• Many of the most successful people out there also have incredibly successful marriages.
• While you can’t read into a marriage from a wedding, it’s fun to take a look back at the days that marked the begin of married life.
• Some couples, like Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, took the low-key route. Others, like Bill and Melinda Gates, threw huge bashes.
No two weddings are exactly alike. Couples tend to throw events that match their personalities, tastes, and budget.
So it’s not surprising that there’s quite a range of wedding styles, even among some of the most successful people in the world. Some couples went for more modest, intimate affairs, while others opted for massive celebrations.
Here’s a look at the weddings of some of the most successful couples out there:
The 100 or so guests attending the surprise wedding of Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan initially thought they had been invited to the latter’s medical school graduation party. The nuptials took place in the backyard of the couples’ Palo Alto home on May 19, 2012.
Source: The Washington Post
Zuckerberg designed a ruby wedding ring for his bride. The Washington Post reported dessert consisted of "Burdick Chocolate 'mice' (tiny chocolate truffles in the shape of mice), which they ate during their first date."
Source: The Washington Post
Bill and Melinda Gates married in 1994 in what was then Manele Bay Hotel in Hawaii. They tied the knot by the "par-3 12th hole" on the property's golf course, according to Forbes. The event reportedly cost $1 million.
Source: Business Insider, EasyWeddings.com, Forbes, People magazine, Business Insider , Business Insider
To keep the wedding private, Bill booked all the rooms in the hotel, along with all of the helicopters on the island of Maui to "prevent unwanted visitors from flying over," Forbes reported.
Source: Business Insider, EasyWeddings.com, Forbes , Business Insider
In 2013, LeBron James married his longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson. The lavish event included a rendition of "Crazy in Love" from Beyonce and Jay-Z, according to Deadspin.
Source: Deadspin, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider
The three days of festivities also featured plenty of celebrity cameos, from family friend and fellow NBA star Dwayne Wade to singer Neyo, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Source: Deadspin, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider
Warren Buffett and Astrid Menks married in 2006, on his 76th birthday. They had lived together since 1978, when Buffett's first wife Susan introduced them. The wedding was a modest event followed by a reception at the Bonefish Grill, a casual seafood chain.
Source: The New York Times, Business Insider
According to his daughter Susie, Buffett had been thinking about marrying Astrid for some time after his first wife's death in 2004. "He's been talking about this for a while," she told The New York Times. "It's something he wanted to do."
Source: The New York Times, Business Insider
Jay-Z married Beyoncé in his Manhattan apartment on April 4, 2008. The date — 4/4 — held special significance for both Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who were each born on the fourth of the month. Beyoncé's mother, Tina Lawson, designed her gown.
Source: Vulture, Vanity Fair, Business Insider
The pair got matching tattoos on their ring fingers of the Roman numeral IV.
Source: Vulture , Refinery 29, Business Insider
Spanx founder Sara Blakely married Marquis Jet founder Jesse Itzler in 2008 at Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, Florida. Itzler's father officiated the ceremony, 450 guests attended the festivities, and Blakely wore her grandmother's restored 1918 wedding gown.
Source: Success.com, Atlanta Weddings, The Gasparilla Inn and Club, Business Insider
Olivia Newton-John was also on hand to serenade the newlyweds with a rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted to You." "The eight-year-old in me is still flipping out that she was at my wedding," Blakely told Atlanta Weddings.
NFL star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen tied the knot on February 26, 2009, in a twilight Catholic ceremony in Santa Monica. Brady told GQ the wedding took about 10 days to plan, and only included close family members.
Source: Vanity Fair, GQ, Business Insider
They also celebrated a second ceremony in Costa Rica, that following April.
Source: Vanity Fair, GQ , Business Insider