EXCLUSIVE - MARRY-go-round: Prep for Serena Williams' dream wedding underway in New Orleans as tents, wine and giant carousel are unloaded at the venue while sister Venus arrives for a walk through

• A carousel was seen in the parking lot outside The Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans on Wednesday ahead of Serena William's wedding
• Cases of wine and tableware were also being unloaded into the vented and air-coinditioned tents that had been erected in the parking lot
• Serena's sister was seen after a walk through of the wedding venue on Wednesday alongside siblings Isha and Lyndrea Price
• Serena's closest confidantes, agent Jill Smoller and best friend ValVogt also attended the walk through at the venue
• DailyMail.com broke the news that Serena would be taking the plunge on Thursday, just 11 weeks after she and Ohanian welcomed daughter Alexis Jr. 
• Given her recent red carpet choices it seems likely that the bride will be walking down the aisle in Versace 

Preparations are underway in New Orleans for Serena William's dream wedding just one day before the tennis star is set to walk down the aisle and marry Alexis Ohanian.

A majority of the action was occurring at The Contemporary Art Center, where the nuptials will be taking place on Thursday.

Air-conditioned tents were being erected throughout the parking lot while tableware and cases of wine from Chateau Smith were unloaded along with a giant carousel.

Serena's sisters Venus Williams, Isha Price and Lyndrea Price were also spotted at the venue on Wednesday, where they did a walk through with the bride-to-be's agent Jill Smoller and best friend Val Vogt. 

DailyMail.com broke the news that Serena would be taking the plunge on Thursday, just 11 weeks after she and Ohanian welcomed daughter Alexis Jr.

There is no word yet on Serena's wedding dress, but given her red carpet choice for this year's Met Ball and at the Glamous Women of the Year Awards on Monday, it seems likely that the bride will walk down the aisle in Versace.

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'Serena and Alexis have spared no expense on their dream wedding,' a source told DailyMail.com of the $1 million nuptials, which are being organized by celebrity wedding planner Preston Bailey.

The pair has chosen the the Contemporary Arts Center for the site of their nuptials. 

'They have hired the best of the best and can't wait to get married in The Big Easy. It's a special city for Serena and somewhere she has always loved,' said the source.

'Serena and Alexis chose the Contemporary Arts Center because of its incredible architecture and history. They have instructed Preston to fill the hall with thousands of dollars worth of crystals and flowers. The hall will be totally transformed.'  

The picture perfect wedding will be kept under wraps however, with Williams reportedly banning cell phones and any photos from the event after signing an exclusive deal with her friend Anna Wintour to feature pictures from the event exclusively in Vogue.

Among those who will be on hand is Serena's best friend Colton Haynes, who was spotted arriving in New Orleans on Tuesday night. 

There will be approximately 250 guests at the ceremony, and  it seems that the most important lady in Williams and Ohanian's life will be playing a very big part in the ceremony.

'Alexis will have a babysitter on hand just for her the entire night,' the source told DailyMail.com.

'Both parents wouldn't dream of not having her there. She will be a part of the wedding as much as possible for an 11-week-old. They are totally and utterly besotted with her.' 

Serena celebrated becoming a new mom back in September by posting a photo of her daughter resting on her shoulder to Instagram, writing: 'Meet Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. You have to check out link in bio for her amazing journey. Also check out my IG stories.'

She had guessed that she was having a girl in an interview with Vogue that ran in the magazine's September issue.

'Alexis thinks we’re having a boy, but I have a strong suspicion that it’s a girl,' said Serena. 

'Two weeks after we found out, I played the Australian Open. I told Alexis it has to be a girl because there I was playing in 100-degree weather, and that baby never gave me any trouble. Ride or die. Women are tough that way.'

Few are tougher than Serena, however, which is why it was a bit of a surprise to hear her say that she was 'nervous about childbirth' in that same interview.

'I’m not a spring chicken. The one thing I really want is an epidural, which I know a lot of people are against, but I’ve had surgeries galore, and I don’t need to experience any more pain if I can avoid it,' said Serena.

'But the biggest thing is that I don’t really think I’m a baby person. Not yet. That’s something I have to work on. I’m so used to me-me-me, taking care of my health, my body, my career. I always ask, Am I going to be good enough?' 

Serena will be back in action next month, which even she realizes is a bit unreal.

'It’s the most outrageous plan,' said Serena. 

'I just want to put that out there. That’s, like, three months after I give birth. I’m not walking anything back, but I’m just saying it’s pretty intense.'

She then revealed her fear of fading away, something that could never happen given her complete dominance in the sport.

'In this game you can go dark fast. If I lose, and I lose again, it’s like, she’s done. Especially since I’m not 20 years old,' said Serena. 

'I’ll tell you this much: I won’t win less. Either I win, or I don’t play.' 

Williams and Ohanian announced their engagement just a few weeks before the big pregnancy news. 

He did this by whisking her off to Rome, where the two had met after a chance encounter at their hotel two years prior. 

The pair later detailed their romance in an interview with Vanity Fair, which began when Ohanian refused to move from a table Serena had wanted to use for her group while they ate breakfast.

Williams shared the news on Reddit by posting a poem, writing: 'At the same table we first met by chance / This time he made it not by chance / But by choice / Down on one knee / He said 4 words / And I said yes.'

Ohanian, 33, later posted Williams' poem to his Facebook account, writing: 'She said yes.'

He also commented on her poem on Reddit, writing: 'And you made me the happiest man on the planet.' 

At the time the two did not realize that Serena was pregnant, and she initially refused to even take a pregnancy test when her friend recommended it just three days before the start of the Australian Open last January.

The test was positive. As were the five subsequent ones she took that night.

Serena's initial response was shock and concern as to how she was going to be able to play starting Monday, and win Wimbledon in July, which she said had been her big goal for the the year.

That first hurdle proved to be no real challenger for Serena, who spent the following two weeks handily dispatching of each and every competitor she faced down in Melbourne - ending with a win in the finals over her sister Venus.

Serena's older sister was one of the few who knew she was pregnant at that time, with Serena keeping the news private for weeks.

She finally revealed her baby joy on social media back in April when she was 20 weeks pregnant. 

She made her return to Twitter a week after giving birth, when the greatest female tennis player of all time made a point of congratulating this year's US Open finalists.

'There are NO words to describe how proud and how happy I am for @Madison_keys and @SloaneStephens for making the US open finals,' wrote Serena about the two young, black Americans who were competing for the title in New York.

'These amazing women continue to change the game and bring excellence, power, finesse and change to tennis.'

She then added: 'What a joy it will be to watch this- hopefully first of many finals. Let's go ladies!'

Serena sent out her love and encouragement despite the fact that she was not competing and that Stephens, the eventual winner, beat her older sister Venus to earn a place in the final. 

Stephens and Keys may want to enjoy their success while they can however, as Serena is now looking to come back with a vengeance. 

She shared video of herself practicing throughout her pregnancy, and there is just one more record she needs to break.

'It’s hard to figure out what the end of your tennis career should look like,' said Serena.

'I used to think I’d want to retire when I have kids, but no. I’m definitely coming back. Walking out there and hearing the crowd, it may seem like nothing. But there’s no better feeling in the world'

She then added: 'Obviously, if I have a chance to go out there and catch up with Margaret, I am not going to pass that up. If anything, this pregnancy has given me a new power.'

The 'Margaret' she refers to is Margaret Court, who has won 24 Grand Slam championships as opposed to Serena's 23 in women's singles.

It is a record of lesser importance than the 22 wins Steffi Graf had which, like Serena's, were all in the open era.

Court won most of her championships before 1968 and 11 came at the Australian Open during a time when the top players did not compete in the tournament.

Serena will now have a chance to tie that record should she win in Australia this January, only this time with Alexis Jr watching.

That was the 23rd grand slam win for Serena, and the first for Alexis Jr.