AP Photo/Andrew MedichinWhen George Clooney, a man once mythicized to forever be a bachelor, finally says "I do," you better believe there's going to be fanfare!
And the 53-year-old actor and Amal Alamuddin's 4-day wedding weekend in Venice, Italy, had all the glitz and glamour one would expect from this sort of star-studded, Hollywood affair!
From the moment the lovebirds taxied their way in through the Grand Canal Friday to the legally binding civil ceremony Monday, it was party after party celebrating their union while being surrounded by A-list friends and family.
Let's recap.
Friday: George and his bride-to-be, 36, arrive in Venice in the afternoon. The Oscar winner escorts his future wife to the Aman Canal Grande, where the bachelorette meets up with about eight of her gal pals, her sister, Tala, mom, Baria, and fellow lawyer Philippa Webb.
The couple's celebrity guests—including John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Bono, Anna Wintour and Ellen Barkin—begin to arrive as well.
That night, Amal throws on a sexy red dress for her bachelorette party at the Aman Canal Grande, where she and her girls toast to her last night as a single lady!
George and seven friends, including Cindy Crawford's hubby Rande Gerber, spend the star's last night as a bachelor at the Da Ivo restaurant. Restaurant owner Giovanni Fracassi tells E! News George "just called and said shortly beforehand, 'I want to come over.'" Several diners are asked to move elsewhere to accommodate George and his crew! One client tells E! News the groom-to-be "looked so happy and relaxed."
Saturday: They do! George and Amal (wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown) exchange vows in an intimate symbolic wedding ceremony, the actor's rep confirms to E! News. The pair swap vows at sunset on a podium in front of a wall of white candles at the Aman Canal Grande hotel, which was decorated with white flowers, including tiny roses, lilies and carnations. Guests enjoy hundreds of bottles of champagne and red wine and celebrated with disco and jazz well past midnight.
Sunday: The new Mr. and Mrs. Clooney (symbolically, at least!) arrive at the Cipriani Hotel via their water taxi, Amore. Inside, the newlyweds made their way to the beautifully decorated pool area where their guests were waiting for them.
"George and Amal arrived and everyone cheered so loudly you could hear it down the canal" a source tells E! News. "The champagne corks started popping and they cranked the music up really loud. It was a variety of songs, but funk style mostly—things like James Brown and really cool fun party music. There was a DJ there playing and it was a lovely, sunny and warm afternoon. Some people were jumping in and out of the pool and swimming...it was a really fun afternoon."
Guests enjoy a picnic-style buffet, complete with chicken, bacon and egg club sandwiches, fries, freshly caught fish, tomato and Italian buffalo mozzarella salads, burgers, cheesecake and gelato. In addition to what a source jokingly calls "hangover food," George, Amal & Co., have their choice of still and sparkling water, Italian coffee, espresso, Bellinis, champagne and of course, tequila!
Later in the evening, guests switch from their relaxed poolside attire to their fancier threads for a lavish dinner at The Granary, located at the back of Hotel Cipriani. "It was a party to end the weekend festivities before people fly home Monday," says a source. "It was just such a cool and classy way to round off a really incredible weekend. Most people were saying that it was the best wedding they had ever attended in their lives. It was so glamorous, fun and a lovely happy atmosphere."
Guests enjoyed lots of champagne, says a source, and reportedly partied until 4 a.m. in the morning.
Monday: It's official! George and Amal finish out their wedding weekend with a civil ceremony performed by former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni. Crowds of locals, fans and paparazzi cheer George and Amal as they exit the registry, a witness says.
Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Clooney!
—Reporting by Sara Kitnick, Jen Paul & Senta Scarborough