{"id":881008,"date":"2025-12-27T01:14:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T07:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/27\/tennis-legend-venus-williams-weds-andrea-preti-with-fairytale-ceremonies-in-italy-and-florida\/"},"modified":"2025-12-27T01:14:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T07:14:24","slug":"tennis-legend-venus-williams-weds-andrea-preti-with-fairytale-ceremonies-in-italy-and-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/27\/tennis-legend-venus-williams-weds-andrea-preti-with-fairytale-ceremonies-in-italy-and-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennis Legend Venus Williams Weds Andrea Preti With Fairytale Ceremonies in Italy and Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

PALM BEACH, United States \u2014 Venus Williams, the tennis champion and entrepreneur, and Andrea Preti, an Italian actor and restaurateur, marked their marriage this year with ceremonies in Italy and the United States, following a relationship that began unexpectedly at a fashion event in Milan.<\/p>\n

The couple first met in 2024 during Milan Fashion Week at a Gucci show. Ms Williams was in Lake Como on a trip with her sisters when she received a last-minute invitation and decided to attend.<\/p>\n

Mr Preti, who had not planned to go, went despite being tired. Sabato De Sarno arranged an aperitivo for VIP guests after the show, where the two met and exchanged conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met at the Gucci show,\u201d Ms. Williams remembers.<\/p>\n

She later recalled, \u201cI was in Lake Como on a sisters\u2019 trip when I got an invite at the last minute and decided to go on a whim, and Andrea was tired. Neither of us was planning on being there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early Meetings and Growing Relationship<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After the show, the two began texting and later met again in London.<\/p>\n

Williams invited Preti to breakfast with her family, including her sister Lyn Williams, who suggested they stay in touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mind if we start a WhatsApp conversation? I think my sister likes you,\u201d Lyn Williams said at the time.<\/p>\n

During that London visit, Williams also hosted the Serpentine gala in Kensington Gardens and invited Preti.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on that period, she said, \u201cI\u2019m beyond the phase of sneaking around,\u201d and added of introducing him to her family, \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to sit around the table with powerful women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Preti later described the introduction, saying he approached Williams at the Gucci show after seeing her seated with friends and family.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw V and wanted to introduce myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was on the sofa with her friends and family. I told her, \u2018You\u2019re so beautiful,\u2019 and then she started speaking with me in Italian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health Challenges and Engagement<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ten days after they met, Williams was diagnosed with adenomyoma.<\/p>\n

She consulted several doctors before travelling to Italy for surgery and noted that she had previously frozen her eggs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, I froze my eggs a while ago,\u201d she said. The surgery took place about one month after she and Preti met.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so early in our relationship, but we were going through a lot, and he supported me,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had surgery a month after Andrea and I met. It was crazy, but that\u2019s how we met.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple became engaged on January 31, 2025, while travelling in Tuscany.<\/p>\n

Preti recalled asking her, \u201cDo you want to hear my wish?\u201d before proposing with the words, \u201cDo you want to marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Weddings in Italy and Florida<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Their first wedding ceremony was held on September 18 in Ischia, Italy.<\/p>\n

Williams said the couple had initially hoped to complete all formalities there. \u201cWe had this dream to do our wedding in Italy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we didn\u2019t have enough time to do the paperwork\u2014because I\u2019m a foreigner, it can take about eight months.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, a second ceremony and extended celebration were held in Palm Beach.<\/p>\n

The events were planned by Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events and unfolded over several days, beginning six days before the main ceremony.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five of Preti\u2019s family and friends travelled from Italy to attend.<\/p>\n

During the week, Williams\u2019s sister Serena Williams gifted the couple a yacht, and daily pool parties were hosted at their home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not an easy flight to come here, especially right before Christmas,\u201d Preti said of his guests.<\/p>\n

A Week of Celebrations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Palm Beach wedding week included a boudoir-themed bridal shower on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at the back patio of the couple\u2019s home, where Williams wore a dress by Kim Kassas and jewellery by David Yurman.<\/p>\n

She followed Bridal Fashion Week remotely. \u201cSo I attended via Instagram,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A group dinner organised by Preti took place at Sopra, upstairs at Forte dei Marmi in Miami.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the couple hosted a sports day featuring volleyball, tennis, dodgeball, wheelbarrow races and pickleball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want to be the team captain\u2014I just wanted to be on the team with my husband,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Early on Friday morning, the couple held a courthouse ceremony, arriving at 6.45 a.m. Williams wore a dress by Morilee New York.<\/p>\n

Preti later described the moment, saying, \u201cFor me, the courthouse ceremony was very unique, emotional, and deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Main Ceremony and Reception<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the main wedding day, Williams wore a dress by Georges Hobeika.<\/p>\n

Preti walked out with his mother to \u201cI\u2019ll Be There\u201d by the Jackson 5, while Williams entered to \u201cOvunque Sarai\u201d by Irama.<\/p>\n

The couple wrote their own vows, and the recessional was set to \u201cSigned, Sealed, Delivered\u201d by Stevie Wonder.<\/p>\n

Their first dance at the reception was to \u201cI Only Have Eyes for You\u201d by the Flamingos. An after-party followed at Sophia\u2019s Hobe Sound and continued until about 2 a.m.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the celebrations, Williams said, \u201cThey always say weddings go so fast, and they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cI can\u2019t describe how beautiful, calm, sacred, exciting, and exalting it was. It was just a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preti said of the overall experience, \u201cIt was the second-best day of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ani Afuekwe | Entertainment Reporter
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PALM BEACH, United States \u2014 Venus Williams, the tennis champion and entrepreneur, and Andrea Preti, an Italian actor and restaurateur, marked their marriage this year with ceremonies in Italy and the United States, following a relationship that began unexpectedly at a fashion event in Milan. The couple first met in 2024 during Milan Fashion Week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":881009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1600,28251],"tags":[8401,6802],"class_list":{"0":"post-881008","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-legend","8":"category-tennis","9":"tag-legend","10":"tag-tennis"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}