Serena Williams caught all smiling at her star-studded dinner before tying the knot with Alexis Ohanian

Serena Williams and her guests were spotted leaving her star-studded rehearsal dinner in New Orleans prior to her wedding to Alexis Ohanian held at The Contemporary Art Center on Thursday.
The tennis star wore a full-length ivory colored dress with pearls for the elegant rehearsal dinner, which kicked off at 6pm, followed by the after party, also at the Meril, which began at 9pm.
She was accompanied by Venus, her sister, who wore a silky dark blue dress, and their mother Oracene Price, who wore a short, purple dress in velvet, with a diamante feature, and matching diamante shoes.
The happy bride couldn’t stop smiling as she left the event at around midnight, as she climbed into a black chauffeured Cadillac with her family, and retreated to a $1.6 million mansion in the edge of the French Quarter at 1725 Esplanade Avenue.The property had been rented for that occasion and the couple appears to have taken to separate properties for the night before the wedding as Ohanian was nowhere to be seen.
Desperate Housewives’ Eva Longoria, Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes and William’s agent Jill Smoller were among the close group of friends and family invited to the event on Wednesday evening – the night before Williams is due to tie the knot with Alexis Ohanian in an intimate ceremony at The Contemporary Art Center on Thursday.
Williams and her guests took over celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant Meril for the event – which is just a few blocks away from tomorrow’s wedding venue. Most of the invitees arrived on a mini shuttle bus.
Teen Wolf star Colton Haynes and high profile women’s sports agent Jill Smoller were also among the party guests, while Lagasse was seen arriving in his chef whites at around 4.30pm to oversee the event.
Actress Longoria and her husband Jose Bastion joined the party at around 9.30pm, but didn’t stay long and was photographed leaving a short while later.
Even Serena’s non-famous pals put on a glamorous display as they arrived for the rehearsal dinner, with many choosing to flash to flesh in floor length gowns with a daring split.
Many of Williams rumored wedding guests, including the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Kris Jenner, were nowhere to be seen. The four-time Olympic gold medalist’s best friend Ciara, 32, and TV presenter Lala Anthony, 38, both of whom attended her bachelorlette party, were also expected.