Kim and Kanye marry in romantic Florence

By: 10 years ago

Fans gather to watch guests arriving, as they look inside one of the cars for Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their guests, at the entrance of the Chateau de Versailles in Versailles, France, west of Paris, Friday, May 23, 2014. AP

LOS ANGELES — Curvy reality TV diva Kim Kardashian tied the knot with her rapper husband Kanye West in the Italian city of Florence on Saturday, Kardashian’s publicist confirmed.

“Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were married in a private ceremony in the presence of family and friends in Florence, Italy,” publicist Ina Treciokas told AFP, giving no other details.

Screaming fans were seen mobbing 16th-century Fort Belvedere in Florence on Saturday as hundreds of guests gathered for Kim and Kany’s sumptuous wedding party, but it was not immediately publicly confirmed they had been officially married there, with some reports saying they may have been married earlier

The couple was married by Rich Wilkerson Jr., a pastor at the non-denominational Trinity Church in Miami at the 16th century Forte di Belvedere in Florence, according to US celebrity media.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli sang “Con te Partiro” as 1970s US Olympic star Bruce Jenner — Kim’s stepfather — walked the bride down the aisle, People magazine reported.

Kim’s mother Kris and sisters Khloe and Kourtney were at the event, as well as the couple’s 11-month-old daughter North West, according to the E! network, which carries the reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Security at the event was tight, and guests were required to hand over their cell phones and any cameras, according to E!

Guests at the “Kimye” wedding included Hollywood tennis star Serena Williams, actor Will Smith’s son Jaden Smith, and “12 Years as a Slave” director Steve McQueen, according to celebrity media.

“It was funny how nervous (Kanye) was,” a person identified as an onlooker told People magazine. “He clearly knew the gravity of what he was about to do. This morning he was all smiles, but as it got closer, you could see that the nerves were kicking in.”

The wedding is the first for West, 36, and the third for Kardashian, 33.

Kim and Kanye flew into Florence aboard private jets after kicking off their marathon wedding celebrations with a party in the Versailles palace late Friday.

The marathon wedding event could earn the couple up to $21 million (15 million euros) thanks to sponsors and through the sale of exclusive photos of the ceremony, according to press reports.