Billionaire Soros weds consultant in third marriage

NEW YORK (Reuters) - George Soros, the 83-year-old billionaire investor, philanthropist and supporter of liberal political causes, married for a third time on Saturday, tying the knot with education consultant Tamiko Bolton.

Soros and Bolton, 42, exchanged vows in a small ceremony at his Bedford, New York, estate, which Soros bought in 2003 from “Jurassic Park” author Michael Crichton. Federal judge Kimba Wood officiated at the non-denominational wedding, which was attended by members of the couple’s families, including the groom’s five children, a source familiar with the wedding told Reuters.

For Soros, whose net worth is $20 billion according to Forbes, it was his third marriage. It was Bolton’s second.

Soros put a Graff wedding band on Bolton’s finger during the half-hour ceremony, according to the source.

The exchange of vows was followed by a reception with more than 500 guests at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, a Westchester County complex known for its Italian Renaissance-inspired buildings and lush gardens.

Among the reception guests were World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and some foreign leaders, including Hendrik Toomas Ilves, president of Estonia; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia; and Edi Rama, prime minister of Albania.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and Bono of the rock band U2 also attended the reception, according to the source familiar with the wedding.

Also expected to attend were fellow titans of the hedge fund world, Paul Tudor Jones and Julian Robertson. From the U.S. political realm those invited included Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the lieutenant governor of California, Gavin Newsom, both Democrats.

On Friday night, the couple held a reception for 300 guests at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan for a preview of a new exhibition of works by Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte - “Magritte: The Mystery of the Ordinary, 1926-1938.”

Their honeymoon plans were not immediately disclosed.

Hungarian-born Soros, who established one of the first hedge funds in 1969 and is probably best known for famously betting against the British pound in 1992, met Bolton at a dinner party in 2008. Their engagement was announced in August 2012.

Bolton, who was raised in California, is the daughter of a nurse and a retired naval officer. She graduated from the University of Utah and holds an MBA from the University of Miami.

Bolton has been a consultant and entrepreneur working in health and education. She started an Internet-based dietary supplement and vitamin sales firm, and her most recent project was advising on development of a web-based yoga education platform.

The bride’s dress was designed by U.S.-based, Lebanon-born Reem Acra, whose gowns have been worn on the red carpet by many stars, including Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez.

The reception on Saturday night featured Hungarian composer and conductor Iván Fischer, a family friend of Soros, who created a new arrangement for the occasion played by the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Cape Verdean Mayra Andrade also sang with the Harris Lane Orchestra. Andrade and Roma ensemble Via Romen will perform at a Sunday brunch.

Acclaimed event planner Marcy Blum was the wedding coordinator.

In lieu of gifts, the couple asked that donations be made to charities, including Global Witness, Harlem Children’s Zone, National Dance Institute, Planned Parenthood and the Roma Education Fund.

Editing by Martin Howell and David Brunnstrom