Donald Trump, 58, married Slovenian fashion model Melania Knauss, 34, in a half-hour private ceremony at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida on 22 January 2005. It was his third marriage, following two earlier unions with models that both ended in divorce.
A select celebrity guest list included singer Tony Bennett, basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, supermodel Heidi Klum, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, boxing promoter Don King, and singer Billy Joel. The couple exchanged vows around a unity candle that had been used at the bride's baptism.
The reception at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate featured a Versailles-style ballroom decorated in white and gold, a 1.5-meter wedding cake carrying 3,000 sugar roses, filet mignon with champagne, and a 36-piece orchestra. Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten donated his services; food and drink for the evening came to $40,000.
Melania's John Galliano for Dior gown, valued between $100,000 and $200,000, required 90 meters of white satin embroidered with 1,500 pearls and rhinestones and took 550 hours to complete. The couple declined a live broadcast offer from NBC, though Melania appeared in the gown on the cover of Vogue USA.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.