Bill and Melinda’s daughter gets wed in glorious fashion.
The last weekend saw the wedding of Nayel Nassar and Jennifer Gates at Evergate Stables, a horse farm in North Salem, Westchester New York.
This is not just any horse farm; it’s a $15.82 million horse farm gifted to Gates on the occasion of her Stanford University graduation (with a degree in Biology) a few years ago. Who gave the gift? Only her parents, Bill and Melinda.
Gates, a former internationally ranked equestrienne, is currently pursuing her medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai. Nassar is the son of Fouad Nassar and Iman Harby, the founders and managers of Diwan Interiors International, and is ranked 44th in the world as a show jumping rider.
This summer, he competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games for Egypt. Nassar is also a Stanford University graduate, with a degree in Economics.
The couple went public with their relationship around late 2016-2017 and were engaged in January 2020.
The weekend celebration started with a Katb el Kitab, the Islamic marriage ceremony, with only immediate families present. The main ceremony took place on Sunday.
The wedding was coordinated under the auspices of Marcy Blum an internationally renowned wedding planner. “When wonderful things happen to wonderful people, all is right with the world,” she wrote on Instagram.
Rishi Patel, one of the top wedding designers in the world (as named by Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Martha Stewart Weddings) designed the wedding, with florals sourced from HMR Designs.
The bride walked down an aisle lined with hybrid Dutch delphinium flowers. She thanked everyone involved in the production, telling Patel, “Absolutely better than any of my wildest dreams- huge thank you for knowing my style without me even having to say anything!!!”
For her gown, Gates wore a custom ivory long-sleeve Vera Wang Haute piece. The famed fashion designer described the gown on Instagram as such: “Jennifer wore a custom light ivory long sleeve A-line gown with hand appliqué French macrame lace on the bodice, sleeves and flowing onto 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.”
At the reception, she changed into another Wang design, this time a “custom light ivory French macrame lace trumpet gown, lined in nude tulle, with a square neckline and embellished by hand appliqué French macrame lace on the skirt and straps.”
Gates thanked Wang on her account: “Both dresses were beyond any of my wildest dreams, thank you thank you thank you!!!!” The groom, meanwhile, wore a tux by Armani, with Lily of the Valley pinned to his lapel, to match the bridal bouquet.
Jean Georges and Creative Edge Catering were in charge of the culinary experience, with a show-stopping, six-layer floral-decked cake by Sylvia Weinstock for Ladurée.
Reflecting on the event on Instagram, Nassar wrote “We did a thing this weekend! Can’t wait for forever after with you [Jennifer]. Thank you to everyone who made this the happiest day of my life.” Gates replied, “[I’m] the luckiest girl in the world.”
Banner Photo from @jenniferkgates on IG
