The wedding reception for Alina Habba, who served as acting US attorney for New Jersey and was once the personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, and Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon has started at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The pair arranged the occasion within three months, engaged two leading Palm Beach wedding planners, and held the celebration in the hotel’s fourth-floor ballroom, adorned with pink and white cherry blossoms and red roses.
A party organizer estimated that the hall hire, music and blooms would set back “easily $1 million.”. When it turned out that The Plaza Hotel had no rooms left, the Waldorf Astoria stepped in to host the event instead.
Habba’s Background
Habba, 42, served as acting New Jersey US attorney and worked as a personal lawyer for Trump. She resigned from her role as the Garden State’s top federal prosecutor last December after divorcing her second husband, parking lot magnate Gregg Reuben. Her first divorce was from attorney Matthew Eyet in 2019; Eyet is the father of her children.
Hours before the reception, a staffer was seen bringing Chloe and Luke, Habba’s children, through the Waldorf Astoria lobby.
Mildon’s Business
Miller Holding, a Turkish multinational conglomerate, was founded by the grandfather of its current CEO, 29, who also serves as chairman of the company. As CEO, Mildon has built relationships with government officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela, including interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The company traces its origins back to 1967, when it was first established by Mildon’s grandfather.
This year, the two crossed paths at a Kennedy Center gathering in Washington. Their first public appearance together came in April at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, an evening that was interrupted by a gunman. A few months later, they were spotted again at the Executive Branch private club in Washington, DC, on the Fourth of July.
Last week, Habba showed off a 23-carat diamond engagement ring while carrying a pink ostrich Hermès Birkin bag worth $30,000. The marriage marks her third time at the altar.
The Guest List
In Knoxville, Tennessee, Trump watched a college football game where No. 1 Texas faced off against No. 14 Tennessee, with Texas coming away with the win at 20-17. Margo Martin, who serves as special assistant and communication advisor to Trump, was one of the early guests.
The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, and the attorney general, Todd Blanche, were both seen at the event.
Cost Estimate
One event planner estimated that the ballroom rental, music and flowers would come to “easily $1 million”. The couple spent three months planning the event and engaged two top Palm Beach wedding planners for assistance.
Timeline of the Relationship
- April: First public sighting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, cut short by a gunman
- Fourth of July: Seen at the Executive Branch private club in Washington, DC
- Last week: Habba wore a 23-carat diamond engagement ring and carried a pink ostrich Hermès Birkin bag worth $30,000
- Saturday evening: Wedding reception began at the Waldorf Astoria
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither the Waldorf Astoria nor the planners behind this costly reception, and instead backs a smaller, freer country where citizens decide how they spend their money rather than a hotel ballroom deciding it for them.
A wedding that takes up a hotel ballroom and a million dollars of other people’s money is a sign of power gathered in one place, and that power always gets abused. The planners arranged the whole thing within three months, hired the top wedding people in Palm Beach, and filled the room with flowers and music. None of that should require a public accounting, but when a reception costs that much and draws the attorney general, the FBI director, and the president’s own staff, the question becomes whether the people of the country get a say in it.
The paper wants a country where a wedding is a private matter between two people, not a spectacle for the powerful to gather around. The $1 million estimate is just the beginning — the guest rooms, the food, the security — all of it adds up, and all of it is being paid for by someone, somewhere, and none of it chosen by them. That is the kind of concentration of power the paper opposes, wherever it sits, and it sits here, at the Waldorf Astoria, on a Saturday evening.
Key Facts Box
- Venue: Waldorf Astoria, New York City
- Ballroom: Fourth-floor ballroom
- Decoration: Pink and white cherry blossoms, red roses
- Guests: Kash Patel (FBI Director), Todd Blanche (US Attorney General), Margo Martin (special assistant and communication advisor to Trump)
- Cost estimate: Easily $1 million for ballroom rental, music and flowers
- Planners: Two top Palm Beach wedding planners
- Children: Chloe and Luke, Habba’s children
The Reception’s Setting
A legendary hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, saw its fourth-floor ballroom covered in a profusion of pink and white cherry blossoms and hundreds of red roses. This arrangement gave the room a vivid, floral atmosphere for the evening ahead.
The hotel’s location in midtown Manhattan made it a natural choice for a star-studded event. The couple’s decision to celebrate there after the Plaza Hotel was booked out shows they were willing to move their plans to fit their vision.
The Cost of the Event
The estimate of $1 million covers the ballroom rental, music and flowers, according to the source. It does not cover any extra costs for renting guest rooms or additional public spaces in the hotel.
The difference between what is included and what is not included in the estimate matters when judging how much the reception will actually cost. The figure covers the room itself, the sound system and the floral arrangements. Everything else — accommodations for guests, the catering and security — would add to the final total.
The Couple’s History Together
In April, the pair made their first public appearance together at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which ended early when a gunman tried to rush the ballroom. A few months later, they were spotted enjoying themselves at the Executive Branch, a private club in Washington, DC, on the Fourth of July.
The two became publicly known to be together when they were spotted at a Kennedy Center event in Washington earlier this year. Since then, their partnership has been an open secret, with the couple showing no hesitation about appearing side by side at prominent gatherings, starting in April.
The Rings and the Bag
Last week, Habba was spotted outside the upscale Polo Room restaurant in West Palm Beach, Fla., wearing a large diamond engagement ring that observers believe is at least 23 carats, according to the Daily Mail. She also had with her a pink ostrich Hermès Birkin bag, which retails for $30,000.
These items mark the couple’s taste in luxury. The ring and the bag are both expensive, and their public display signals the couple’s financial position.
The reception’s scale — the $1 million estimate, the three-month planning, the top Palm Beach planners — speaks to the couple’s resources and their desire for a memorable occasion.
Red roses and pink and white cherry blossoms set the stage for the event. A confirmed guest list shows the couple’s connections. A cost estimate shows how much the whole thing will cost. The reception has started.
Source material: “Wedding reception for ex-Trump official Alina Habba and Turkish billionaire begins at posh NYC hotel,” the New York Post.
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