Serena Williams Breaks Wedding-Guest Rule in Plunging Gown With Y2K Sleeves

As Venus Williams married Andrea Preti in a waterside Palm Beach ceremony over the weekend, her sister and longtime tennis partner, Serena Williams, was by her side during the five-day festivities. In first photos shared of the bridal party by Vogue on December 23, the Serena Ventures founder made a striking appearance in a strapless sweetheart gown with Y2K-inspired sleeves—which also broke a major wedding-guest rule.

Acting as the bride’s maid of honor, Serena made sure her sister’s big day went smoothly and delivered a speech during the nuptials, as seen in photos shared on Instagram by Vogue on Tuesday. The mom-of-two turned heads as she proudly posed in a gown that was a sartorial faux pas: Wearing a white dress to someone else’s wedding. As she posed next to Venus in bridal party photos, Serena flouted wedding-guest dress code in a plunging sweetheart gown with subtle ruching along the bodycon column silhouette. She paired the classic white dress with a surprising Y2K-coded accessory, adding a pair of detached arm warmers that were made out of a sheer white material. 

The Olympic gold medalist styled her platinum blonde hair in a deep side part with bombshell curls, showing off her smoky eyeshadow and sculpted cheekbones. Like Venus and other bridesmaids, she also added a long pearl necklace to complete her look. In another photo, Serena changed into a mint green slip dress with delicate spaghetti straps as she sang and shimmied on the dance floor.

While wearing white as a wedding guest is typically frowned upon, it appears that Serena’s white gown was by design and fully approved by the bride. In Venus’s group photo with her bridesmaids, all the women could be seen dressed in the typically bridal hue with similar white necklaces, hinting that Venus wanted a uniform look for her wedding.