George Clooney, Amal Alamuddin tie the knot in Venice

Director and actor George Clooney arrives with his fiancee barrister Amal Alamuddin to attend the Celebrity Fight Night event in Florence September 7, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

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Drinks were laid on in a rear garden before dinner in the main dining room of the Aman, where local media had reported the pair was to say vows informally.

Kentucky-born Clooney, who shot to stardom in the television series "ER", had vowed never to remarry after his 1993 divorce from actress Talia Balsam and is said to have made a $100,000 bet with Michelle Pfeiffer that he would stay single.

The Lebanese-born Alamuddin, who had no previous connection to Hollywood, has represented Ukrainian former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko at the European Court of Human Rights, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in extradition proceedings.

"She will keep him on his toes because she is bright," said Judith Graham, 59, of Surrey, England. "He's had all these actresses fawning over him before. I hope he'll be happy."

Alamuddin, who is based in Britain, also advised former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on the conflict in Syria, an issue about which Clooney has spoken publicly.

Clooney has also led campaigns to highlight the plight of refugees in Darfur, Sudan, and is expected to donate the fees earned from selling rights to the wedding photos to that cause.