Dua Lipa and Callum Turner have begun their £1.5 million Sicilian wedding festivities with a glamorous welcome party for their celebrity guests on Friday.
The couple held a pre-wedding cocktail event at the elegant Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi, drawing in notable guests such as Charli XCX and Mark Ronson.
Dua turned heads in a breathtaking bridal white gown as she arrived alongside her husband, making a striking entrance.
The 30-year-old singer dazzled in a backless gown adorned with fringe, while 36-year-old Callum looked dapper in a beige suit.
Reports suggest the couple spent nearly £9,000 to secure the exclusive use of the Galleria Moderna in Palermo for their spectacular cocktail reception.
Charli looked stunning in a black minidress as she was joined by her The 1975 drummer husband George Daniel.
But things got off to an awkward start as Charli was spotted just a metre away from her nemesis Taylor Swift’s ex Joe Alwyn.
Charli and Taylor’s rivalry stems from their time touring together in 2018 as well as Taylor’s former relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy.
Dua Lipa, 30, and Callum Turner, 36, have officially kicked off their £1.5million Sicilian nuptials with a lavish welcome party for their star-studded guests on Friday
Dua looked out of this world in a bridal white gown as she made her show-stopping entrance
The couple have hosted a pre-wedding cocktail bash at Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi, with guests including Charli XCX and Mark Ronson in attendance
The singer, 30, wowed in the backless fringed number while Callum, 36, looked handsome in a beige suit
The newlyweds got the party started as they arrived at their candle lit bash
Charli looked stunning in a black minidress as she was joined by her The 1975 drummer husband George Daniel
But things got off to an awkward start as Charli was spotted just a metre away from her nemesis Taylor Swift’s ex Joe Alwyn (L)
Charli and Taylor’s rivalry stems from their time touring together in 2018 as well as Taylor’s former relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy
Mark Ronson was also in attendance and looked dashing in a navy suit
Stars including Elton John and Olivia Dean are among the guests rumoured to be attending the wedding, and Grace and Mark joined them by arriving in the city
Mark and his wife Grace Gummer touched down in Palermo for the wedding on Friday, as locals expressed their fury at the city’s shut-down for the event.
The Italian hotspot has been surrounded by a so-called ‘ring of steel,’ with security and police closely guarding streets surrounding the venue where a cocktail reception will take place.
Stars including Elton John and Olivia Dean are among the guests rumoured to be attending the wedding, and Grace and Mark joined them by arriving in the city.
The venue will be closed to the public for the afternoon and then reopened for visitors on Saturday morning after roadblocks have been taken down.
Locals have made their feelings known, with Daily Mail spotting some obscene graffiti on a marble column in the square which is centre to Friday’s celebrations.
Mark Ronson and his wife Grace Gummer touched down in Palermo for Dua Lipa and Callum Turner’s £1.5 million wedding on Friday, as locals expressed their fury at the city’s shut-down
The Italian hotspot has been surrounded by a so-called ‘ring of steel,’ with locals spraying graffiti in an affected square in protest
The graffiti was later painted over by staff, well before Dua, Callum and their guests made their arrival for the first night of celebrations
Another message was sprayed near the Piazza Croce deli Vesper square, which read: ‘Palermo is not for rent.’
Just before 5.30pm crowds who had gathered in Piazza Sant Anna to watch arrivals were left disappointed when police moved them on.
One disgruntled local said: ‘It all seems a bit over the top. We just wanted to see Dua Lipa and wish her well, but police have moved told us to leave.’
Meanwhile just after 6pm guests began to arrive in the nearby Piazza Croce dei Vesperi where the sun still beat down and the temperature was still nudging 30c.
However, guests were offered some shade by the Palazzo Ganci and music could be heard wafting over the black drapes suspended to stop photographs being taken.
The piazza was decorated with a classic Mercedes, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and a Fiat 128 and on top of the last car was a plate of courgettes, tomatoes, cherries and fava beans.
There was also an outdoor cocktail bar decorated with antique mirrors and prints of traditional Sicilian scenes and books on shelves.
Some local businesses are angry that they have had to close up early on a Friday evening – one of the most popular nights for going out in Palermo which has also become a magnet for British tourists in recent years.
Local reports say organisers have paid the local council £10,000 to hire out the Piazza Croce which has strict parking restrictions imposed around it until Saturday morning.
Businesses which face onto the square have been asked to close while residents whose balconies face onto the venue have been asked to keep their shutters down.
There are reports they have been offered 1000 Euro in compensation, but no one approached by the Daily Mail was willing to discuss the rumour.
One said: ‘We can’t say anything. We’ve had to sign an agreement. Our lips are sealed.’
The Galleria Moderna opposite the square closed to the public at 2pm on Friday as it will also host part of the celebrations and has reportedly been hired out for £10,000.
Stars including Charli XCX, Elton John and Olivia Dean are among the guests rumoured to be attending the wedding, and Grace and Mark joined them by arriving in the city
The couple are set to join Dua and Callum for the three-day wedding, which begins with a cocktail reception in Palermo on Friday
Dua and Callum have flown to the Italian island for their star-studded wedding, after celebrating their legal ceremony in London on Sunday
Metal crush barriers have also been put up to allow a sterile area for VIPs attending the wedding to arrive by car unseen.
Meanwhile a local social justice group posted on Facebook for people angry at ‘over tourism’ and to give a ‘welcome to Dua Lipa and hang the posters from their balconies’ with some rumours suggesting a protest march.
Celebrations kicked off Thursday night with an outdoor cocktail party at the Villa Igiea hotel where Dua, Callum and the majority of guests were staying.
That evening, thick set security teams with black T shirts and impressive tattoos were patrolling the square keeping an eye on passersby and the media.
In an interview with local paper La Republica, Palermo’s mayor Roberto Lagalla expressed his delight at Dua and Callum choosing the city for their celebrations.
Highlighting how the couple had visited last year on holiday and fallen in love with the city, he said: ‘The fact that a world class artist like Dua Lipa chose Palermo to celebrate her wedding and did so just a year after her previous visit, confirms how attractive the city is today on an international level.’
Then responding to reports of grumbling locals he added: ‘I understand the inconvenience caused by events of this magnitude, and I’m sorry if anyone will have to face temporary restrictions.
‘We know that extraordinary events can leave some people unhappy because of their exceptional nature, these are limited time events.
‘All the measures adopted were designed primarily to ensure the safety of those involved and the public.
‘We must not forget the image boost Palermo receives from occasions like this. The international visibility generated by events of this magnitude helps strengthen the city’s attractiveness and generate widespread economic benefits.’
Police and security have been preparing to throw a ‘ring of steel’ around Piazza Santa Anna and Piazza Croce dei Vespri in Palermo from Thursday to Saturday.
However, officials are said to have put out a vague notice claiming there will be a ‘demonstration production’ instead of confirming the wedding.
Residents in Palermo are said to be split over the disruption in the area, with some cheekily asking if Dua would put on a free concert on the beach in return.
Dua and Callum touched down in Sicily on Thursday ahead of their big day, with the couple unwinding at the £6,000-a-night Villa Igiea Hotel.
The hotel is on the outskirts of Palermo and is the base for the couple’s celebrations which kick off Thursday and the couple’s suite is described as ‘the crowning jewel’.
No expense has been spared, with the pair said to have booked an entire floor of suites at the hotel overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.
A further 10,000 Euros has been paid to the local council at Bagheria where another reception will be held at the Villa Valguanera on Saturday at which Elton John is rumoured to be playing a set.
More than 50 bodyguards have been drafted in from Rome and London to provide security for the event and streets around the Villa Valguanera have also been closed much to the annoyance of local businesses.
Hours later, crowds were seen gathering for the celebrations, with guests arriving at Sicila Marina Villa Igiea
Locals have erected posters in protest after it was claimed the city has been all but shut down for the big day
Locals have now made their feelings known, putting up posters in the city that include slogans such as ‘Palermo is not for rent,’ and ‘Our Square is not your living room’
A side street leading to the square has been blocked off from prying eyes with a huge black screen
One cafe opposite said: ‘I’m delighted they are getting married but for us it means a loss of business for the day. There is no point opening up because no one will be able to get to us.’
As part of strict security measures waste bins have been removed and temporary no drone fly zones have been established around the Galleria Moderna and Villa Valguanera.
One local who lives next door to Villa Valguanera – an Italo-Scot – told the Daily Mail: ‘I came out of my house to do some shopping and took a short cut past the villa and two mountain men jumped out on me.
‘They had black T-shirts on with the word security and asked what I was doing. I said I lived here and was going shopping. They thought I was a paparazzi.’
The cost of the wedding is said to be 1.5million Euros.
Antonio Rini, from Palermo Council’s tourism department, said: ‘For us having Dua Lipa’s wedding here is a great honour and the welcome they will receive will promote the city on the international stage.
‘Several big international artists will be arriving in Palermo for the wedding and this is a great return for the city.’
Insiders have been hailing the couple’s second nuptials as the ‘showbiz wedding of the year’, calling it Sicily’s most high-profile marriage since Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone wed Apollonia Vitelli in 1972 classic The Godfather.
Top showbiz names including Elton John, Olivia Dean, Mark Ronson and Charli XCX, will be among the guests for the rumoured £1million bash.
On Monday, workers began blocking the entrances to the historic Palazzo Gangi in Palermo’s edgy Kalsa neighbourhood and erecting screens to prevent paparazzi getting shots.
A second civil ceremony is expected to be officiated by the Mayor of Palermo Roberto Lagalla.
No expense will be spared for the wedding with the couple estimated to be worth more than £100million thanks to Dua Lipa’s singing success and Turner’s acting career – he is lined up to be the next James Bond.
In advance of the wedding, Dua is believed to have travelled to Italy to meet Donatella Versace to finalise the details of the dress she is designing for the singer to wear on her big day.
Because of her longtime friendship with the designer, friends are convinced that Dua will wear a custom Atelier Versace gown.
One is rumoured to be inspired by the Kate Moss ‘wedding dress’ adorned with sparkling diamond decorations but there are said to be another 25 outfits for her to choose from.
On Sunday, the pop star and actor held their legal wedding ceremony at London’s Old Marylebone Town Hall.
At their intimate nuptials, Dua radiated bridal elegance in a custom Schiaparelli skirt suit, white gloves, a Bulgari necklace and a wide-brimmed white hat, designed by milliner Stephen Jones.
The singer clutched a bouquet of Icelandic poppies and wore white Louboutin heels while strolling out of the registry office hand in hand with her new husband. They were showered with confetti by a handful of loved ones who witnessed the 30-minute ceremony.
