Beaming father of the bride Bill Gates and his stepmother arrive in New York City by helicopter

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Bill Gates has arrived in New York City ahead of his daughter Jennifer’s wedding this weekend to fellow equestrian Nayel Nassar.

The 65-year-old landed in Newark in his private jet, then transferred to Manhattan via helicopter.

He was accompanied by his stepmother Mimi Gardner Gates, 79, who was married to Bill Gates Sr until his death in September 2020, aged 94.

Gardner Gates, a celebrated art historian, was sporting a jaunty hat with an orange pom-pom and beamed happily as she landed in New York.

She married Bill Gates Sr in 1996 and was director of the Seattle Art Museum for fifteen years and is now director emerita, overseeing the Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas. 

Gates, worth an estimated $132 billion according to Forbes, was carrying a brown leather holdall as he disembarked.

The father of the bride was casually dressed in a polo shirt and chinos, ahead of Saturday’s $2 million celebration.

His ex-wife Melinda, 57, has been in New York City since Monday, and the bride-to-be, Jennifer, since Tuesday. 

Jennifer treated herself to some pre-wedding pampering in New York City on Thursday as she prepares to walk down the aisle in an extravagant ceremony this weekend.  

The bride-to-be was seen leaving the ritzy Greenwich Hotel in downtown Manhattan early on Thursday morning before heading off to a salon in Tribeca for a bridal manicure and pedicure with her mother and friends.

The 25-year-old, who will tie the knot with 30-year-old millionaire equestrian Nayel Nassar on Saturday, looked elegant as she stepped out in a black face mask and got into the back of a black SUV.

Jennifer wore a cream-colored duster coat, white turtleneck, jeans, a chain-strap purse and was sporting bare nails.   

She was assisted by her chauffeur with loading her designer baggage into the trunk. A hotel porter was also seen packing a second vehicle with several garment bags, including one that may have been carrying the bride’s wedding gown. 

She then headed down to Salon M in Tribeca where she met her mother and couple girlfriends and spent a few hours getting dolled up. 

Melinda, 57, was seen arriving separately wearing a white frill sleeve top, black skinny pants, and black ballet flats.  

Jennifer chose a bright red manicure to match her toenails while Melinda opted for a soft pink pedicure only, with a back massage. Both later changed into flip-flops to protect their fresh nails.

They shared a hug inside before saying goodbye, with Jennifer returning to her hotel and Melinda heading out of the city. 

The eldest daughter of billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates has had a busy few days in Manhattan preparing for her nuptials which will take place on Saturday at her 124-acre, $16million North Salem farm that her parents purchased for her in 2018, shortly after her graduation from Stanford University. 

Aerial photos of the property have offered a glimpse of the scale of the lavish wedding celebration that is rumored to cost $2million. 

Acquaintances of the 25-year-old champion equestrian tell DailyMail.com that ‘everything is being tastefully done, even the port-a-potties are beautifully designed’ for her wedding to fellow sportsman. 

Amid the wedding preparations Thursday, Jennifer still took some time to take care of some housekeeping, including taking her dog out for a walk later in the afternoon. 

A day earlier Jennifer was spotted stepping out in New York City for some quality time with her mom. 

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the mother-daughter duo all dolled up as they entered Manhattan’s iconic Plaza Hotel.   

Jennifer wore an all white lace gown and her ginger locks were down and curled, while her mother wore a pink dress with a matching wrap and heels. 

On Tuesday night, DailyMail.com spotted the bride and groom getting out of black SUVs before checking into the luxury Greenwich Hotel in Manhattan, where rooms range from $850 to $2,500 per night.

Jennifer, the eldest daughter of the Gateses, and Nassar were accompanied by a heavy security detail, consisting of seven guards and four vehicles. 

Nayel appeared in high spirits as he was seen laughing with security. 

Before getting pampered with her mother on Wednesday, Jennifer was seen grabbing coffee in Manhattan with an unidentified blond friend. 

She strolled the city streets before heading into Sania’s Brow Bar, where she stayed for about 20 minutes and then returned to her hotel.     

However, not everyone is pleased with the weekend arrangements. 

‘It’s totally over-the-top. Just incredible extravagance and unpleasant for the neighbors and the wildlife that made their home on the farm,’ an insider said. 

‘Trucks are constantly coming and going into a field on the farm where deer used to graze. There’s a noisy forklift and dozens of workers are driving around on ATVs.’ 

One neighbor told DailyMail.com that the ceremony will be held at the farm.  

‘Jen’s hoping the actual ceremony can be outdoors but in case the weather is bad, they’ve put up huge tents in one of the fields and they’re also rushing to build several state-of-the art, temporary steel-and-glass pavilions,’ they said. 

And with billionaire parents, the most wealthy and high-profile guests are expected to attend. 

‘One of Jen’s security guards told me the guest list for the event will include a lot of dignitaries,’ the neighbor added. 

‘The guy insisted he didn’t know names but Bill and Melinda are pals with people like Barack Obama. I understand that a request has been made to the town to close the road that goes past the fields so as to give guests ”privacy” during the ceremony.’

Another source estimated that construction costs for the pavilions will be ‘at least $2 million.’ 

Her wealthy neighbors in North Salem include David Letterman and another riding champion, Georgina Bloomberg, whose father, former presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, bought her a horse farm in the town in 2012. 

In addition to the horse farm, Bill and Melinda reportedly also purchased a $5million condo for Jennifer near her campus in Manhattan, where she has been studying to be a doctor. 

The equestrian and medical student announced her engagement to Egyptian show jumper Nayel, 30, in January 2020. 

The wedding is expected to go off without a hitch, despite her parents’ $130billion divorce.  

Bill and Melinda finalized their divorce in August, three months after they announced that they were splitting after 27 years of marriage and three children. 

Jennifer is the only one of Bill and Melinda’s children to publicly address their divorce and the impact that it has had on the three siblings, writing on her Instagram Story shortly after their announcement that it had been ‘a challenging stretch of time for the whole family.’ 

On Monday, Melinda was seen stepping off of a helicopter in New York City ahead of the big day. 

The 57-year-old philanthropist carried a Balenciaga tote bag and wore a Givenchy cardigan, black trousers, and Givenchy sneakers. 

Meanwhile, her ex Bill was on the opposite side of the country Sunday attending the tennis match between Cori Guff and Caroline Garcia of France during the 2021 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. 

He attended another match the following day between Pedro Martinez, of Spain, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, of Greece.

Last month, newly-divorced Melinda put her marriage woes aside to throw Jennifer an intimate bridal shower at the $125million lakefront eco-mansion she once shared with ex-husband Bill.

The 57-year-old philanthropist played party host for the celebration, which took place in the grounds of the sprawling 66,000-square-foot property.

Images shared by the bride-to-be showed the group enjoying drinks while overlooking the lake before sitting down for an outdoor meal.

In the photos, the bride and her mother laughed and smiled alongside their guests, with Jennifer praising her mom in her caption, writing: ‘Thank you for this incredibly special celebration, @melindafrenchgates.’

She went on to thank the ‘amazing women’ who attended the party, which included several of her closest friends and family members. 

Jennifer’s bachelorette party was at a five-star hotel in Montecito, the California celebrity hotspot which is home to Prince Harry and Meghan.

The ladies stayed at the Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel and even did some beachside yoga.

‘Dreamy bachelorette, thank you to some of my favorite ladies for celebrating. my heart is full’ Jennifer posted on Instagram. 

Nassar popped the question in January 2020 during a ski trip. 

‘Absolutely swept me off my feet this past weekend, surprising me in the most meaningful location over one of our many shared passions,’ Jennifer captioned the sweet photo of their engagement. ‘I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing and loving together. Yes a million times over.’

Nassar also posted photos of the engagement, writing: ‘SHE SAID YES!!’

‘I’m feeling like the luckiest (and happiest) man in the world right about now,’ he wrote. ‘Jenn, you are everything I could have possibly imagined..and so much more. 

‘I can’t wait to keep growing together through this journey called life, and I simply can’t imagine mine without you anymore. Love you more than you can possibly imagine, and thank you for making every single day feel like a dream to me. Here’s to forever!’