Newlywed Jennifer Gates shared a new photo from her lavish wedding to Nayel Nassar that took place earlier this month, capturing her father Bill Gates beaming at her in her bridal gown.
The 25-year-old posted the father-daughter snap in honor of the Microsoft billionaire’s 66th birthday, and paid tribute to him with a caption enumerating the qualities she admires in him.
‘Happy happy 66th @thisisbillgates,’ she wrote. ‘Grateful to learn from your example of endless curiosity, constant exploration and desire to help humanity. Excited to hear about what you learn in this next turn around the sun.
‘Thank you for your support of our union and dream day recently — these memories will last a lifetime,’ she wrote.
Bill had shared his own well wishes for his daughter on her wedding day, writing on Instagram earlier this month: ‘Jenn and Nayel, it’s impossible to put into words how happy it makes me to see you filled with joy on your wedding day. I’m so proud of you both for everything you’ve accomplished in your lives so far and everything you will do with your future together.’
Father-daughter: Jennifer Gates shared a new photo from her lavish wedding that took place earlier this month, capturing her father Bill Gates beaming at her in her bridal gown
‘Happy happy 66th @thisisbillgates,’ she wrote. ‘Grateful to learn from your example of endless curiosity, constant exploration and desire to help humanity. Excited to hear about what you learn in this next turn around the sun’
Jennifer, the eldest child of business magnate Bill and philanthropist Melinda French Gates, appears to be taking no sides in her parents’ split.
The couple, who had been married for 27 years, announced their split in May and had finalized the divorce in August. Melinda had reportedly been uncomfortable with her husband’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein, while Bill ackowledged that he’d had an extramarital affair with a Microsoft employee in the year 2000.
Both Bill and Melinda were there to walk Jennifer down the asile on her big day.
The heiress dressed up in two custom-made Vera Wang bridal gowns for the special occasion.Wang, known for creating wedding dresses for stars including Gwen Stefani and Issa Rae, shared two photos taken by wedding photographer Allan Zepeda and published by Vogue alongside a message wishing Jennifer and Nayel, 30, ‘a lifetime of happiness and joy’.
Sharing details of the dress, Wang wrote: ‘Jennifer wore a custom light ivory long sleeve A-line gown with hand appliqué French macrame lace on the bodice, sleeves and flowing onto a diaphanous light ivory and champagne Italian tulle skirt. The gown was worn with a light ivory Italian tulle chapel length veil trimmed in hand appliqué French macrame lace.’
In response, Jennifer wrote: ‘Both dresses were beyond my wildest dreams. Thank you, thank you, thank you!’
The young woman also had her makeup done by Kim Kardashian’s former makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic.
They do! Jennifer wed Nayel Nassar in a $2 million wedding weekend at her home in North Salem, New York on October 16. She wore two custom Vera Wang gowns for the big day
Second dress: Very Wang, known for creating wedding dresses for stars including Gwen Stefani and Issa Rae, shared two photos taken by wedding photographer Allan Zepeda, including this of Jennifer’s lace trumpet gown for the evening party
Sweet tribute: Vera Wang wrote posts celebrating the couple (left) and Jennifer shared her thanks to the designer (right)
Jennifer first wore an ivory long-sleeved A-line gown with hand appliqué French macrame lace for the outdoor ceremony, before slipping into a lace trumpet gown with a square neckline for the evening reception.
She shared one of the first photos shortly after the nuptials, showing the moment she and Nayel, 30, walked back up the aisle on October 16, moments after being pronounced husband and wife.
Jennifer beamed, holding an elegent bouquet of white flowers in one hand while her other wrapped around Nayel’s waist.
Nayel, looking sharp in a suit, grinned at applauding onlookers along the floral-bedecked aisles as he wrapped his right arm around his new wife’s shoudlers.
The photo was taken after the couple’s second set of vows on Saturday, which followed a smaller religious Muslim ceremony on Friday night in the garden of the family’s 142-acre estate in North Salem, New York.
Jennifer proudly posted the wedding photo on Instagram early Monday afternoon, adding the caption: ‘My universe 10.16.21.’
Meanwhile, Jennifer’s mother also shared a new photo from the special day.
‘What a joy to celebrate the light and love of @jenniferkgates and @nayelnassar this past weekend. So grateful we were able to find a way to safely gather for this special day,’ she wrote, captioning a photo of Jennifer and Nayel posing together outdoors.
The shot, taken from behind, shows Nayel admiring his new bride and Jennifer looking back over her shoulder, her long veil fanned out in the wind.
The couple hosted 300 guests at the mansion on Saturday.
In paparazzi photos, Jennifer was seen clutching a bouquet ahead of the ceremony, her veil lifted over her face. She wore her auburn hair half up and half down and wore a pair of earrings to accent her dress.
The wedding weekend also involved a wind-down brunch, catering by renowned New York City restaurants, and performances by Coldplay. Event planner Marcy Blum took the reins for the weekend.
The bride had nine bridesmaids dressed in evergreen. All appeared to be smiling and laughing as they posed for pictures, and one of the bridesmaids was seen holding up Gates’ long veil.
The ceremony was performned by a longtime family friend, and the bride and groom wrote their own vows.
Following the ceremony, the couple made a quick getaway to have some private wedding photos taken on the estate, while guests headed into a specially constructed ‘botanical garden’ where the cocktail hour was being held.
In paparazzi photos, Jennifer was seen clutching a bouquet ahead of the ceremony, her veil lifted over her face. She wore her auburn hair half up and half down and wore a pair of earrings to accent her dress
The bride had nine bridesmaids dressed in evergreen. All appeared to be smiling and laughing as they posed for pictures, and one of the bridesmaids was seen holding up Gates’ long veil
Both Bill and Melinda were there to walk Jennifer down the asile on her big day
Bill and Melinda – who divorced in August – posted photos from the wedding on Instagram on Monday along with messages for the happy couple
Jennifer and Nayel before their wedding
The reception began shortly after 4 p.m. Bill could be seen in a dark suit, while Melinda was wearing a flowing purple gown.
Servers could be seen standing at the ready with celebratory glasses of champagne which were handed to guests as they passed by.
The weather remained dry until around 6 p.m. when a stray shower forced guests back inside, but otherwise they could be seen on a specially constructed verandah enjoying the evening with a drink in their hands.
Jennifer and Bill danced to Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight, while her first dance with her new husband was Yellow Lights, a song ‘which was written and performed by their friend and artist Harry Hudson.’
Coldplay also performed at the reception.
Saturday’s guest list mostly consists of friends and family, with few celebrities or politicians invited. Georgina Bloomberg, the daughter of billionaire Michael Bloomberg and a fellow professional equestrian who owns a horse farm nearby.
She was seen arriving at the nuptials drinking a glass of what looked like a beer while sat in the back of her SUV, arriving at the venue just after 4 p.m. She later posted a photo from the estate with her husband, her son, and fellow equestrian Lucy Davis.
Friday night’s rehearsal dinner — which secretly served as a reception for the private religious ceremony — was catered by Jean-Georges and included a lobster dish and pasta.
On Friday night, Jennifer Gates married Egyptian equestrian Nayel Nassar in a secret ceremony the day before the announced wedding date
The ceremony was performned by a longtime family friend, and the bride and groom wrote their own vows
Jennifer and Bill danced to Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight, while her first dance with her new husband was Yellow Lights, a song ‘which was written and performed by their friend and artist Harry Hudson’
Fellow heiress Georgina Bloomberg (center) was one of the guests to attend the lavish event, as was fellow equestrian Lucy Davis (left)
The extravagant two-day event, costing an estimated $2 million, was orchestrated by famed wedding planner Marcy Blum, whose elite client list includes Kevin Bacon, LeBron James, and Billy Joel.
At the rehearsal, father of the bride Bill Gates and his daughter could be seen sitting on the outdoor deck of her Westchester mansion with the pair laughing and joking before appearing deep in thought.
Bill and Melinda were also seen mingling with guests at the dinner in their first appearance together since separating.
In an interview with Vogue that was published Monday, Jennifer — or ‘Jenn’ — said it had been ‘challenging’ planning the event through ‘the pandemic’ and while her family was ‘going through transitions.’
‘It’s been a challenging year, both collectively with the pandemic and for our families going through transitions. But our love for one another has been a constant. Being able to celebrate our wedding with our closest friends and family was a dream come true,’ she said.
Jennifer, who is in medical school, said it was ‘no small feat’ putting it all together.
The wedding weekend also involved a wind-down brunch, catering by renowned New York City restaurants, and performances by Coldplay
Event planner Marcy Blum took the reins for the weekend, which all took place at the Gates home
Beaming bride Jennifer and her dashing groom stepped out on the deck of their home to enjoy a quiet moment on Friday with her recently divorced parents Bill and Melinda Gates, and her little brother
Earlier, on Friday, Melinda French Gates could be seen speaking to a man on the driveway of the estate as she carried her heels in her right hand
The outdoor wedding was held on Saturday afternoon on the family’s 142-acre estate in North Salem, New York
‘Planning a wedding while I was in medical school rotations and Nayel was preparing for the Olympics was no small feat,’ she said. Nassar competed for Egypt during this year’s Olympics.
Jennifer also told Vogue she required all 300 of their wedding guests to be vaccinated and take COVID tests, she said, in order to ensure everyone’s safety.
‘We made the decision that all guests must be fully vaccinated and receive a negative test result prior to the wedding. We also made masks available. We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to gather with our loved ones safely. We know others aren’t as lucky, especially as the pandemic continues to devastate communities in the United States and around the world,’ she said.
‘One piece of advice we were given [throughout the planning process] was to remember that this day is about us and our love,’ she went on.
‘I think we really kept that at the center of our minds while planning, and we also tried to ensure that our families and friends were able to enjoy themselves.’