Courtesy of LucasFilm
Mark Hamill, Robin Williams, Gayle King, Rahm Emanuel, Al Roker and more were spotted at the Windy City event for the "Star Wars" creator's nuptials to Mellody Hobson.
Hollywood descended upon Chicago Saturday to celebrate the wedding of George Lucas and Windy City native Mellody Hobson.The couple, who tied the knot June 22 at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif., hosted well-wishers at city’s lakeside Promontory Point, where Prince provided the music and Robin Williams was spotted entertaining a small gathering of locals.
Among the other notable guests were Star Wars star Mark Hamill, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, CBS This Morning co-anchor Gayle King, Today's Al Roker, CNN contributor Van Jones, Jesse Jackson, and Grammy winner Ne-Yo.
Prince performed with a 22-piece band under a huge tent.
"They wrote a check to the city for the whole thing," said a police officer on duty, as he shooed rubberneckers from a pathway that overlooked carts shuttling guests from the check-in desk. Those spotted at the main gate tilted towards Chicago political and business figures from the Hobson side of the aisle–with assorted TV news personalities from national outlets. Hobson, the chair of DreamWorks Animation and head of the Chicago-based investment management firm Ariel Investments and chairman of Ariel Mutual Funds, also contributes financial analysis for CBS News.
Other attendees included Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker; former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley; his brother Bill, now running for Illinois governor; former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers, who is now CEO of Johnson Publishing Company; University of Chicago president Robert Zimmer; Chicago Metropolis 2020’s Paula Wolff; radio host Tom Joyner; former Congressman Harold Ford Jr.; and Patrick Daley, a classmate of Hobson’s from St. Ignatius College Prep.
Actor Andrew Shue, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast Tina Brown, CNN pundit Paul Begala, MSNBC PoliticsNation host Rev. Al Sharpton were also in attendance at the event.
The Hyde Park neighborhood, which hosted the event, is the site of the University of Chicago and was President Barack Obama’s home prior to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It is rather bookish, per 2005's Proof. Not starstruck, this demographic pays more mind to Nobel laureates than to Oscar winners. Paparazzi, as few as there are in Chicago, were notably absent. A neighborhood newspaper sent a photographer. Neither Chicago daily did, apparently.
Chicago Tribune reported the reception was organized by New York party planner Van Wyck & Van Wyck, who has previously overseen bashes for Sean Combs, Alicia Keys, Hillary Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama.
Guests staying at the Chicago Peninsula Hotel found a gift bag awaiting them Friday. The bags were filled with some of the couple's "favorite local flavors," which included chocolate cookies from Carol's Cookies, popcorn from Garrett Popcorn, and Marshall Field's Original Frango Mints. There were also Skywalker Ranch hats, T-shirts and a tote.
Ahead of the event, producer Sid Ganis, former senior VP of Lucasfilm, told Lucas' nuptials were the wedding event of the season.
"I'm happy that he's getting married, this kind of wandering guy, who, you know, has been in and out of relationships ever since he split with his wife Marcia," Ganis said. Lucas divorced his first wife, Marcia Lucas in 1983. Ganis added: "I have never seen him so happy. I know he's got a lot of money now, but even beyond that, he's a happy person."
Last weekend, Bill Moyers officiated a ceremony for the couple, which was attended by Ron Howard, Oprah Winfrey, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. The couple made their engagement public in January.
Watch local news coverage of the event from ABC below.
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