Alina Habba is due to marry Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon at New York’s Waldorf Astoria, following a lavish wedding weekend that has seen guests, flowers and elaborate decorations arrive at the landmark hotel.
Habba, 42, will marry Mildon, 29, in front of close family and friends, just eight months after her second divorce. The celebrations began with a rehearsal dinner at Aretsky’s Patroon before guests gathered at the Waldorf for cocktails, caviar and hors d’oeuvres.
Guests were seen arriving in formal dress, with women in long gowns and men in bow ties. Some paused for drinks in Peacock Alley before being taken by private lift to the Grand Ballroom, where the main reception is expected to be held.
The three-storey ballroom covers almost 10,000 square feet and can accommodate up to 1,500 people for a reception. Its restored Art Deco features, tiered balconies and modern lighting and sound systems provide an elaborate setting for the ceremony and celebrations.
Preparations at the hotel have included the delivery of large arrangements of white and pink cherry blossom, golden chairs, garment rails and wedding attire kept beneath protective covers.
Workers were also seen unloading towering glass lighting fixtures, chandeliers, audio equipment and ice sculptures as the Waldorf was transformed for the wedding. The scale of the preparations suggested that the relatively small guest list had not resulted in a modest occasion.
Habba has been wearing a large diamond engagement ring believed to weigh at least 23 carats. She has also recently been seen carrying a pink ostrich-skin Hermès Birkin bag estimated to be worth about 30,000 dollars, amid reports that Mildon has given her a collection of the luxury handbags.
The bride-to-be appeared in an ivory jumpsuit with heavily embellished shoulders during the pre-wedding festivities. Mildon wore a white shirt and dark trousers as the pair posed with family and friends.
Guests travelling from outside New York are understood to have arrived a day before the ceremony as work continued at the hotel. The Waldorf’s Grand Ballroom has hosted major galas, weddings and social events over several generations.
Habba, a New Jersey native and former personal attorney to President Trump, has been married twice before. She and Mildon are now preparing to formalise their relationship at the New York hotel after a whirlwind engagement.
