Once in Italy, there was a two-night celebration before the wedding. The party starts at the famous Palermo bar Botteghe Colletti, which extends down the street. “The first time was a party in the old center of Palermo,” Tracy said. “It’s very historic and beautiful, with a gritty quality that you don’t expect, and that’s what we like about it.” The next night at the Villa Igea hotel, where many of the guests are staying. The swimming pool is surrounded by ruins and behind it is a magnificent sea view, creating a spectacular and classic southern Italian setting.
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Saturday’s ceremony and reception took place in Bagheria, a seaside town outside Palermo. Historically, Bagheria was a seaside resort for the inhabitants of Palermo, who built Villa Valguarnera at . The original family still lives here, and they generously allowed the couple to have their wedding there.
The bride attended the ceremony in a custom Erdem gown. “Designing with Erdem and his team was one of the highlights of the whole experience,” says Tracy. “He had the most beautiful fabrics and the options for the dress were unbelievable. I don’t know how I ended up making the choice. I thought I wanted a lace dress for the ceremony – because Sicily Island!—but since we first started talking, we’ve fallen in love with these embroidered Mikado fabrics, and I’ve realized they can have a similar effect while giving structure to dresses. Most importantly, I think they’re Unique, so in the end we settled on a Mikado made in Italy, then we added a lace veil for extra drama and it was a dream come true.”
Ben and Molly – Originally introduced by Tracy and Derek The same group of friends who presided over the ceremony. “We asked for them to come back at and we’re glad it finally happened,” Tracy noted. “We knew we wanted to be married by friends and we had such a long history and they set us up and it was palpable that they were officiating. They were fun, genuine and beautiful.” Ben and Molly also made sure to keep The next few meaningful surprises, like Derek’s shattered glasses at the end of the ceremony, came from family members who couldn’t be there on the big day. “They also had the crowd do a hot ring where everyone touched our rings and got a chance to make a wish for us,” Tracy recalls. “Other than that, the most amazing part of the ceremony was when our son Jack was there. He walked down the aisle with Derek and stood under the chuppah with him until it was time for me to come down. Then he sat down On one side, I could see his little face all the time. It was incredible.”
After the ceremony, everyone moved to the palm-lined courtyard for dinner, dancing and presentations More speeches. Maggie Rogers kicked off the party with the newlyweds’ first dance number, a cover of Lissie’s “Everywhere I Go.” “Derek and Ben both work in the music industry and they wanted to form a wedding band with great musicians they already knew, so a group of great musicians from London and Los Angeles came to our wedding band to play,” Tracy explained. “Your Smith’s Caroline Smith and Marcus Foster were the lead singers. My best friend Dianna Agron also performed “Edge of Seventeen” at our request.”
Finally, Tracy switched Get ready for a late-night prom in a cropped slip dress from The Row. “It’s hot in Sicily, and the night ends with a sweaty prom,” she says. “It’s hot on the dance floor!”
