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The 12 most over-the-top weddings in tech

Richard bransonBy Madeline Stone From Business Insider

Wedding season is upon us, and with it come tales of extravagant, multimillion-dollar celebrity marriages.

Wealthy tech executives are no exception to the rule. From top-secret ceremonies on private islands to wild entrances by helicopter, these millionaires sure know how to throw a party.

We’ve ranked

the most over-the-top tech weddings here.

#12 In a relatively small affair, Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg married longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan on May 19, 2012, just one day after the social network’s IPO. Chan wore a $4,000 gown by designer Claire Pettibone, and guests enjoyed a dinner of sushi and Mexican food. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong performed at the reception, which took place in the backyard of the couple’s $7 million Palo Alto home.

Facebook.com/zuck

Source: The New York Times

#11 Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose wed health blogger Darya Pino in a beautiful ceremony at the Fairmont Orchid Hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island. Pino wore an unconventional floral gown, and former Uber CEO Ryan Graves, VC Ryan Sacca, and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk were among those in attendance.

#10 In 2012, Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes married longtime partner Sean Eldridge in a ceremony at their home in Garrison, N.Y. Though the ceremony itself was small, the reception took place at New York City luxury venue Cipriani Wall Street, with such high-profile guests as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Arianna Huffington, and Sean Parker in attendance.

#9 Ex-Facebooker and Path founder Dave Morin got engaged to Googler girlfriend Brit as they flew in an air taxi over the Maldives. To propose, Morin arranged for the words “B, will you marry me?” to be spelled out in coconuts on a beach below them. They read their vows from iPhones during the ceremony, which took place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Twitter, @brit

Source: Business Insider

#8 In 2007, Google cofounder Sergey Brin married biologist and 23AndMe founder Anne Wojcicki in a secretive ceremony on Musha Cay, the Caribbean island belonging to celebrity magician David Copperfield. According to reports, Wojcicki wore a white bikini while Brin donned a black bathing suit. The couple has since separated amid allegations that Brin had an affair with a Google employee.

#7 Not to be outdone by his Google cofounder, Larry Page also wed on an island in 2007, in a private ceremony on Richard Branson’s Necker resort. The wedding was relatively small, though Bono showed up to read a poem and perform a song. Sir Richard Branson himself served as Page’s best man.

Steve Jennings/Getty Images, Virgin

Source: The Guardian, Gawker

#5 Bill and Melinda Gates wed on the island of Lanai (which currently belongs to Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison) on New Year’s Day in 1994. The ceremony was so secretive that Bill booked all of the rooms at the island’s Four Seasons hotel to keep reporters from coming, while Melinda required that hired help sign a non-disclosure agreement. The ceremony reportedly took place on the 17th hole of the resort’s golf course, which looks out over the Pacific Ocean.

#4 In 1989, Virgin founder Richard Branson married Joan Templeman on Necker Island, his private retreat in the Caribbean. To make his big entrance, a top hat-clad Branson came swinging into the resort’s pool from a helicopter.

Virgin

Source: Daily Mail

#3 On the same day 22 years later, Branson’s daughter Holly married shipbroker Freddie Andrewes in the same spot on Necker Island. The party-filled weekend included a pirate-themed celebration, volleyball tournament, sailing races, and a concert from Ed Sheeran. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were among the high-profile guests in attendance.

#2 Elon Musk wed young actress Talulah Riley in Scotland in 2010. The ceremony was held at the same cathedral where Madonna had her son Rocco christened in 2000, and the reception took place at the historic Skibo Castle located just a few miles away. The couple reportedly arrived at the venue in a white Rolls-Royce, and fireworks lit up the sky at the night’s close.

#1 In the summer of 2013, Facebook billionaire Sean Parker married singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas in a $4.5-million, 3-day ceremony in the woods of Big Sur, California. All 364 guests — including Jack Dorsey, Mark Pincus, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes — were given Tolkien-esque costumes made by “Lord of the Rings” designer Ngila Dickson to wear during the ceremony. Parker ended up paying an extra $1 million in a settlement with the California Coastal Commission for failing to obtain the proper permits for the event.

Mark Seliger

Source: Forbes, Vanity Fair

For more on this story and to see all the images go to: http://www.businessinsider.com/12-extravagant-tech-weddings-2014-7?op=1#ixzz36QKAwbYt

 

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