British tennis poster girl Katie Boulter has opened up about why she and Alex de Minaur held an intimate wedding ceremony on the day of the Wimbledon men’s final.
Boulter married her now-husband in a ceremony held at a church in the Leicestershire village of Woodhouse.
But the timing sparked criticism from some fans who wondered why the pair would wed when the Aussie could hypothetically have been playing the biggest match of his career.
It has now been revealed that the happy couple made the decision to have two ceremonies – including this smaller, more intimate early wedding ceremony, so Boulter’s grandfather – who has dementia – could walk her down the aisle.
Despite Boulter’s family fearing her grandfather wouldn’t be well enough to attend the impromptu ceremony, when the sun rose on the big day, he was ready.
He told everyone at his care home that it was ‘wedding day’. ‘That literally made me cry my eyes out,’ Boulter told Vogue magazine.
The British tennis ace (pictured with now husband Alex de Minaur) has opened up about why the couple held a small wedding ceremony ahead of their scheduled celebration
The de Minaurs (pictured) held an impromptu ceremony so the bride’s grandfather – who has dementia – wouldn’t have an issue attending
The happy couple (pictured) have been together for several years
In the end, rather than walking her down the aisle, due to mobility issues, Boulter’s grandfather waited at the altar before handing her to de Minaur.
Boulter sees the moment as one she will cherish forever – posting a photo to X holding his hand at the end of the aisle.
‘Some dreams are about so much more than a wedding,’ she captioned the photo.
‘This was one of them. A moment I’ll carry in my heart for the rest of my life.’
The couple then flew to Tuscany, Italy, for a three day celebration with their family and friends, Vogue reported.
The British ace has made her last name change official, captioning her wedding photos ‘Mr and Mrs de Minaur’ online.
