Napster founder, former Facebook president and Spotify billionaire Sean Parker fined over extravagant star-studded $10m wedding
33-year-old pays $2.5m after building movie-set style location for his California wedding without a permit
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Your support makes all the difference.Napster founder, former Facebook president and Spotify billionaire Sean Parker has been forced to pay a $2.5 million (£1.6 million) fine after his extravagant star-studded wedding in California took place in a protected coastal area.
The 33-year-old, who was portrayed by Justin Timberlake in The Social Network, married singer-song writer Alexandra Lenas in a $10 million ceremony on Saturday in Big Sur.
Officials were notified that he had reportedly built a small village - including a gated cottage, fake ruins, bridges, ponds, waterfalls and a huge dancefloor - without permission in a closed campground owned by Ventana Inn & Spa. By the time the California Coastal Commission inspected the area, they found many of the structures already built but allowed the wedding to go ahead.
The commission said no major damage had been done and there staff will oversee the dismantling of the venue to ensure no environmental damage takes place. The money will be used to pay for coastal conservation and to purchase hiking trails.
Rick Zbur, Mr Parker's representative, said: "So as soon as he was made aware of the Coastal Commission's concerns, he immediately stepped forward to discuss how he could protect the coastal area and resolve these issues."
Parker, who is said to have been willing and keen to resolve the matter, will pay the fine and also agreed to create an educational video or app that will show areas of the coast the public can access freely.
“We always dreamed of getting married in Big Sur, one of the most magical places on earth,” Parker said in a statement. “In continuing my foundation's mission, we are excited to support these important conservation-related projects for and with the local community.”
Although the wedding was compared by many to Game of Thrones, Parker insisted it was not a themed wedding. He did though, hire Ngila Dickson, the Oscar-winning costume designer of The Lord of the Rings to design outfits for their 300 guests.
“Just because we don’t trust our guests to dress themselves properly doesn’t mean we want them to look like Game of Thrones characters,” wrote Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker on his Twitter feed in April.
Parker has asked his guests to donate to Save the Redwoods or California League of Conservation Voters in lieu of giving gifts.
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