Go big or go home. Sean Parker didn't skimp on any quality comforts for his extravagant redwood forest wedding to singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas on Saturday, June 1, and recently released Vanity Fair photos prove it. In the exclusive images, Parker and his bride are seen in an otherworldly clearing in Big Sur, Calif., surrounded by 364 of their closest family and friends, all decked out in "Tolkein-esque" garb.
"It was Citizen Kane meets Gatsby — like in its scale — but beautiful, not gross or overwhelming," San Francisco design star Ken Fulk told the magazine of Parker's carefully-orchestrated fete. The ceremony included a ruined stone castle, a 10-foot Celtic cross, and "two broken Roman columns that straddled altar," Vanity Fair writer David Kirkpatrick wrote.
"People literally gasped as they emerged into a glade in which planted flowers and hanging garlands conferred a riot of color and a sense of undulation," Kirkpatrick described the scene.
The couple's 6-month-old daughter Winter was carried up to the altar by Lenas' sister Victoria, and a "pen of bunnies was nearby for anyone who needed a cuddle."
On-hand to help Parker, 33, and Lenas, 24, ring in their big day were a running list of celebrity guests, including Olivia Munn, Emma Watson, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, and Girls actress Allison Williams, among others. Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jacqueline Laurita also received a coveted invite ("One of my best friend's daughters married him," she told Us).
Legendary singer Sting even serenaded the couple during an impromptu a cappella version of his song "I Was Brought to My Senses." Folk band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performed at the rehearsal dinner.
"We wanted our wedding to begin with 'Once upon a time…' and end with '… and they lived happily ever after,'" Parker wrote in a lengthy piece for Tech Crunch, defending the couple's decision to hold their nuptials in a forest, despite outcries of hypocrisy and attacks that claimed they were harming the environment.
The billionaire Napster founder explained that he and Lenas had approached the Save the Redwoods League to get its input on the best location for their wedding, and that they had given a "substantial donation" to the organization — a fraction of their reported multi-million dollar budget.
"After the ceremony many of us felt as though we never wanted to leave that forest, and indeed many guests remained there until the sun came up the next morning," Parker wrote. "We lay on the flower-strewn pathway, looking up at the redwood canopy above. The fog rolling in from the ocean enveloped us, imbuing the moment with a feeling of supernatural bliss."
The next night, remaining guests watched the memorable "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones on a giant inflatable outdoor screen.
