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Jennifer Gates is expecting her first child with husband Nayel Nassar.
The 26-year-old daughter of billionaire Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda revealed the happy news on Thanksgiving when she debuted her belly while posing with equestrian Nayel.
The star captioned the photo “Grateful” as she rocked her growing belly in an emerald green dress.
Baby Joy: Jennifer Gates is expecting her first child with husband Nayel Nassar
The pair posed in the backyard of the family’s 142-acre estate in North Salem, New York.
A second photo showed a beaming shot of Jennifer staring at her blossoming bump as she posed in a garden.
Proud grandmother-to-be Melinda, 58, wrote, “I couldn’t be more excited to meet this little one and watch you two become parents.”
Both Bill and Melinda were there to walk Jennifer down the aisle on her big day last fall, putting aside differences during their high-profile divorce after 27 years of marriage.
Melinda shared one of the first photos shortly after the wedding, which showed the moment she and Nayel walked down the aisle again on Oct. 16, 2021, shortly after being declared husband and wife.
The photo was taken after the couple’s second set of vows, which followed a smaller Muslim religious ceremony in the garden of the family’s 142-acre estate in North Salem, New York.
Jennifer proudly posted the wedding photo to Instagram early Monday afternoon, adding the caption, “My universe 10.16.21.”
Sweet: Jennifer looked in love with her unborn child while holding her belly
Meanwhile, Jennifer’s mom also shared a new photo from the special day.
“What a joy to celebrate the light and love of @jenniferkgates and @nayelnassar this past weekend. We are so thankful that we found a way to safely gather for this special day,” she captioned a photo of Jennifer and Nayel posing together outside.
The couple received 300 guests for the occasion.
Paparazzi photos showed Jennifer holding a bouquet ahead of the ceremony, her veil lifted over her face. She wore her auburn hair half up and half up and wore a pair of earrings to accentuate her dress.
The wedding weekend also included a relaxing brunch, catering from renowned New York City restaurants and performances by Coldplay. Event planner Marcy Blum took the reins for the weekend.
The bride had nine bridesmaids dressed in evergreen. They all appeared to be smiling and laughing as they posed for photos, and one of the bridesmaids was seen holding up Gates’ long veil.
Jennifer and Nayel before their wedding
The ceremony was performed by an old friend of the family and the bride and groom wrote their own vows.
After the ceremony, the couple took a break to have some private wedding photos taken at the estate, while guests entered a specially landscaped “botanical garden” where cocktail hour was held.
Jennifer and Bill danced to Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight, while her first dance with her new husband was Yellow Lights, a song “written and performed by their friend and artist Harry Hudson.”
Coldplay also performed at the reception.
Saturday’s guest list is mostly friends and family, with few celebrities or politicians. Georgina Bloomberg, the daughter of billionaire Michael Bloomberg and a fellow professional equestrian who owns a horse farm nearby.
Friday night’s rehearsal dinner — which secretly served as the reception for the private religious ceremony — was hosted by Jean-Georges and included a lobster and pasta dish.
The extravagant two-day event, estimated to cost $2 million, was orchestrated by celebrity wedding planner Marcy Blum, whose elite client list includes Kevin Bacon, LeBron James and Billy Joel.
In an interview with FashionJenn said it had been “challenging” to plan the event during the pandemic and as her family was “going through transitions.”
“It has been a challenging year, both collectively with the pandemic and for our families going through transitions. But our love for each other has been a constant. Being able to celebrate our wedding with our closest friends and family was a dream come true,” she said.
Jennifer, who studies medicine, said it was “not easy” putting it all together.
“Planning a wedding while I was in medical school and Nayel was preparing for the Olympics was no easy feat,” she said. Nassar played for Egypt this year during the Olympic Games.
Jennifer also told Vogue she required all 300 of their wedding guests to be vaccinated and undergo COVID testing, she said, to ensure everyone’s safety.
“We have made the decision that all guests must be fully vaccinated and receive a negative test result prior to the wedding. We have also made masks available. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to safely gather with our loved ones. We know others are less fortunate, especially as the pandemic continues to devastate communities across the United States and around the world,” she said.
We got one piece of advice [throughout the planning process] was to remember that this day is about us and our love,” she continued.
“I think we kept that really central to the planning, and we also tried to make sure our families and friends could enjoy themselves.”
The extravagant two-day event, estimated to cost $2 million, was orchestrated by celebrity wedding planner Marcy Blum, whose elite client list includes Kevin Bacon, LeBron James and Billy Joel.