Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s Wedding, 2017

Serena Williams married Alexis Ohanian on a Thursday in November, about two months after the birth of their daughter. The wedding, at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, borrowed its story from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and its scale from a Grand Slam final: about 200 guests, three dresses, a live performance by New Edition and, to close the night, a carousel. It was lavish, but it was also unusually personal, from the date to the table names.

The couple

Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit; Williams needs no introduction to anyone who has watched tennis this century. Their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., attended the wedding at two months old. They chose November 16 because it was the birthday of Ohanian’s mother, Anke, who had died nine years earlier. It is a small decision that tells you a great deal about the day: for all its spectacle, the wedding was built around family.

The ceremony

The setting was a contemporary arts space, not a cathedral or a ballroom, and the design team turned it into something closer to an enchanted castle. The planner was Jennifer Zabinski; the décor was by Preston Bailey. Guests were greeted to the sound of “Be Our Guest” and were asked to dress to the theme. Williams walked down an aisle framed by a gold floral arch.

The celebrations stretched across a weekend. A rehearsal dinner was held the night before at Meril, a New Orleans restaurant, and a brunch at the Ace Hotel the morning after, with a DJ and games.

The dress

For the ceremony Williams wore a full-skirted ball gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the designer who had made the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress six years earlier (see Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding). Williams said she “loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown.”

She changed twice. For her entrance to the reception she wore a beaded and feathered Versace gown by Donatella Versace, which took a team of five some 1,500 hours to embroider. For the first dance she changed again, into a fitted Versace dress with a short skirt. Underneath, at the reception, she wore crystal-covered Nike Cortez sneakers, embellished by hand for the occasion. For more gowns in this tradition, see our guide to celebrity wedding dresses.

The reception

The tables carried the names of Williams’s Grand Slam victories. The couple’s first dance was to “Tale as Old as Time,” and New Edition performed. The final surprise was a carousel, set up inside the venue for guests at the end of the night.

Why it mattered

The wedding showed how a public figure can stage a large, highly produced event without letting it become impersonal. The theme was playful, but the date, the table names and the presence of a two-month-old daughter kept it anchored to the couple’s actual lives. It also made a strong case for the multiple-dress wedding, in which each part of the day gets its own look, an approach later taken by Sofia Richie, Jennifer Lopez and Paris Hilton.

Borrow the idea

Choose a date that means something. A parent’s birthday, a grandparents’ anniversary or the day you met gives the wedding a private meaning no guest needs explained.

Name tables after your own milestones. Instead of numbers, name them for the cities you have lived in, races you have run or places you have traveled together. Guests remember their table, and it starts conversations.

Plan the change of shoes. If you will dance for hours, choose comfortable shoes for the reception and have them embellished to match the dress. Budget a fitting to check hem length with both pairs.

Host a morning-after brunch. A relaxed gathering the next day, as the couple held at the Ace Hotel, lets you speak to the guests you only waved at during the reception. Keep it informal, with a DJ or simply good coffee, and give it a clear end time so traveling guests can plan their flights.

Give the theme a light touch. A single piece of music as guests arrive, or a first dance chosen from a favorite film, carries a theme better than costumes. Our first dance selections and dress code guide will help you pitch it.