Gayle King, Al Roker, Ne-Yo, Mark Hamill, Robin Williams and Rahm Emanuel were among the celebrities spotted in Chicago on 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 the city’s lakeside Promontory Point under a huge tent, where Prince and his 22-piece band provided the music.
CNN contributor Van Jones, Jesse Jackson, “Star Wars” prequel star Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson were also in attendance.
“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 Van Jones, Jesse Jackson, “Star Wars” prequel star Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson, 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 and 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.
The Chicago Tribune reported the reception was organized by New York party planner Van Wyck & Van Wyck, who has previously overseen bashes for Sean “Diddy” 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.
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.
