Venus Williams marries actor Andrea Preti

Tennis great Venus Williams married her Italian actor and model partner Andrea Preti in a second ceremony in Florida over the weekend, months after first tying the knot in Italy.

The happy couple held six days of luxurious dinners and celebrations in Palm Beach, Florida with their closest friends and family.

And Williams told Vogue that her sister Serena even gifted her a yacht which hosted some of their wedding guests.

Serena gave us this gift of a beautiful yacht, and she arranged all the food, everything,’ Williams said of how the romantic week got underway.

‘We had 10 to 12 of our closest family and friends who were in town on the boat, and we were singing, dancing, gossiping, and just enjoying each other.’

Williams, 45, and the 37-year-old Preti chose to hold a second wedding because paperwork to confirm their first marriage in Italy in September can take up to eight months to become official.

They welcomed members of his family over to the United States just before Christmas and hosted dinners and pool parties leading up to the big day.

During the service itself, Williams recited her vows to Preti in both English and Italian before partying into the early hours of Saturday morning.

‘It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day,’ Venus said, while Preti added: ‘When I saw Venus, she was beautiful, like a goddess. I was crying and happy.’

Williams shared pictures from the big day on Instagram on Tuesday morning, with one picture appearing to show sister Serena singing with a backing band.

‘Guess what I did this weekend?’ she captioned one picture of her in her wedding dress, which she posted as a story. She followed it by adding: ‘Yes, that’s right! We got married! It was and still is a dream!’

While sister Serena has been married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian since 2017, Venus had stayed single for much of her sporting career.