Photo: Getty Images
Wedding bells are ringing in the sports world! Serbian tennis star Ana Ivanovic and Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who is also the captain of the German national soccer team, married at Venice’s Palazzo Cavalli — the same location of George and Amal Clooney’s famous nuptials. And the photos of the pro athletes’ Italian wedding are just lovely.
Photo: Getty Images
The pro athlete couple just experienced their fair share of losses as of late — sports team losses, that is — so their nuptials came as much-needed happy celebrations for the two. Having just waived the white flag at the Wimbeldon tournament to Ekaterina Alexandrova, 28-year-old Ivanovic was defeated from the renown tennis tournament on June 27. Schweinsteiger, 30, had a similar experience during the Euro Cup semifinals when his Germany team lost to France.
Luckily for the newlyweds, their wedding brought a little joy into their lives following their career setbacks — and they tied the knot Tuesday morning at Palazzo Cavalli (also known as the Venice City Hall) in Italy. The bride wore a floor-length, ruffled column gown with a keyhole opening — designed by the brand Parker — that cost a whopping $298, according to WWD. This just goes to show that you don’t always need to spend a ton of money to seriously slay you big-day look even when you’re a celebrity or pro athlete (just ask Kelly Ripa). The stunning bride wore her hair down in a simple do, showing off her gorgeous locks in an understated, loose style, and she rocked a natural makeup look.
The groom wore a dark navy suit with a white button down and patterned pocket square (with no tie to be found!), and he donned a white boutonniere — to match his new wife’s white bouquet of roses. The two left the ceremony at Palazzo Cavalli beaming from ear to ear and then headed out to catch a boat ride to their reception, according to The Daily Mail (because when in Venice…).
See More: The Most Iconic Celebrity Brides of All Time
Photo: Getty Images
Well-wishers and tourists flocked to congratulate the couple as they walked to their getaway boat. Word on the street is that the couple kept their nuptials and location pretty hush-hush, only telling their guests to show up at the airport with little info besides the date and time to arrive.
Photo: Getty Images
The guest list for the reception is said to include Germany coach Joachim Low, Schweinsteiger’s teammate Thomas Muller, and Munich president Uli Hoeness. While their ceremony was small and consisted of mainly family members and close friends, many of their colleagues and friends took to social media to publicly share well-wishes. Football friend Robert Lewandowski wrote “Congratulations! Wishing you a marriage filled with love and happiness @AnaIvanovic & @BSchweinsteiger,” while the Women’s Tennis Association shared “Congrats to newlyweds @AnaIvanovic and @BSchweinsteiger” on Twitter. Lots of love and emojis for these newlyweds on the interwebs!
Congratulations! Wishing you a marriage filled with love and happiness @AnaIvanovic & @BSchweinsteiger pic.twitter.com/lBLskuJ2Ym
— Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) July 12, 2016
Congratulations, @BSchweinsteiger #wedding #venedig #esmuellert pic.twitter.com/ErJVnSk9V0
— Thomas M??ller (@esmuellert_) July 12, 2016
With Italian nuptials this chic and intricate, we can only imagine their honeymoon plans. Of course, we’re assuming they won’t be going to France for their first vacay stop. Definitely too soon for Schweinsteiger. Congrats, lovebirds! See more of their beautiful photos below.