A Shinto Ceremony, A Saharan Blues Band And A Feast Prepared By Francis Mallmann: Inside Tara Summers’s Spectacular Moroccan Wedding
Tara Summers’s childhood home in Chelsea was the scene of countless legendary London parties – so much so that she previously committed tales of her parents’ fabulous social whirl (reguar faces included the likes of Jack Nicholson, Bianca Jagger and Tara’s godmother Diane von Furstenberg) to print, in a 2016 story for British Vogue.
“From the moment I was born there were parties,” the actor wrote at the time. Little wonder, then, that Tara’s wedding – staged over the May bank holiday in Marrakech – was one for the ages, complete with rooftop cocktails at El Fenn, a rehearsal dinner overseen by the revered Argentine chef Francis Mallmann (Mallmann and Tara’s father, art dealer Martin Summers, owned neighbouring homes in Uruguay), a palanquin ride for the bride and groom and a Fleetwood Mac cover from guest Sienna Miller.
“It’s a multi-cultural situation,” says the bride, who is speaking to Vogue fresh from a pre-wedding facial a few days before boarding her flight to Morocco, where she is set to marry trader Anthony Shrubb in the Japanese garden – complete with tea house and soribashi bridge – at her father’s home, christened Maison Martin. “My dad moved to Marrakech about 12 years ago, and where he lives in the Ourika Valley is right under the Atlas Mountains, it’s kind of an oasis in the desert,” she says [Tara’s parents divorced in 1986]. “My half sister is Japanese, so we’ll be incorporating a traditional san-san-kudo wedding ritual – you drink from three different sake cups nine times… and try not to get too drunk.”
The officiant is Tara’s friend Dhani Harrison – only son of the late Beatle George – “and then we’re going to be lifted up and carried by palanquins, which is a very Arabic tradition. We’ve chosen a song from Paul Simon’s Graceland, ‘Under African Skies’, to play at the ‘you may now kiss the bride’ moment, to reflect our location. Later we’ll have an incredible Saharan blues band, and a shawarma guy will arrive around 1am!”
The couple’s love story is every bit as fabulously unconventional as the wedding. It began when Tara, who was living in New York at the time (where she jokes she’d encountered “many a frog”), was forced to isolate after getting Covid during a trip home to London for Christmas. “I was feeling very sorry for myself having a solo mince pie, and I decided to go on English Hinge to distract myself,” she recalls. “And there he was!” The bride and groom exchanged messages on the app, but then Tara left quarantine and “sort of forgot about him. He’d given me his number, but I didn’t message him for 10 days as I was better and gallivanting around… then suddenly I thought, oh my God: that guy!”
When she eventually got in touch they met up for a walk on Hampstead Heath, which was swiftly followed by a memorable dinner at Brat. “I had been wanting to go and he took me, I just think it’s the most fabulous place in the world,” Tara says. “I thought: ‘Ooh… you’re quite sexy out of your hiking gear.’” Their connection was such that, when it came time for her to fly back to New York, Tara found herself heartbroken at the prospect of leaving. “I felt completely smitten by him. I said, ‘Actually, you’re a kitesurfer… my dad’s in Uruguay in February, do you want to come and do it there?’ And he said, ‘Yes… I think it’s time I met your father.’ That was on our third date.”
After spending a week together in South America, Anthony returned to the UK and Tara reluctantly flew back to New York. “I pined so hard for him,” she says now. She learned the feeling was mutual when the groom, who had been working remotely from the countryside during the pandemic, called and invited her to join him in London. “He said, ‘Covid’s over, I’ve got to go back to the office. I’ve found a flat in Bermondsey… do you want to come?’ I said: ‘Yes, I really, really do.’ I sublet my apartment in New York, and I haven’t been back since. He’s 52, I’m 45, and neither of us has been married before. It took an algorithm for us to find each other, but he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
While finding a dress for her big day was a more straightforward affair than finding The One, Tara did end up choosing something entirely unexpected, she says. “I thought I was going to go streamlined – I wanted to do an Old Hollywood, Casablanca-type thing, very clingy, very hip-hugging,” the bride explains, name-checking Rita Hayworth as a muse. “But my friend was like, just try something different, and then suddenly I found myself in two hoops.” In the end, it was a classic, princess-y Pronovias gown with a voluminous skirt that stole Tara’s heart. “It’s very cinched at the waist, and just absolutely stunning. I’ve had six or seven fittings with a long-suffering tailor, and Pronovias has made the whole thing a very romantic and pleasurable time!” Given the drama of the dress and her cathedral veil, the bride opted to keep her accessories simple: a pair of mesh pumps by Mango with a kitten heel, her grandmother’s watch, and Agent Provocateur lingerie as her “something blue”.
The vibe of the wedding weekend was “soulful and sexy and old-fashioned”, says Tara, who selected a DVF dress for the rehearsal dinner as a nod to her godmother. “It’s black and everyone says that’s bad luck, but I like black, and it suits me, so fuck it!” She also alighted upon a sequined minidress – a flea market find from Paris – to wear for dancing on the night of the wedding itself. “I’m going to change when the second DJ takes over at about 1am,” she says. “I think I’ll be tired of being a meringue by then.”
As it turned out, the babydoll mini would go unworn. “I loved my gown so much I kept it on until dawn,” Tara confesses after the wedding, which saw guests including Sienna and her sister Savannah, actors Tom Sturridge, Gillian Anderson and Jack Huston, and royals Lord Frederick Windsor and Princess Firyal of Jordan travel from all corners of the globe to Maison Martin for the celebrations. (Even the couple’s wedding photographer, Jose Pereyra Lucena, flew in from Argentina to capture the occasion.) For the bride, it’s all still sinking in – from Chef Mallmann’s signature open fire asado, to a post-ceremony chorus of “Stand By Me” accompanied by Tom Hollander on violin, to Alexa Chung spontaneously commandeering the DJ decks at 3am. “It truly was the greatest weekend of my life.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena1/95“My stepmother’s beautiful rose garden, where the bouquet was made and thousands of rose petals were gathered for the confetti.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena2/95“The inimitable Francis Mallmann cooked for us a wedding present. He brought vintage hand-sewn velvet pillowcases all the way from Argentina. He set the table whilst listening to opera. So romantic. He surrounded the cushion covers with Beldi lemons and rosemary from our garden.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena3/95Francis Mallmann’s vegetables cooking in the hot coal ashes.
Jose Pereyra Lucena4/95“Anthony and I bonded over our mutual love of cooking and food. We talked of Francis Mallmann on our first date on Hampstead Heath – we could not in our wildest dreams have predicted that Francis, a dear family friend, would do us the honour of cooking for our rehearsal dinner.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena5/95“Myself, my father Martin, and my sister Shizuka Suzuki, who was part of our Japanese tea house, Shinto, Buddhist, pagan ceremony the following day.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena6/95“Happy father of the bride, Martin Summers.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena7/95“Our dear friend Jessica Miller was the most gracious host to my mother and I leading up to the wedding. She gave me sound baths and collagen masks, and pep talks galore. Her daughter, Lana, was my bridesmaid.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena8/95“Anthony designed the cocktails, our pals drew the beautiful menus, and we named each of the delicious Palmaráe gin cocktails after friends.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena9/95“The Heathfield School choir: my best friends from school rehearsing their rendition of ‘Going to the Chapel… Going to the Tea House’. Claire Eastwood, Daisy Peat, Tania Stewart and Savannah Miller.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena10/95“Dad with the legend that is Francis Mallmann. His ‘asado’ was his wedding gift to us. A true privilege and an extraordinary spectacle. He dug fire pits in dad’s garden, and hung lamb and chickens on iron structures and cooked vegetables in the hot coal ashes. The guests were in awe.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena11/95“Annette Tapert and Georgia Howe came from New York.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena12/95My mother, Nona Summers, with my godmother Diane von Furstenberg. They have been friends since university, and Diane gave an incredible speech at the rehearsal dinner.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena13/95“Francis Mallmann in action. A sight to behold, let alone the taste!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena14/95“Francis Mallmann’s beautiful tablescape with local Beldi lemons, rosemary from our garden and velvet cushion covers and candles he brought with him from Argentina. Francis set the table himself!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena15/95“My godmother Diane von Furstenberg, myself, and my bridesmaid Lana Miller. Lana is wearing her DVF ‘In Charge’ necklace, and Diane is giving her some invaluable life lessons on how to grow up being in charge!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena16/95“Francis made a beautiful toast to love and spoke of his long friendship with my father. In front is my father Martin Summers, and my other godmother, HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena17/95“On to the big day. Me getting ready at my friend Jessica Miller’s house. A brief moment of serenity amidst the chaos of the morning!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena18/95“Here is Savannah Miller helping me get into my Pronovias gown. Savannah and I were bridesmaids together aged four for our mutual godparents, Gael and Francesco Boglione. We’ve been best friends ever since. Savannah is wearing one of her own dresses from her exquisite line, Savannah Miller Bridal.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena19/95“Savannah Miller under the hoop skirt I wore under my Pronovias Kristin wedding gown, which added incredible volume. I wanted the dress to have drama, and Pronovias went beyond my wildest dreams.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena20/95“That’s my friend, filmmaker Zelmira Gainza, with her Super 8 camera. She shot the whole wedding handheld. To the right is Savannah Miller helping with finishing touches. In the centre is me.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena21/95“Savannah leading my father to collect me for the ceremony. She is wearing one of her own designs that she wore to the Met Gala, the Kate dress. My father is in David Tang.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena22/95“My father and I. I had thought I wanted a straight, hip-hugging, simple dress – this was the total opposite! I felt like Grace Kelly. Pronovias were so kind to me throughout the whole process. To wear this dress was a dream, and best of all, it had pockets!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena23/95“My beautiful, delicate veil. My ‘something old’ was a vintage watch bracelet given to my grandmother Jean on her wedding day by her husband, Sir Spencer Summers, in June 1930. (A gift from my aunt Jillian.) My ‘something new’ was my Pronovias dress. My ‘something borrowed’ were drop pearl earrings loaned to me by Savannah Miller. And my ‘something blue’: blue lacy knickers by Agent Provocateur!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena24/95“My make-up was by Moroccan-based artist Karima Maruan. My happy, glowy face by Rhian Truman, my go-to facialist in London, and Dr Brian Fu.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena25/95“My father and I about to leave Dar Zitouna. Our photographer, Jose Pereyra Lucena, stopped us in our tracks and took this shot. He didn’t even know it was one of dad’s favourite paintings.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena26/95“Dad and I in the car on our way to Maison Martin.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena27/95“Diane von Furstenberg and Sabrina Guinness under their parasols.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena28/95“Best man Andrew Lacy Smith flew all the way from Australia to escort my mother, Nona Summers, down the aisle.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena29/95“The view from the main house to the Japanese tea house.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena30/95“My flower girl, Cleo Uribe-Mosquera.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena31/95“Dad handing me over to the groom, Anthony Shrubb.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena32/95“Front row is my sister Shizuka Suzuki, my stepmother Annie Summers in vintage Galliano, and my mother Nona Summers in Wolk Morais. Behind her is my brother, Alex Peto, in a traditional jellaba and my 91-year-old aunt, Lady Arthur, in a vintage Moroccan caftan.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena33/95“Dhani Harrison and I went to Brown University together, he’s been my friend for over 20 years. He created the most beautiful pagan, Shinto, Buddhist, multi-faith service that included a wand he’d whittled that he brought from his home in England.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena34/95“Pouring the sake for the san-san-kudo ceremony, inspired by my half-sister. This ritual signifies the couple’s union, the blending of their families, and the start of their life together.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena35/95“We wrote nine vows to each other. Here is one of mine to Anthony.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena36/95“Sienna Miller and Dean Fairhurst singing ‘Songbird’ by Christine McVie. There was not a dry eye in the house.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena37/95“Their backdrop was the Japanese tea house. We were truly blessed with the clearest view of the Atlas Mountains that day!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena38/95“Sienna and I after she sang. I was weeping.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena39/95“My beautiful childhood friends Lola Peploe and Chloe Dale Jones reading ‘On Marriage’, by Kahlil Gibran.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena40/95“The congregation sang ‘Stand By Me’, with our most talented musical friends accompanying us. Juliet Quintin-Archard is in the centre, to the right are the Heathfield School back-up singers: Claire Eastwood, Daisy Peat, Tania Stewart and Savannah Miller. To the left, my drama school friends: James Robinson, Tom Brooke, and Ed Dale Jones on vocal percussion, with Tom Hollander and Sanna Garton on violin.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena41/95“Tom Hollander: a man of many talents.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena42/95“Anthony on ‘percussion’ for ‘Stand By Me’.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena43/95“As Dhani pronounced us husband and wife, Paul Simon’s ‘Under African Skies’ filled the air.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena44/95The rose petal confetti from the garden.
Jose Pereyra Lucena45/95“My bouquet was made by our dear family friend, designer Tomasz Starzewski, using roses from my stepmother Annie’s rose garden.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena46/95“Anthony and I in front of Maison Martin. I’m wearing my Pronovias Kristin dress and little mesh white pumps from Mango. Anthony is wearing a midnight-blue dinner jacket with a black silk sash that he designed and had made in Morocco by the brilliant Tailleur la Palmeraie.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena47/95“Myself and my beautiful mother. She’s wearing a suit by Wolk Morais custom-made from vintage Chanel fabric, and a shirt by Serena Bute.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena48/95“Anthony has exceptional taste in music and found this incredible Saharan blues band, Taymat. They came in from the desert to play for us.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena49/95“Me flanked by the great African Ceremonies photographers, Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith, who flew in from the Kalahari Desert to be with us.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena50/95“Saying hello to Kate Walsh and her fiancé Andrew who came from Australia. We worked together on Private Practice.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena51/95“Filmmakers Jaron Albertin and Gillian Zinser came in from Mexico City!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena52/95“My beloved pal Claire Eastwood brought the house down with her speech in dad’s Japanese garden.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena53/95“From right to left: Daisy Peat, Gillian Anderson, Peter Morgan, Patrick Kennedy, Valentine Fillol Cordier, Sienna Miller, Tom Sturridge, Alexa Chung, Tori Cook and Oli Green, all listening to my mother’s speech.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena54/95“Artist Nick Alves Vega and designer Liza Bruce.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena55/95“Me throwing the bouquet…”
Jose Pereyra Lucena56/95“… My best friend from New York, Serena Merriman, caught the bouquet! She’s wearing Cortana. To her right is Kelly Eastwood in Temperley, and behind her is Malika Dalamal in red Saloni, with her husband Karim Khelil.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena57/95“Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead looking ravishing. We worked together on Mercy Street.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena58/95“My beloved Sienna Miller and me.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena59/95“Smooching on dad’s Japanese bridge during the cocktail party.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena60/95“Anthony and I with the band, Taymat.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena61/95“Lord Frederick Windsor with our friend and DJ, John Lycett Green.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena62/95“Actress Casey LaBow with her husband, the musician Sebastian Fritze.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena63/95“Luscious Lady Loretta Rothschild wearing Vivienne Westwood with her husband Lord Rothschild, and the Honourable Lucas White.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena64/95“The band led us through the peach orchards and along the avenues of rosemary to dinner.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena65/95“My exquisite dress had pockets, and fabric that moved so effortlessly I was able to dance all night!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena66/95“A quick catch-up before dinner: my mother Nona Summers, myself, my godmother Diane von Furstenberg and Annette Tappert.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena67/95“The most stylish Jessie Fortune Ryan and Juan Berenguer Hidalgo.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena68/95“We custom-made little red matchboxes, and as the guests sat down to dinner, we asked each one to light a candle to honour Anthony’s parents, and other dearly departed family and friends.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena69/95“Lord Frederick Windsor next to my beautiful stepmother Annie and Tomasz Starzewski.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena70/95“A view of the crowd as we sat down to dinner under the candlelit jacaranda trees, bougainvillea, and a million twinkling lights. We ate traditional Moroccan tagines and salads, catered by the fantastic Traiteur Boulonor.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena71/95“My pal from Brown University, Mo Rais. Thanks to his wedding in Jordan, Anthony proposed in Petra. Here he is next to my godmother, Princess Firyal of Jordan, and marvellous actor Julian Rhind-Tutt.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena72/95“Sienna Miller, Anthony and I listening to Sonya Walger’s speech.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena73/95“Howling with laughter at Sonya’s speech.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena74/95“Listening to the best man sum up his love for Anthony.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena75/95“Anthony and I hugging my best friend from LA, actress and writer Sonya Walger, after her extraordinary speech.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena76/95“Gaby Dellal with James Spader, who I worked with for many years on Boston Legal. To his right is the lovely Gillian Anderson.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena77/95“Anthony and I after his speech blew us away.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena78/95“The courtyard of Maison Martin lit by candlelight and a billion twinkling stars.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena79/95“My pal Jack Huston – we worked together on Factory Girl. Next to him is the divine Alexa Chung.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena80/95“Me kissing Anthony after his speech. He had been worrying about it for months. He needn’t have. He brought the house down.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena81/95“With my godmother, DVF.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena82/95“Our first dance was to Mel Tormé’s ‘I’m comin home’. I wanted a dress I could move in.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena83/95“At midnight, we were lifted up on to palanquins – this is known as the amaria in Moroccan weddings.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena84/95“In traditional Moroccan weddings, the ‘amaria’ is a symbolic and joyful part of the ceremony, showcasing the bride and celebrating her transition to her new life.
Jose Pereyra Lucena85/95“My stepmother Annie Summers and my father Martin Summers, with me and their new son-in-law!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena86/95“Our fabulous cake was made by our dear friend, Chef Clarisse Jolicouer and her team at Les Jardins du Lotus in Marrakech. The one-metre cake arrived as just a base of vanilla orange blossom sponge, and as the guests cheered, Clarisse (dressed in pink sequined Rodarte) poured a mound of berries and gold leaf on top. She then handed us a sieve to dust the sugar on top, to sweeten our marriage!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena87/95“Let the dancing begin… fabulous DJ and dear old friend, John Lycett Green, with sound via our friends at Swell Productions.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena88/95“Our dear pal and grand dame of theatre, Suzanne Bertish, read Shakespeare’s sonnet ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ during the ceremony.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena89/95“2am on the dance floor. I loved my gown so much I kept it on until dawn. It had two hoop skirts and a long, long train, which we made into a bustle so we could dance all night. My little Mango mesh slippers were so delicate and so comfortable.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena90/95“Grey’s Anatomy’s Kate Walsh rocking the dancefloor with Maia Patrick Smith.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena91/95“Sienna Miller with my father. He’s known her now for over 30 years.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena92/95“A break from dancing. I’m seen here with actors Tom Sturridge and Jack Huston, and my handsome groom.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena93/95“3am and Alexa Chung commandeers the decks.”
Jose Pereyra Lucena94/95“The crowd rocking out to German house DJ Ali Schwarz’s tunes. He happens to live down the road in Marrakech!”
Jose Pereyra Lucena95/95“The last lot standing: this was at 4am! The group included: Anthony Shrubb, Tara Summers, Tori Cook, Jack Huston, Lucas White, Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller, Oli Green, Victoria Thompson, Julia Hickman, Tom Brooke, Fee Glaskill, Alex Young, Valentine Cordier Filliol, Patrick Kennedy, Carol Beckwith, Shizuka Suzuki, Deb Lacy Smith, Bea Savoretti, Clement Luchard, Dean Fairhurst, Richard O’Hagan, Rich Lett, Natasha Santi, James Robinson, Vic Robinson, Tim Moore, best man Andrew Lacy Smith, Tom Sturridge, and my dad, who danced all night.”
