Kim Kardashian, Kanye West dazzle guests in Versailles

[May 24, 2014]  PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. television personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West toured the Chateau de Versailles in France on Friday with hundreds of guests ahead of their wedding in Florence this weekend, the visit's organizer said.

The couple were due to host an informal dinner and concert in Paris after visiting the palace, Omar Cherif told Reuters TV.

The two had hoped to marry at Versailles, which King Louis XIV transformed from a hunting lodge into the dazzling heart of an absolutist state but were told in January that would not be possible.

Kardashian and West will celebrate their wedding in the 16th century Belvedere Fort in Florence on Saturday.

An official at Florence mayor's office said last week that the couple were renting the Belvedere Fort for 300,000 euros ($411,100) for the occasion, which will be presided over by a Protestant pastor.

However, as the castle is not an authorized site for weddings, there was some question about whether the event will be an officially recognized marriage ceremony or a celebration with some looser status.

(Reporting By Lucien Libert and Gerard Bon)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.