If it weren’t for one sympathetic friend’s knack for matchmaking, Tracy Morgan and Megan Wollover might never have met. After each going through a breakup, Megan and Tracy both shared their troubles with a mutual friend. Naturally, this friend decided these two singles had to get acquainted, and set them up on a blind date. Megan didn’t realize that she would be meeting the Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock star until she arrived at a local lounge for their date. “When I pulled up and saw it was him I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on here?’” Megan remembers.
Tired after a long day at work, she didn’t have the same energy throughout the evening as Tracy, who chatted with other patrons and danced despite the cast on his foot. He took notice of her yawning and kindly escorted Megan to her car. “I just felt [Tracy] was very charming and sweet, such a gentleman, and that’s what caught my interest,” she reveals. Tracy was equally smitten with Megan following their first date, thinking to himself: Damn, she’s beautiful; she’s more beautiful than I could ever imagine. Someone’s gotta love her – why not me?
After dating for over a year, the couple journeyed to San Francisco for one of Tracy’s comedy shows. Tracy told Megan he wanted to get a few of his jewelry pieces cleaned during the trip; but he had a different item of jewelry on his mind when they arrived at the store. “I had his big chain and watch and everything and I’m talking to the clerk about getting it done quickly, and I turn around and he was on his knee with the ring,” Megan recalls. “He was very traditional – he just asked if I would marry him and I said yes.”
Though Tracy and Megan initially wanted to marry in 2014, all plans were put on hold while Tracy recovered from a traumatic car accident. They resumed planning months later, choosing an elegant estate in the bride’s home state of New Jersey for the celebration. Megan focused on designing an “elegant, classy, and timeless” fête in shades of blush, gold, and ivory, to complement the summer season. Meanwhile, the groom helped plan the menu and music, even inviting the DJ over to their house so Tracy could show him his favorite old-school tunes. “That was his thing: ‘Do whatever you want to do [for the wedding], but when it comes to the DJ and food, sit down,’” Megan laughs.
The couple’s 150 guests took their seats inside a gorgeous chapel on the grounds of the property, which was draped with plush white fabric on the ceiling and walls. Two hedges of pink and vanilla roses and alabaster orchids flanked the aisle, culminating at a magnificent wall covered with flowers that served as a romantic backdrop to the vows. A crystal-cut chandelier, sparkling candelabra, and gold chiavari chairs topped with ivory cushions completed the breathtaking scene.
After bridesmaids dressed in pale pink frocks walked down the aisle, two family members escorted Tracy and Megan’s adorable daughter, Maven, to her seat, as she held a sign that read, “Daddy, here comes Mommy.” The groom’s son, Tracy, Jr., served as the best man. The bride was stunning in an off-the-shoulder gown with a fit-and-flare skirt and timeless lace detailing. Megan wasn’t the only one who had taken care to choose a one-of-a-kind outfit for the occasion: Tracy looked dashing in an all-cream suit with a tailcoat and daring black-and-white footwear. He wouldn’t let Megan see his ensemble until the big day. “I always wanted to wear tails for my wedding, so I did,” Tracy says. “The day before I went into my fittings, I watched Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’ video and that is where I got the inspiration for the spats on the shoes.”
The short and sweet service reflected the couple’s dedication to each other and the unification of their two families. “The pastor talked about our relationship and the love and struggles, and it tied into what had happened with Tracy and the accident,” Megan explains. Then, attendees convened in the ballroom for a reception that continued the elegant blush and ivory styling of the ceremony. Gold-rimmed glassware glittered atop sequined pink linens. Each table was crowned with a lush arrangement of roses and orchids, blooming from either a crystal stand or a glass vase. Strands of crystals dripped from the blossoms, with smaller groupings of flowers and white candles in glass cylinders surrounding each dazzling centerpiece. Purple lighting bathed the room in a romantic lavender glow, along with the flickering light from dozens of candelabra.
Megan describes the reception as “real and spontaneous;” indeed, guests danced, enjoyed the food, and gave speeches without any predetermined schedule. “Maven was even on the mic like Tracy,” she smiles. The bride also had two surprises up her sleeve for her new husband. For the first, the DJ played a song Tracy’s late father had written years earlier and had always held a special significance for the groom. This incited an emotional “Second Dance” for the couple. The next surprise was a groom’s cake modeled after a Rolex watch – one of Tracy’s favorite pieces of jewelry. “As we were cutting the cake, the DJ put the song ‘Solid’ by Ashford & Simpson on, and everybody was singing,” Megan illustrates. “That was one of the most memorable moments.”
The bride shares that the best advice she received was to stop and take in the meaningful aspects of the day, since the whole celebration goes by so fast. Also, she advises other brides to “have a nice, fashionable pair of flats around!” For Tracy, the entire day was filled with unforgettable memories and joy. “My impression of the wedding was that this was one for the ages: the dancing, the music, the people, the love,” he muses. “The part that I will remember the most is when Megan and I said ‘I do.’”