Rachael Ray, 53, Was a Bridesmaid for the First Time Ever at This Food Network Star’s Wedding
Celebrity chefs Rachael Ray and Anne Burrell have stood side by side on any number of Food Network cooking shows, demonstrations, and competitions over the years. But earlier this month, Ray was next to Burrell on one of the biggest days of her life: her wedding to Stuart Claxton.
Interestingly, the occasion also marked the first time that Ray, who’s 53, was ever a bridesmaid. “I was in that barn! I was in the wedding in that barn!” she said on her show as she reminisced with Burrell about the beautiful fall nuptials. “We had the best time.”
Burrell’s bridal party included Ray, her sister as maid of honor, and two other friends. Interestingly, they didn’t take the usual bachelorette party route, opting for something a little more extravagant. The bridal party and their significant others went to Europe for a “pre-moon” trip. They traveled to Spain and Italy before the men flew home and the ladies spent a few extra days in Ray’s home in Tuscany. (Talk about a great friend, right? That’s the kind of bridesmaid you want!)
“I don’t know if I would say it was very bachelorette-y, but it was exactly what I wanted,” Burrell told People. “I will give up a Vegas vacation to stuff my face full of carbonara in Rome any day of the week.”
As you could expect, the rest of the wedding, which took place at Windridge Estates Redbarn 20 in Cazenovia, New York, was beautiful, too. The couple had a perfectly autumnal orange and white cake, a horse and carriage, and burnt orange bridesmaid dresses to fit the theme. “Everything was magical,” Burrell told Ray’s audience. “It just felt like love.” Awwww.
These two have always had incredible chemistry onscreen when cooking together on the network, but it’s so wonderful to know they’re such close friends in real life, too!
