See Serena Williams' Custom Wedding Nike Sneakers Get Painstakingly Bedazzled
For Serena Williams, when it came to the footwear she wore on her wedding day, comfort was key.
The 36-year-old tennis superstar, who tied the knot to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, 34, last Thursday in an intimate ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana, in front of family and close friends including Beyoncé, LaLa Anthony and Kim Kardashian West.
While Williams went for full-on princess glam with her strapless Alexander McQueen ball gown and $3.5 million worth of jewelry by XIV Karats, for her walk down the aisle, the star opted for a more comfortable (but no less glamorous) shoe option. Instead of sporting sky-high heels that would inevitably get kicked off before the end of the night, Williams wore custom-made Nike Cortez sneakers intricately encrusted with silver and gold crystals.
A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Nov 21, 2017 at 7:10am PST
“Meet Michelle @merakimishell the amazing woman behind my incredible @nike Cortez shoes?” Williams said on Instagram. “Yes I wore them down the aisle! Comfort for this bride! Thanks Michelle!!! 😍😍”
And according to the star’s bedazzling expert Michelle, she had to hand-glue each stud on the shoes with only a few hours notice. “Less than 24 hrs turnover & no sleep ?💎Only for beautiful @serenawilliams,” she said, also posting another shot of the shoes in all their sparkly glory.
A post shared by @merakimishell on Nov 16, 2017 at 6:41am PST
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When it came to finding her dream dress, Williams said she “flew to London to meet with Sarah [Burton, the designer] and ended up falling in love with the ball gown silhouette, which is completely the opposite of what I ever thought I would choose for myself.”
She told Vogue, “I loved the idea of doing a really spectacular ball gown, and it has turned out to be such an incredibly special piece.”
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A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Nov 21, 2017 at 7:01am PST
After the ceremony, Williams kept on her cool bedazzled kicks and danced the night away after switching into a more party-appropriate dress. For the reception, the tennis champ wore a white strapless Versace dress (which Donatella Versace said took 1,500 hours to make) that featured lace and feathers throughout the bodice – and paired perfectly with her fun shoes.
Williams and Ohanian began dating in 2015, revealed their engagement in December 2016 and exchanged vows less than three months after the birth of their first child together, who was born on September 1st.
What do you think of these cool kicks Serena wore on her wedding day? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
