Italy – the new celebrity wedding destination?

George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin
Hollywood's hottest bachelor George walked down the aisle for the second time on September 27 when he married human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin in Venice. The couple had an intimate ceremony inside the historic Aman Canal Grande Venice and the bride flaunted a custom Oscar de la Renta wedding gown, while George looked dapper in a Giorgio Armani black tuxedo. The actor had explained, "We met in Italy. We have a home there. We knew that was where we wanted to get married."

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka
The How I Met your Mother star tied the knot with his boyfriend of 10 years David Burtka last month in a secret ceremony. The duo sported custom Tom Ford tuxedos and had close friend and HIMYM director Pam Fryman officiating the ceremony. Their three-year-old twins Harper and Gideon played a big part in the special day that ended with a performance by Elton John. Neil shared the news on Twitter, "Guess what? David Burtka and I got married over the weekend. In Italy. Yup, we put the 'n' and 'd' in 'husband.'"

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
Kim married Kanye West in May this year at Fort di Belvedere, a 16th century fortress in Florence. The couple who held a pre-wedding party in Paris chose the Italian countryside for their special day as it was where they conceived baby North. The star-studded event had Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli as well as John Legend perform, followed by a fireworks show. Kim wore a long-sleeve lace Givenchy gown for the occasion.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
John Legend and model Chrissy Teigen exchanged vows in Lake Como last September. The couple who began dating in 2007 had a private event with 125 guests including Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and Brooklyn Decker. Chrissy chose to wear three different wedding gowns by Vera Wang and was treated to a serenade by her new husband during the reception.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
In 2012, after a five-year-long coursteship Justin said I do to Jessica in a romantic ceremony at the Borgo Egnazia resort in the Italian village of Savelletri de Fasano, Puglia. The singer sang to the actress as she walked down the aisle in a unique light pink Giambattista Valli strapless dress. The intimate 150 guest ceremony was held at a resort that look like an ancient castle and was adorned with numerous white flowers. Justin and Jessica apparently chose Italy due to their love for the food.


DESI CONNECTION

Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukerji
After refusing to confirm their romance for years, Rani and Aditya surprised everyone by quietly getting married in Italy in April this year. The small ceremony had the groom's mother Pamela, brother Uday and Nargis Fakhri in attendance aside from Rani's family comprising her parents, brother Raja and his wife, Karan Johar and choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant. They had a traditional Bengali style wedding complete with the blowing of conch shells and the bride wore a custom Sabyasachi sari, with the designer present too. Rani released a statement saying. "I would like to share the happiest day of my life with all my fans all over the world whose love and blessings have been part of my journey all these years. I know that all my well-wishers who have waited for this day will be really happy for me. It was a beautiful wedding in the Italian countryside with just a few of our close family and friends with us. The one person I missed terribly was Yash Uncle, but I know he was there with us in spirit..."

Nikesh Arora and Ayesha Thapar
In July this year, former Google honcho Nikesh Arora married Ayesha Thapar in an extravagant ceremony at Puglia. The Borgo Egnazia resort in Savelletri di Fasano saw a number of big names in attendance including Google chairman Eric Schmidt and actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, the latter also performed at the sangeet.

Rohan Mehta and Ritika Agarwal
Mining magnate Pramod Agarwal's daughter, Ritika got married to Rohan in Puglia, the Southern Italian region in front of 800 guests this September. The lavish three-day celebration had a performance with dancers from the Vienna State Opera and DJ Steve Angello of Swedish House Mafia.


BOX: Other noteworthy Hollywood weddings
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes – Their fairytale romance may have ended in divorce but Tom-Kat had a beautiful ceremony at the Odescalchi Castle in Rome in 2006.
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski – In a private ceremony at Lake Como in 2010, Emily and John sealed their two-year romance.
Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek – Salma and her billionaire partner hosted a fabulous three-day wedding celebration in Venice in 2009.