Mar 10
Russell Wilson-Ciara Wedding: 4 Fun Facts
By Wedding Spot
NFL star Russell Wilson and award-winning artist Ciara got married in July 2016 in England, and in May 2019, Ciara gave fans an inside look at their special day in her “Beauty Marks” music video, which begins with a clip of the duo at the altar. Want to learn more about the A-lister’s nuptials? Keep reading!
Editor’s note: This post is part of a series. Once every other week, Wedding Spot will take a deep dive into the world of celebrity weddings. We’ll focus mainly on venues, but we’ll also take a look at cakes, dresses, and more!
Explore everything you need to know about Russell Wilson and Ciara’s wedding:
1. They got married in a literal castle.
Yup. No joke. Wilson and Ciara said their “I do’s” at Peckforton Castle, which is located just outside Cheshire, England. The massive venue was built in 1851 and has evolved over the years to become a hotel and wedding destination.
Wilson and Ciara’s big day was absolutely breathtaking (more on that later), but it wasn’t always supposed to take place overseas. World-renowned wedding planner Mindy Weiss, who organized the couple’s big day, told The Knot, “They were first getting married in North Carolina, but they called it off due to the transgender bathroom laws.”
So how’d they end up 4,000 miles across the world?
“They wanted to be away. And we found a castle that was an hour out of Liverpool and they had about 110 guests,” Weiss said. “I used a florist out of London — McQueens. They were very cool! Inside the castle, they had a chapel but it was too small because her dress was 13-feet.”
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Get Started Free2. Ciara’s dress was designed by Roberto Cavalli’s Peter Dundas.
"Ciara wanted to feel like a princess, which is also her middle name," Dundas told Vogue. "She liked the idea of several layers and was open to many of my suggestions, such as the wheat motif in the embroideries, which symbolizes prosperity and happiness."
According to Dundas, the amount of time it took to create the look from start to finish was surprisingly short.
"I sent the first sketches to Ciara about four months before her wedding," he said. "We had four fittings with her: two in New York, one in Milan and one in the UK, besides several fittings without her."
3. The photos were everything you’d expect them to be.
We’ll just let the camera do the talking for this one.
4. The wedding parties featured some big names.
On Wilson’s side stood NFL players Jimmy Graham and Robert Turbin, as well as Wilson’s agent, Mark Rodgers, among others. Ciara’s bridesmaids included actress and author La La Anthony and singer/songwriter Kelly Rowland. Tennis legend Serena Williams was originally supposed to be part of the bridal party, too, but E! News reported that she was forced to back out because she was playing in Wimbledon at the time.
"Serena really wanted to be part of Ciara's bridal party when she asked her a while back, but she knew work may conflict," an unnamed source told the publication. "Ciara was understanding and knows Serena would be there if she could.”
UP NEXT: Explore ways to help make your fairytale wedding dream come to life!
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Wedding Spot
The Wedding Spot blog is designed to help couples navigate every step of the wedding planning journey. From before the engagement to after you say “I do,” our goal is to give you the tips, ideas, and inspiration to prepare for your big day — and all that comes with it.