Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor celebrated their wedding with an intimate dinner Monday evening after tying the knot earlier that day.
The newlyweds, Bloomberg, 84, and Taylor, 71, gathered at Gabriel’s, an upscale Italian restaurant on Central Park South, joined by a small circle of close associates. Bloomberg Philanthropies CEO Patti Harris and her husband Mark Lebow were among the guests at the table. Harris had previously served under Bloomberg during his mayoral administration, first as deputy mayor and later as New York’s first female first deputy mayor.
A witness at the restaurant described the couple as dressed up and content. “At the end they did toasts,” said the witness. “It was a joyous occasion.”
The dinner capped a day that had begun with a private ceremony at the couple’s Upper East Side home. Bloomberg’s daughters, Emma and Georgina, were present for the vows. A spokesperson for Bloomberg confirmed the details of the small service. “The longtime couple exchanged vows today in a small, private ceremony at their home on the Upper East Side, joined by family, including his daughters, Emma and Georgina,” the spokesperson announced. “The two first crossed paths when they sat next to each other at a Citizens Budget Commission meeting while he was first running for mayor.”
That chance seating arrangement occurred 26 years ago, launching a partnership that would see Taylor function as New York City’s unofficial First Lady throughout Bloomberg’s three terms in office. She attended official events and galas alongside him during his administration.
The Monday celebration also included a lunch with roughly a dozen close friends and family members. Bloomberg made a brief appearance at his offices that day as well. Former CIA Director George Tenet, dining separately at Gabriel’s, was spotted offering his congratulations to the couple during the evening. While others at the table toasted with champagne, Bloomberg himself abstained from alcohol.
Taylor’s background includes work on Wall Street and a term as superintendent of banking for New York State during the administration of Gov. George E. Pataki. An Ivy League graduate, she was approved as chair of the New York City Ballet’s board of directors in 2021. The couple attended this year’s gala at Lincoln Center together.
Bloomberg’s reluctance to discuss marriage publicly stretched across much of their relationship. During a 2011 appearance on “The View,” co-host Joy Behar, who had recently married Steve Janowitz, teased him with the suggestion, “Maybe you’re next.” He curtly responded, “Let’s talk about something [else].”
During his unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, Taylor spoke about the lack of vocabulary for their long-term unmarried status. She said she hated the term “gal pal,” and added, “Nobody’s come up with the language around what we are.”
Bloomberg was previously married to Susan Brown in 1976; the marriage ended in 1993. The Monday wedding marks his second trip down the aisle and Taylor’s first marriage.
The couple’s low-key approach to the ceremony and celebration stood in contrast to Bloomberg’s public profile as one of the world’s wealthiest individuals and a major political figure. The choice of Gabriel’s for the dinner reception maintained the intimate scale of the day’s events.
Bloomberg is expected to return to his business and philanthropic activities from his New York base.