Svetlana Plays Jazz for Wedding at Villa Morosini in Rovigo, Italy
When Svetlana and the Delancey Five were invited to play a fan's wedding at the gorgeous Villa Morosini in Rovigo, Italy, we were thrilled! Rovigo is a picturesque Italian village about two hours away from Venice with stone houses perched in the middle of the green and yellow fields separated by tall trees and an abundance of ancient villas, some protected by UNESCO and dating as far as Roman times. One of those villas, Villa Morosini, served as the wedding venue since the groom grew up in the area.
We had so much fun that we forgot to take a ‘proper’ band photo - but we took some ‘selfies’ - and luckily the bride and groom took plenty as well!
The bride and groom are frequent audience members at our vintage jazz band concerts in New York, so when they asked if I would travel to Italy to perform at their wedding, I was thrilled! It was an honor to be part of their celebration. We have a great network of national and international musicians, so I quickly put together a European version of Svetlana’s quartet – with musicians from the US, Italy and the UK. After a short rehearsal in Rome, we were off to Italian countryside for this unique wedding!
The Italian wedding began with a traditional church ceremony. After this, the bride and groom departed to the Villa a vintage automobile, and their guests retired for a siesta! While the band was setting up, the bride, groom and their bridal party were taking photos inside the breathtaking Villa Morosini. As soon the guests arrived to the villa, everyone assembled to greet the bride and groom. When they arrived, they made a grand entrance to the song carefully picked by the couple. They chose Cheek to Cheek because the song describes complete and utter adoration by the lovers with each other, and they felt that the song perfectly described their feelings. They also felt that the song's upbeat vibe set up an elegant and vibrant atmosphere for the rest of the evening.
Dinner followed the couple’s grand entrance. As guest mingled, chatted and greeted one another, the band played upbeat jazz standards from the list put together with bride and groom selected based on the jazz band's extensive repertoire. The couple worked with the band for months to pick just the right sound for the event. The goal was to use music to make just the right statement to match the bride and groom's wishes. With the band's assistance, guests felt relaxed easing into this portion of the evening after the couple's big moment. At times the band stand felt like stage at a jazz club, because the guests would frequently break into excited applause. But no matter what, Svetlana and the band kept that excited energy going!
Once darkness descended upon the outdoor area where the dinner was taking place and the string lights illuminated the space with the romantic glow, the couple came to the bandstand to greet their guests and for their first dance as husband and wife! They chose the Sinatra classic, The Way You Look Tonight. While I was familiar with the song in general, I learned and arranged the song specifically for the event. This way, the jazz band could accommodate the couple's request flawlessly.
After the first dance, guests began joining the happy couple on the dance floor. In no time at all, the dance floor was willed with people moving to the jazz music! After that portion of the evening was over, we handed the floor to the DJ for some other tunes.
While this Italian wedding was the main highlight of the trip, in the day following the wedding, we had the opportunity to explore the Italian countryside and play at a huge Roman villa, Villa Bodego. We played an incredibly moving tribute to Ella Fitzherald at a jazz festival called Villas and Gardens Jazz (artists over the years included Manhattan Transfer, Diane Shure and more notable Italian and international jazz stars). We love traveling nationally and internationally for our events and can’t wait to go back to Italy for more concerts!
Whether you're interested in booking a jazz and swing band for a local NYC wedding or you're hoping to find a traveling jazz band, contact Svetlana to learn more about our vintage jazz sound!