Tying The Knot

Here they are ... newlyweds Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian chillaxin' on an insanely expensive private island in the Bahamas during their honeymoon -- that they booked on Booking.com.

We're told the villa runs $35k per week -- and you can only get to it if you have an aircraft or a boat.

The photos of S & A at the villa were taken by a drone but we're told the couple willingly participated in the shoot in connection with Booking.com ... so, it wasn't a crazy rogue paparazzo invading their privacy.

Serena also posted on Instagram about the villa -- "A week in paradise. Thanks @bookingcom for helping us find the perfect honeymoon villa. #BookingYeah."

All signs point to Serena getting either paid or a huge discount for the endorsement -- despite the fact both she and her Reddit co-founder husband are LOADED!

#HowTheRichStayRich

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are a turn-off .... but only when the mics are off.

Here's the couple right after finishing up their first interview Monday to the BBC announcing their engagement. You've seen some snippets already looking royal and speaking eloquently as hell ... but here they let loose after the interview ends and the mics are turned off.

Check it out ... sure, there's no sound. But you can still appreciate -- or throw up, depending on whether you're salty -- their silliness.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can walk down the aisle under the eyes of God if they want, 'cause there's no issue with a church wedding ... despite her being a divorcee.

British author Katie Nicholl -- an expert on all things Royal -- tells TMZ Harry and Meghan can get married in a church if they please, because the rules have been relaxed on divorcees getting married on sacred ground.

There are several options available to Harry and Meghan, including St. Paul's -- where Prince Charles married Lady Diana -- as well as the Westminster Abbey -- where Prince William and Kate tied the knot in 2011.

There's a buzz Harry and Meghan want a smaller, more intimate affair and he might opt for something like St. George's chapel in Windsor Castle.

You may recall ... Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles at Windsor Guildhall, which is like getting married at city hall. They chose that venue partly because they were both divorced and they had an affair so they wanted to low-key it for PR reasons.

By the way, Nicholl has a book coming out on Harry. Timing is everything!!!

Hell yeah! Giada De Laurentiis will get behind the grill for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding ... all they gotta do is ask.

We got the star chef at LAX Monday and had to ask her if she's down to cater the royal wedding ... given she's got SOME royal experience. Giada once cooked for Prince William and Kate Middleton during their trip to Santa Barbara back in 2011.

Prince Harry hadn't even finished his proposal when Meghan Markle kept interrupting -- CAN I SAY YES NOW?!

The newly engaged couple dished details about their engagement in an interview with the BBC ... revealing some pretty spectacular details about how it all went down. According to the couple ... the engagement happened a few weeks ago earlier this month at Harry's Nottingham Cottage inside Kensington Palace.

Harry got down on one knee and made his case ... but apparently a way-too-excited Meghan couldn't and wouldn't let him finish before charmingly butting in and asking, "Can I say yes now?" Adorbs.

And check this out ... Harry included 2 diamonds that belonged to his mother, Princess Diana, in Meghan's engagement ring "to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together."

Harry and Meghan met about a year and a half ago, but the relationship was turbocharged just 4 weeks into it ... when they headed to Botswana. Turns out, they never went more than 2 weeks without seeing each other. Completely fooled us.

Meghan Markle will become part of the Royal Family next Spring ... the question is whether she'll be able to use the title Her Royal Highness.

As you know, Meghan's an American citizen and the protocol is ... you have to live in England for 5 years to become a British citizen. And here's the key ... you can't use a royal title unless you're a citizen.

In addition to 5 years' residency in the UK, a prospective British citizen must be 18 or over, of "good character" and fluent in the English language. They must also take an oath of allegiance to the Queen.

It's unclear if Meghan can short-circuit the process. It's gotta be helpful she has the Queen's blessing in marrying Harry.

When she does get the title, she will probably become a duchess, like her soon-to-be in-law, Kate Middleton. The rumor is ... Harry will become the Duke of Sussex, and she would become the Duchess of Sussex.

And finally, check this out ... if Meghan has to wait 5 years before becoming a British citizen and before that happens she has a child, that kid will get dual citizenship. If for some reason that child ascends to the throne, it would be the first monarch in British history to be both a U.S. and British citizen.

Meghan Markle will not be living in royal opulence ... not by a long shot.

She'll be moving into Harry's bachelor pad -- aka, Nottingham Cottage. It's a 2-bedroom, 1,324-sq ft home ... closer to a nice apartment than a royal abode.

The Cottage sits on the grounds of Kensington Palace, a stone's throw from where William and Kate live. William and Kate have 22 rooms.

BTW ... Harry will not be the first Royal to live with his fiancee before getting hitched. William and Kate shacked up before their 2011 nuptials.

As for whether Meghan and Harry will live in the Cottage after they get married ... nothing's been made public.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement.

The couple walked hand-in-hand at Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden and fans gathered outside the gates to cheer them on.

Kensington Palace is where Harry grew up with his parents, Charles and Diana. It's also where William and Kate call home.

As for Meghan's ring ... it's made of 3 stones -- 2 diamonds from Princess Diana's personal collection and a third stone from Botswana where the couple recently went on holiday.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged, and the Royals couldn't be happier.

The couple announced the engagement Monday and say they will marry in the Spring, 2018.

Queen Elizabeth was quick to voice support, saying she's "delighted for the couple."

It's a break from tradition ... Meghan was born and raised in the United States. She's also divorced, but she's not the first Royal who's on her second marriage. Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, is also divorced.

You may know ... the Queen's uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Meghan, 36, is 3 years older than Harry. She recently quit her job on the TV show "Suits" as she prepares to move to London.

Here's Common saying he had NO IDEA his ex-girlfriend, Serena Williams, tied the knot last week ... but he's congratulating her anyway in one of the most interesting clips of the day.

Common and Serena were one of Hollywood's "It" couples earlier this decade -- so when we got him out at Equinox gym in L.A. we asked him what he thought of his old flame tying the knot.

"Nah, I didn't see it ... but God bless her. That's the queen! She's the queen! Congratulations to them!"

Serena's wedding was a massive celebrity-filled mega-event -- with stars like Beyonce, Kim Kardashian and Ciara in attendance.

One last thing ... Common follows both Serena and Vogue on Instagram (Vogue posted a ton of Serena's wedding pics) -- so, we gotta ask ...

Serena Williams and her new husband hopped on a private jet to zip off to their honeymoon ... and he was more than happy to lend a hand.

Serena and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian were spotted loading up Saturday in New Orleans with their baby, Alexis Olympia, in tow. The couple got married 3 days ago in The Big Easy.

It's unclear where the newlyweds and the little one are off to, but if it's anything like their star-studded wedding ... we know the honeymoon will be incredible.

Have fun!!!

Serena Williams wedding was all that and more .. at least judging from the pics.

Serena gave her longtime pal Anna Wintour exclusive rights to the photos which were published in Vogue, and they are awesome.

As we reported, Serena married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian Thursday night in New Orleans.

Fairy tale weddings are kind of an overused term, but this one really hits the mark.

Serena and Alexis made their daughter Alexis a focal point of the ceremony.

Kim Kardashian and Beyonce aren't letting their famous husbands' longstanding feud affect them ... or so it seems.

Sources tell us Kim and Beyonce were more than cordial Thursday night at Serena Williams' wedding ... we're told they exchanged hellos, hugged and showed off some pics of their kids in the VIP section set up to avoid paps lingering outside.

As you know ... Jay-Z and Kanye West haven't spoken in a long time, ever since Kanye attacked Bey in 2016. That was followed by Ye's lawsuit alleging Jay's Tidal owes him over $3 mil.

While Jay and Kanye once had a super close relationship ... the same can't be said about Kim and Bey. They're not friends -- in fact we're told Bey never really liked Kim, although Kim never harbored a grudge.

Nevertheless, they still acted friendly around each other ... not that they had a choice. Not only do they have a ton of mutual friends, but running into each other was inevitable with just a handful of A-listers in the tent.

Leave the drama for the papas ...

Here it is ... the first footage from INSIDE Serena Williams' awesome New Orleans wedding -- with incredible dresses, the Cupid Shuffle ... and Venus Williams gettin' down to "Back That Ass Up!"

The party looked like a blast -- guests drinking and dancing while the DJ turned the party up!

Serena looked beautiful -- sporting a short princess style cocktail dress with white sparkly Nike shoes so she could dance comfortably.

Venus also looked smokin' hot in a tight fitting lace cocktail dress of her own.

We're told everyone had a GREAT time -- and the food was an absolute hit!!

One partygoer tells us there was a Cajun section, seafood section, a "Tour of Italy" section with all sorts of pasta ... a steak section with different cuts of meat and a traditional American section.

Who's hungry now!?!?

Toldja it was an A-List affair!!!

Kim Kardashian has arrived in New Orleans for the Serena Williams wedding extravaganza -- and she's already got one outfit change under her belt.

Kim slipped into a tight black dress after her plane landed Thursday afternoon -- we're guessing she was heading straight from the airport to the ceremony.

We're told Kanye didn't make the trip. Unclear why.

The wedding is set to begin in the next few hours -- and we're told there will be a bunch of HUGE stars in attendance when Serena trades I Dos with Alexis Ohanian.

The countdown is on for Serena Williams -- her wedding is TONIGHT in New Orleans ... and her wedding dress has arrived just in time!

Photogs captured a bunch of pre-wedding deliveries on Wednesday -- including a woman carrying what appears to be a wedding dress bag.

To be honest, there could be anything in there ... how the hell do we know ... but the self-proclaimed wedding and dress experts in our office are adamant that's a wedding dress bag. So, there you have it.

Besides that ... decorations, gifts and other important things were delivered on Wednesday.

We're told the guest list for the Thursday night wedding is insane -- we're talking a crazy amount of A-Listers.

9:25 AM PT -- Serena's BFF, Caroline Wozniacki, is already in town. The tennis star attended the rehearsal dinner at Meril restaurant in New Orleans with her NBA star fiance, David Lee, on Wednesday night.