GeorgE Clooney and London-based human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin have tied the knot in a civil ceremony, ending three days of lavish wedding celebrationbs in Venice.

The couple formalised the marriage at the city hall. Alamuddin, 36, who works for Doughty Street Chambers, wore a white trouser suit with a wide-brimmed white hat with a black ribbon. Her husband, 53, wore a light grey suit. A black cat appeared nearby, a bad omen, but departed with perfect Hollywood timing minutes before the couple arrived yesterday.