Rey Vakili and Jonny Ingham met in London in 2017 through mutual friends, but didn’t start dating until she entered business school. “He was living in L.A. and I was at Stanford,” Rey—who is now the managing director of LTK Australia—remembers. “Somewhat fortuitously one of his best friends was at the law school, so it gave him the perfect excuse to come and visit Palo Alto regularly.” They dated long-distance for two years before moving to Sydney together at the end of 2019 just before COVID.
The two got engaged in May of 2022. “It was very relaxed and ‘very John,’” Rey says. “And, I can honestly say that in that moment I was not expecting it at all!” Rey was at home getting ready for dinner when Jonny returned home and proposed to her in the kitchen. “He sort of came charging at me with a box,” she laughs. “I had no idea what was happening at first, but then he got down on one knee. It was awkward, it was cute, it was perfect. We also have very different recollectsions of what actually went down. His version is a lot more cool, romantic, and collectsed. I just know that it happened, and it took place in my kitchen!”
They already had planned a weekend away to Magill Estate in Adelaide the next morning, and so beyond telling their immediate families, they kept the news to themselves for a few days and enjoyed a quiet weekend away together.
The couple began planning their wedding shortly thereafter. “Aussies like to have plenty of time to plan,” Rey explains. “So it was a courtesy we owed our guests.” Quickly, they decided they wanted to celebrate their nuptials in Italy—but that was the easy part. The hard part was trying to decide exactly where. Eventually, they settled on the picturesque town of Taormina in Sicily. “Taormina is a very special place for my family,” Rey says. “We have been going there on vacation for over a decade and both my sister and sister-in-law were married there too. Capri on the other hand is where John’s family have been going for years, and so we landed on something in the middle. A wedding in Taormina with a recovery party in Capri!”
The couple’s guests were making such a huge effort to travel from every corner of the world to be with them, and it was important to the couple that the mood was set from the moment they received their save the dates. “Sicily is such a special place,” Rey says. “The history, the food, the vineyards, the beaches, the people, and the ceramics. We wanted everyone to be excited from the moment they learned of the destination because I think deep down we wanted everyone to love it as much as we do.”
In the early stages of planning, they discovered Emérence of Potesta Designs, who created the save the dates and wedding website. She immediately understood what they were trying to achieve and created a magical, playful space for information that set the tone for what was to come. The couple also enlisted the incredibly talented illustrator Fin Fellowes who worked closely with them to create a suite of invitations for their wedding weekend and designed a logo for the event.
The couple had already planned a trip to Europe that summer—a month after their engagement—so the timing was perfect to start scouting for a venue. “At this point, I started talking to the team at Dolce & Gabbana, and they recommended I go see the San Domenico Palace in Taormina, which is where their first Alta Moda fashion show took place in 2012,” Rey remembers. “When we went in June, it had just recently reopened as the Four Seasons, and it was simply spectacular. As the Italians say, it was ‘amore a prima vista!’ The gardens were breathtakingly beautiful, and it was something different from what my family had done before me. Jonny loved it too. We basically locked it in there and then.”
The wedding took place before the second season of the popular HBO series The White Lotus, which was set at the resort, was released. “I’m not sure we would have had as much luck booking it had it been after!” Rey jokes. “When the show first came out, I was a little mortified to be doing it at the same place. I mean the opening scene is literally a dead hotel guest floating in the ocean. That said, by the time the wedding came around, we decided to just lean into the whole White Lotus thing. The song we entered our reception dinner to was ‘A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu,’ which is the theme song and everyone was losing their minds. In the end, the show was the best kind of teaser for guests, who were all dying to see the venue in real life.”
Rey knew from the get-go that she wanted to work with Diana from Sugokuii Events. “I have been a big fan of her work for as long as I can remember,” the bride explains. “I love her attention to detail, the spectacular tablescapes, the colors she uses, her creativity, but above all I love her respect for Italy and going local Italian in all the details. She did everything, from décor to logistics to florals. Unless you have done it before, there really is no way of knowing how much goes into planning a wedding and ensuring it all runs smoothly. We certainly didn’t. Probably for the best too, because I doubt we would have gone ahead with it all if we had!”
For Rey, Sicily and Dolce & Gabbana just go hand in hand. “Beyond the designers’ strong affinity with Sicily, no one understands a woman’s body like they do,” she says. “I love the way their clothes fit and flatter every shape and size. I love that every time I wear one of their pieces, I know it’s going to be a good night. I love that they have always felt so true to my own personal style.”
At the time, she didn’t know how she was going to make it happen, or if they even made wedding dresses, but she knew she had to ask. One of her best friends put her in touch with Giusy Cannizzaro, the brand’s head of haute couture, and that’s where it all began. “She and her team were a dream to work with,” Rey says. “We had an initial kick-off Zoom where we discussed all things wedding-related. I mentioned we were thinking of Taormina, and their enthusiasm was one of the factors that pushed us over the line. They suggested we go visit the San Domenico Palace on our next trip over.”
After the call, Rey sent over inspiration from past Alta Moda shows and runway collectsions and provided details on the weekend and venue—but the first time she met the team was a few weeks later with her sister at the Alta Moda show in 2022. Fittingly, it took place across Noto and Syracuse in Sicily. When she arrived, the team had prepared a beautiful book for her, which included initial sketches, fabrics, and more inspiration, and the sketches soon took on two very distinct themes: La Dolce Vita, and Il Gattopardo.
“When I saw the sketches inspired by Angelica (Claudia Cardinale) in Il Gattopardo I knew I had met ‘the one,’” Rey says. “From there, I had my measurements taken, and we pored through the different fabrics, shades of white, lace, and details. The experience was unforgettable and one I will cherish forever.”
It was so enjoyable, Rey asked if they could also create a dress for her welcome dinner, and then later, the recovery brunch. The next time she saw her wedding dress, however, wasn’t until January at the Milan atelier. “It’s hard to believe that after only one fitting—which was only to take measurements!—the dress fit like a glove,” Rey says. “During this fitting, we finalized finishing touches like shoes, details, the veil, and the headpieces I would wear on all three days.”
For the welcome dinner on Friday at Taormina’s newest restaurant Nunziatina, Dolce & Gabbana created a custom turquoise and pink mermaid gown. It was made from the carretto and bougainvillea print from a 2014 collectsion inspired by Taormina on a sunny day, with the bottom of the dress including a motif of the iconic Sicilian carretto wheel. The look was topped off with a crown of handmade silk bougainvillea flowers.
The ceremony took place on Saturday outside in the gardens of San Domenico Palace. It was short and sweet, but also intimate, full of love, and very meaningful. “We wanted our service to reflect both of us,” Rey says. “Our celebrant Luca was from Calabria, where Jonny’s maternal family is from, and we included elements of a traditional Persian ceremony to represent my family’s background.”
Rey and Jonny didn’t want anything to detract from the natural beauty of the landscape or the significance of the moment, so all the florals were designed to feel like an extension of the gardens. They wanted to complement the blue of the ocean and the purples of lavender and bougainvillea that were already in abundance so they used a mix of delphinium and campanula.
The bride wore her custom organza Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress with zagara detailing on the bodice and skirt when she walked down the aisle aisle full of cut delphinium petals, to Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” played by a violinist and a cellist. “I felt so at peace,” she remembers. “The happiest I have ever been in my entire life. I have spent so much time living abroad that I have always felt like a piece of my heart is missing. When I was living overseas, it was missing my family back home in Sydney, now that I’m back in Sydney, it is missing my best friends overseas. On this special day, my heart was so full and whole. I can’t describe how incredible it is to have every chapter of your life come together in one place and moment.”
The goal was for the mood to change from the moment the ceremony was over, so the Sicilian marching band Ciao Bella played during their exit and escorted guests into cocktails. Meanwhile, Rey and Jonny went to get their portraits done with their photographer Alex Bramall. “We made sure to have 15 minutes to ourselves just before dinner,” the bride remembers. “We went back to our suite, had a drink, and debriefed. It was a moment’s pause, and it was just so nice.”
The reception dinner was in the ancient cloisters, and when it came time, the newlyweds were escorted by the band to the entrance of the courtyard. “We could hear people cheering from behind the closed doors,” Rey remembers. The MC, Nick Pitt, knew how to get a crowd going, and DJ Fabio easily read the room. “From the moment we walked in everyone was up on their feet dancing,” Rey recalls. “It was exactly what we wanted to see.”
For the second half of the evening, Rey also went for a quick change into a more party-ready style. “At first, I thought I wanted to wear my wedding dress all night,” Rey remembers. “But about two weeks before the wedding, I had a mini freakout and decided my dance moves would be enhanced by a shorter dress. Patricia Voto of One/Of had reached out to me a few months earlier about creating a piece for me for something unrelated. I love her philosophy toward fashion and her unique pieces. I reached out to her two weeks before the wedding asking the impossible of her, and she was amazing. She created the most stunning mini set with feather and seashell detailing. It was made for Taormina, and it was made for dancing. I wore it with custom-painted Supergas which we had handed out to all of our guests for dancing, which were painted with our logo.”
There were moving speeches, and opera singers who appeared in and out of the tiny windows above the cloister and in the gardens, but the cake-cutting was the highlight of the night. “Unfortunately, one of John’s groomsmen thought it was a table and put his whole hand through it before we took a single photo!” Rey remembers.
Before dancing, the wedding planners handed out personalized hand-painted Supergas to all the ladies. “This was an absolute must for me!” Rey says. “I knew if people were comfortable, they would dance the night away.”
Finally, at the stroke of midnight, the couple walked through town to a club that they had booked out for the late-night party. “And not just any club,” Rey says. “It is the nightclub in Taormina, Morgana Bar. The interiors are quintessentially Sicilian with a funky modern twist. We had late-night food served on custom plates that my friend and founder of In the Roundhouse Alyce Tran had created for us, pizza in custom-made boxes, and granita cocktails in endless supply. It all feels like a dream. It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that even if you could turn the clock back you wouldn’t change a thing about something.”
Photo: Alli Studio1/62A lot of thought and love went into creating our invitations, which were designed by the incredibly talented Fin Fellowes. Our guests were traveling the world over to be with us, so we felt it was important to set the tone from the very beginning. We wanted our guests to fall in love with Sicily before they even got there. Fin mixed her vibrant illustrations with vintage Sicilian prints to bring together the most festive work of art.
Photo: Alex Bramall2/62I love color, and nowhere does color quite like Sicily. I wanted my first look of the weekend to reflect this. For our welcome dinner I wore a custom turquoise and pink Dolce & Gabbana mermaid gown. It was made from a carretto and bougainvillea print from the 2014 collectsion inspired by Taormina on a sunny day. The bottom of the dress featured the iconic Sicilian carretto wheel and the look was topped off with a handmade bougainvillea silk crown.
Photo: Alex Bramall3/62Our mode of transport to our welcome dinner, alla Siciliana. All around Taormina, you will find these fabulous carretto print vehicles; whether it is bicycles, Apes, cars, or in this case, the Vespa.
Photo: Alex Bramall4/62On Thursday night, we hosted our welcome dinner at the newly opened Ristorante Nunziatina. The theme was Sicilian glamour and our friends did not disappoint!
Photo: Alli Studio5/62We couldn’t have asked for a better location to kick off our wedding festivities. Nunziatina is right in the heart of Taormina and we were the first people to ever to host an event there.
Photo: Alli Studio6/62The stunning tablespace that our planner, Diana, conceptualized and brought to life for our first night. She truly is the master of the tablescape. The Sicilian-inspired plates were hand painted in pastel colors to match the décor of the restaurant and the linen napkins had “pasta, granita & amore” embroidered onto them under a “Testa di Moro” (the traditional Sicilian heads that you will find on almost every corner of Taormina).
Photo: Alli Studio7/62More “Testa di Moro”! We sourced these ceramic mugs for our welcome dinner and used them to serve granita and prosecco cocktails all night long. We also included them in the gift bags that guests took home that evening.
Photo: Alli Studio9/62Here you will see another typically Sicilian motif, the heart-shaped “Ex Voto.” These featured our initials “R&J” and were also used to help guests navigate their table number.
Photo: Alex Bramall10/62The groomsmen being lads. John and our photographer, Alex sparked a bromance from the moment they met. Alex understood him completely. For his “getting ready” photos, John’s only request was that he be by the beach with a beer in hand. As you can see, his wish came true.
Photo: Alex Bramall12/62Here I am being transformed into the best version of myself by London-based stylist Jack Merrick-Thirlway. It was the first of three hairstyles over the course of the night. Sydney-based makeup artist, Michael Brown did my makeup. We kept it fresh, light, and rosy. My glam squad was simply the best. They came as guests and friends, and it made the whole day so much fun.
Photo: Alex Bramall13/62Working with Dolce & Gabbana to create my wedding dress was an absolute dream come true. They knew what I wanted before I could even articulate it.
Photo: Alex Bramall14/62In this photo, Annamaria Torri is helping me with some final adjustments to my dress while my best friend, Eugenie, helps me clasp the spectacular mixed cut diamond bezel necklace that New York–based jeweler Jessica Namdar created for my wedding day.
Photo: Alex Bramall15/62There were so many details that went into my dress to make it unique to the place that we were getting married. From the Sicilian lace used in my veil to the handmade Zagara detailing on the bodice and skirt. Zagara (orange blossom) smells divine and is symbolic of Sicily.
Photo: Alex Bramall16/62My dress was inspired by Angelica Sedàra in Visconti’s Il Gattopardo and was made from organza. It was so beautifully simple and romantic. We didn’t want anything to detract from the silhouette.
Photo: Alex Bramall17/62Long before the San Domenico Palace became the iconic Four Seasons hotel, it was a monastery. All around, you will see relics of its rich history and deep connection to the town of Taormina. Here, my father and I are walking down the wide hallways that have been standing for nearly half a millennium. It was impossible not to feel humbled or enchanted by the venue’s beauty.
Photo: Alli Studio18/62Our ceremony took place outside in the San Domenico gardens which are simply breathtaking. We didn’t want anything to detract from the natural beauty of the landscape or the significance of the moment, and so our florals were designed to feel like an extension of the gardens. We used a mix of delphinium and campanula to match the purple hues of lavender and bougainvillea that were already in abundance.
Photo: Alli Studio19/62Sicily sizzles in summer! Our ceremony didn’t start until 5 p.m. but fans were still an essential. These beautiful fans were hand-painted in Florence, and each one featured a different design.
Photo: Alex Bramall20/62A moment with my dad, before walking down the aisle. My dad has always been such a source of calm in my life. He is my rock, my mentor and my biggest cheerleader. I am so grateful for everything he and my mum have done for me.
Photo: Alex Bramall21/62I will never forget this moment. Seeing everyone I adore in one place at one time, in the place we love most in the world.
Photo: Alex Bramall22/62The San Domenico Palace was the venue for our ceremony and reception. It is such a spectacular hotel. I knew from the moment I stepped foot on the property a year prior that we had found our venue. I am so grateful to the entire Four Seasons Taormina team for their hospitality. They were such a pleasure to work with.
Photo: Alex Bramall24/62Our two beautiful mothers, Jilla Vakili and Mary Ingham. They could pass as sisters! My mother wore Valentino and Mary wore Jenny Packham.
Photo: Alex Bramall26/62The bridesmaids and groomsmen. The people that have added so much our lives. From left to right: Eugenie Iseman, Willa Frej, Kate Ingham, Tamie Ingham-Brahimi, Olivia Hamzi, Hoda Waterhouse, Isha Ambani, Michael Anderson, Sonny Lindsay, Nick Pitt, Charles Hinckfuss, Andrew Hewson, and Mark Draper. Thank you for everything!
Photo: Alex Bramall28/62For our portraits, we took to the streets of Taormina. This town has so much charm and character!
Photo: Alex Bramall29/62It is not unusual to see a bride walking through the streets of Taormina. No one captures atmosphere quite like Alex. Check out the faces of the passersby!
Photo: Alli Studio33/62This adorable folk group assisted guests to their seats from the cocktail hour.
Photo: Alex Bramall34/62A Sicilian marching band played during our cocktail hour before escorting John and I to our reception dinner. They were such a vibe!
Photo: Alli Studio35/62The breathtaking tablespace conceived by our incredible planner Diana of Sugokuii Events. The style and color were designed to align with our ceremony; romantic and intimate. I love how it feels eclectic yet cohesive at the same time, in an almost “nonna chic” style.
Photo: Alli Studio36/62The beautiful hydrangea plates were hand painted by Violante Guerrieri Gonzaga in Rome, the jewel-toned wine glasses were Luisa Beccaria, and at each seat, guests found a heart-shaped ceramic box with their name imprinted on it, which included three confetti almonds inside as an Italian tradition.
Photo: Alli Studio37/62Michelle Battersby looking like a blue mermaid. Diana had created the most amazing mood boards on our website so almost every guest matched the surroundings. It was fabulous.
Photo: Alli Studio38/62The incredible floral design was conceived by Madison at Hart Floral. blended seamlessly into the tablescape. We used a mix of different color plates, glasses, cutlery, napkins, and tablecloths so it didn’t look too matchy-matchy. I especially loved the floral plates featured in this photo that we sourced from Luisa Beccaria.
Photo: Alli Studio39/62We sat in the ancient cloister of the San Domenico Palace. It was just magical. Each corridor had one long table with a different colored tablecloth that was custom-dyed by Serasestra. One was lilac and the others were white and powder blue.
Photo: Alex Bramall41/62I’m sure everyone says this…but I’ll say it with more conviction. We had the best wedding speeches ever.
Photo: Alex Bramall42/62The cloisters by candlelight. It felt like something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Photo: Alex Bramall43/62Between my father; John; his best man, Mark Draper; and his MC Nick Pitt, everyone was laughing, crying and crying of laughter. I can’t describe how incredibly intimate the evening felt.
Photo: Alex Bramall45/62Our first dance, to “L’Appuntamento” by Ornella Vanoni. Pretty sure the song is about despair in love, but who’s really listening?
Yes, I made John take dance classes and yes, we nailed it.
Photo: Alex Bramall48/62Before dancing, our planners handed out personalised hand-painted Supergas to all the ladies. This was an absolute must for me! I knew if the ladies were comfortable, then the dancing would continue all night long.
Photo: Alex Bramall49/62The first casualty of the night? Our wedding cake. I still can’t believe Alex caught it all on camera. Jonny’s groomsman Charles apparently thought the cake was a table. The reactions captured in this photo are beyond epic.
Photo: Alex Bramall51/62Welcome to Morgana Bar! At the stroke of midnight, we walked through town to a club that we had booked out for our late-night party.
Photo: Alex Bramall52/62Outfit change and chop! The incredibly talented Patrica Voto of One/Of made my after-party dress. This little feather and sea-shell embellished number was made for dancing.
Photo: Alex Bramall55/62Unsure what song we are singing here. But does it really matter? Clearly having the time of our lives.
Photo: Ashleigh Larden56/62A few days later and a change of scene and city. En route to our recovery party at Conca del Sogno.
Photo: Ashleigh Larden58/62Possibly my favourite outfit of all. I chose an archive piece from Dolce & Gabbana’s 2013 collectsion with a matching headscarf. Finishing touch, some serious Colombian emeralds from Jessica Namdar.
Photo: Ashleigh Larden60/62We wanted our recovery to feel relaxed; an opportunity for guests to unwind, have dip in the ocean and eat the best spaghetti alla Nerano in town.
Photo: Ashleigh Larden62/62A trip to Conca is never complete without the famous Sgroppino show. And that’s a wrap, ladies and gents!
