What a beautiful bride and groom!
George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin got married on Sept. 27 in Venice, Italy. They sold the rights to the wedding photos, which are being published by People in the United States and Hello! internationally. The American magazine features three photos on its cover, giving fans of the newlyweds the first look at the 36-year-old bride wearing her custom Oscar de la Renta French lace wedding gown, which featured hand-embroidered pearl and diamanté accents, an off-the-shoulder neckline and a full circular train. "He's such an elegant designer and such an elegant man," the attorney raves. George looked sharp, too, wearing a black tuxedo in ultra-fine wool/cashmere from Giorgio Armani's Made to Measure collection.
"[Giorgio is] the class act of all class acts. He's been a good friend for many years and the night wouldn't be complete without him," George gushes. The fashion designer adds, "It is a privilege and a pleasure for me to dress him for this occasion, in which he stars in the most important role: that of the groom."
George also wore customized cufflinks, a gift from his bride, with his first name inscribed in Arabic.
The couple exchanged vows inside the historic Aman Canal Grande Venice. "We met in Italy," the Gravity star, 53, explains. "We have a home there. We knew that was where we wanted to get married." The movie star, who owns a home in Lake Como, also calls Venice "the most romantic city in the world."
The couple celebrated with three days of parties followed by a civil ceremony on Monday.
Guests included Luciana Barroso, Emily Blunt, Bono, Cindy Crawford, Matt Damon, Rande Gerber, John Krasinski, Bill Murray and Anna Wintour. Approximately 100 guests attended their symbolic ceremony.
(Barroso, Blunt and Damon are also featured on People's cover.)
"George and Amal radiated love all night," Amal's mom, Baria Alamuddin, says. "The wedding was so unbelievably special, it was legendary. These three days—the friends, the families, the atmosphere, everything—will stay with me all the rest of my life." During one of the night's speeches, the Al-Hayat newspaper editor addressed her son-in-law. "I said, 'George, we love you truly, deeply and sincerely. We enjoy your charm, your wit, intelligent conversation and generosity. You are simply perfect," Baria says.
Nora Sagal, the daughter of friends, sang Irving Berlin's standard "Always" at the ceremony. It was the same song George's parents, Nick Clooney and Nina Clooney, danced to at their own wedding. For their first dance at the reception, George and Amal carefully selected Cole Porter's ballad "Why Shouldn't I?"
As Nick Clooney said in his speech during the ceremony, "George and Amal present us with...belief that in this place and at this moment, love is alive and well." Amal's close friend Jae Kim certainly agrees. "I had never seen her smile like that," Kim said. "She has had that smile now for almost a year straight!"
How does the groom feel about his new status as a married man?
"My verdict on being Mr. and Mrs. Clooney? It feels pretty damn great," twice-wed George tells Hello!
Guests left with "a hangover," George joked. In reality, they were given iPods loaded with custom playlists featuring songs selected by the couple. After the honeymoon, what's next for the couple?
"We're looking forward to everything," George says.
People will feature 25 exclusive wedding photos in its Oct. 13 issue, on sale Friday.