Photo: Getty Images
What kind of a wedding would you expect when two billionaire heirs marry? Only the best. Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, wed her media mogul fiancé, Jared Kushner, on October 25, 2009 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ. In true Trump fashion, no expense was spared for the Preston Bailey-designed event, which was put together in three months. Ivanka and her vendors gave BRIDES a glimpse at what went into the big day and we’re looking back on all the over-the-top moments of one of 2009’s most opulent weddings.
Photo: Getty Images
The Reception
“I’ve always envisioned myself having a traditional and elegant wedding, even before the engagement. Once I met with Preston Bailey and his team, I was confident he would take my vision and make it a reality,” Ivanka told BRIDES about planning her 500-guest wedding.
“Every week my mom would call me with a new guest list,” Ivanka told BRIDES. “We had five hundred guests, but if we’d taken another month to plan, it would have been six hundred.”
The bride killed any wedding morning jitters with a hike. Tweeting to her followers, “Just finished a gorgeous hike. The leaves are spectacular and the sun is shining. Everything is simply perfect! I’m getting married today!” But the nerves soon melted away. “As soon as I started walking down the aisle toward my husband, everything else just melted away,” she added.
Photo: Getty Images
The Dress
For Ivanka’s wedding dress, she turned to Vera Wang to create a custom gown, inspired by Grace Kelly’s iconic bridal look. The sophisticated and ladylike gown featured layers of Chantilly and Lyon lace. “I would say I am a traditional/classic bride. This style is translated in my dress and jewelry choice,” the bride told us exclusively before the wedding. When asked what was most important in choosing her wedding dress, Ivanka told us she prioritized comfort. “I plan to dance all night!” she added.
“She was actually very much about being covered and I seized on the chance to do a dress that wasn’t naked and very Hollywood,” Vera Wang told The New York Times shortly after the wedding.
For jewelry, the desinger looked to her own collection — Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry — for a platinum, mized-cut diamond hair piece for $45,000, a platinum, art deco link diamond estate bracelet for $90,000 and mixed-cut platinum cluster earrings for $130,000. The bridesmaids, including sister Tiffany Trump, wore dresses by Carolina Herrera.
See more: 35 Modern Wedding Cakes
A little #WeddingWednesday #inspiration to get your day started… #IvankaTrump's #weddingcake ???????????? pic.twitter.com/y3DFcCzlFL
— JAIMIE HILFIGER (@JaimieHilfiger) August 5, 2015
The Cake
Famed wedding cake artist Sylvia Weinstock created the over-the-top 13 layers of cake that stood 70 inches tall. “Each layer was ringed with flowers. We had lisianthus, roses, peonies, Lilies of the Valley, baby’s breath — all in the coloring of whites, creams, pinks ivory and flush tones,” Weinstock told People. Guests were given several options when it came to flavor: chocolate, carrot, almond and yellow cake.