Venus Williams and Andrea Preti Tie the Knot in Lavish Palm Beach Celebration
Venus Williams and Andrea Preti exchanged vows in a romantic ceremony in Palm Beach.
The tennis icon, 45, and the actor, 37, officially became husband and wife on Saturday, December 20, following a five-day celebration with their close friends and family members.
“It was simply the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day imaginable,” Williams shared with Vogue in a story released on Tuesday, December 23, which featured photographs from the lavish week-long festivities.
The wedding took place the day after the couple had a brief ceremony at a courthouse, where Williams and Preti arrived at 6:45 a.m. to ensure they had privacy.
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“I can’t possibly describe how lovely, peaceful, sacred, exciting, and uplifting it was,” Williams explained. “It truly felt like a dream.”
Williams revealed that the couple actually had an informal wedding in Italy in September prior to the larger celebration in Florida.
“We had always envisioned doing our wedding in Italy,” Williams said. “However, we didn’t have sufficient time to complete the necessary paperwork — as I am a foreign national, it can take approximately eight months. So we decided to have a second wedding.”
Williams hosted a bridal gathering at the couple’s Florida home on Tuesday, December 16, which spontaneously turned into a Beyoncé dance party.
“Everyone was required to select a song, and we engaged in a lip-synch competition,” Williams recalled.
The newlyweds were initially linked in July 2024, when they were seen together on a boat in Nerano, Italy.
Earlier in the year, speculation about Williams’ engagement arose when she was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her left hand while attending a Milan Fashion Week runway show with Preti. Williams did not officially confirm her engagement until July, following her singles victory against Peyton Stearns at Washington D.C.’s Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025.
“My fiancé is here,” she told Australian tennis star Rennae Stubbs during an interview at the time. “He really encouraged me to continue playing. There were numerous moments where I simply wanted to relax and take it easy.”
Williams admitted “how challenging it is to play tennis,” but credited Preti with providing her with motivation.
“You all don’t realize how much effort goes into this, it’s like a 9 to 5 job except you’re constantly running. Weightlifting and just, like, enduring, and then repeating it the next day,” she added. “[Andrea] encouraged me to persevere, and it’s wonderful to be here.”
After mentioning that the match marked the first time Preti had seen her play professionally, she agreed with Stubbs that her fiancé was “a good luck charm.”
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In August, Preti continued to support Williams in person at the 2025 US Open, enthusiastically cheering her on from the stands.
Prior to the couple’s wedding, Venus’ sister Serena Williams shared how she was assisting with the wedding preparations.
“We speak every day now because we have so much happening. Well, let me rephrase that. Venus has so much planning that she’s doing that I’m just talking to her all the time,” Serena, 43, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, September 17.
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Serena then elaborated on Venus’ requests, although she refrained from confirming whether they were specifically related to her upcoming nuptials.
“‘Can you help me arrange this? Can you make a call?’” Serena recalled Venus asking her. “I’m the person who gets things accomplished.”
Serena also reflected on arranging potential hairstyles for the upcoming event.
“She wanted literally 14 hairstyles — and she was like, ‘What do you think?’” she said. “So she sent me her options and within 30 minutes I had them not only selected but in a PDF file showing which hairstyle looked best on everyone.”
