportedly boogied well into the early hours to hit tracks by Blondie, Jackson 5 and Daft Punk.

Those not sleeping off a hangover were tipped to have met for a lavish late lunch Sunday in the garden of the luxurious Cipriani resort, or recovering with Bloody Mary cocktails on sun loungers by the hotel’s Olympic size, waterfront pool.

On Saturday at sunset, a euphoric-looking Clooney made his wedding evening entree by sweeping up Venice’s Grand Canal, accompanied by some 20 boatloads of paparazzi and the screams of adoring fans.

The silver-haired actor and director, looking dashing in an Armani tux, grinned and rubbed his hands in glee as he entered the fresco-adorned Aman.

Alamuddin, 36, who stayed out of sight inside the hotel, reportedly wore a gown by red-carpet maestro Oscar de la Renta.

Despite having already exchanged vows, the couple are still tipped to officialise the marriage under Italian law at the town hall on Monday.