Gates take Manhattan! Melinda spends quality time with her bride-to-be daughter Jennifer in NYC

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Melinda Gates is hitting New York City with her bride-to-be daughter Jennifer ahead of her extravagant wedding this weekend.  

DailyMail.com spotted the mother and daughter on Wednesday all dressed up as they entered Manhattan’s iconic Plaza Hotel Wednesday.  

The bride 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 billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates, and her millionaire equestrian fiancé Nayel Nassar, 30, 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 all dolled up 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. 

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos previously showed tents being erected at Jennifer’s 124-acre, $16million horse farm in North Salem, New York, that her parents bought her in 2018 after she graduated from Stanford University.

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 rider Nayel on Saturday. 

However, not everyone is pleased at the 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.  

‘Jenn’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 Jenn’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. 

 Nayel 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.’

Nayel 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!’