A Venetian Wedding

I’d read last week that Salma Hayek denied the rumors that she was planning a lavish second wedding. Well, specifically she said, “I think spending millions of dollars on a wedding is ridiculous and it has never been my dream. I would never do that.”

I guess hundreds of thousands is a different story. Because, according to what I’ve read about the events of the past weekend, it seems like they pulled out all the stops for their second wedding. Although, since Salma’s French billionaire husband runs a luxury brands firm PPR (which owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga) and his family owns the Palazzo Grassi (a historic white marble palace that was where the couple first met and also served as the reception location), perhaps the wedding didn’t cost as much as it might seem.

Salma and François-Henri Pinault said their “I Dos” for a second time in Venice, Italy last weekend…this time in front of a star-studded crowd of family and friends (last time was at city hall in Paris on Valentine’s Day).

Besides her wedding dress (more on that later), Salma made several costume changes throughout the weekend. She donned a royal blue and black dress for the masquerade-style rehearsal dinner. And, after exchanging vows, she exchanged her wedding dress for a more comfortable short fuchsia frock.

For the actual ceremony, Salma wore a Balenciaga wedding gown by Nicholas Ghesquiere…who also created Nicole Kidman’s wedding dress. (See how it might be cheaper if your husband owns the company that designed your wedding gown?)

I loved the juxtaposition of the dress’s silver detailed top with simple skirt. It’s interesting and elegant. It really is a beautiful dress.

Although the weekend looked fabulous and I’m sure everyone had a blast, I don’t really understand the recent celebrity trend of having two weddings. What’s the point of the secret or “intimate” first wedding? If it’s to have a private moment for the most important day of their lives, without prying public eyes, and, by extension, the paparazzi, then why bother with the second bigger one that the photogs are sure to flock to? Anyone have any insights?

Happily Ever After,

{masquerade dress picture; fuschia dress picture; wedding picture}

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