I recently did one of the most research-involved DJ gigs to date; a 50th Italian Wedding Anniversary, NO ENGLISH, with all Italian music straight from Italy!
The vow-renewing bride and groom were great people and I really wanted to give them what they wanted. I had a heck of a time, however, finding all the traditional Italian favorites song by the original artists, but I did it, four hours of Funiculi Funicula fun!
When I met with them originally, I was under the impression that Italian-American artists would be great for this event. I pictured lots of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andrea Bocelli, and my personal favorite, Louis Prima! However, I was told by a charming old Italian woman in broken English that, in so many words, “Prima is a hack and a poor imitation to the original.” The problem was, she didn’t know who the original artist was, who sang say, “Zooma Zooma / Cella Luna Mezzo Mare,” which Prima called “Angelina”.
It took many phone calls and visits to the library to learn that I really wanted Mario Lanza, Lou Monte and Al Bano, for example. However, in the end, everyone had such a great time… and the food… Mama Mia!
Below is something I found on the net and I thought these four bullets were an interesting quick read on old Italian Wedding Traditions. Enjoy!
Italian Wedding Traditions
The groom carries a small piece of iron in his pocket during the ceremony to ward off the evil eye. The money dance is still very common at Italian weddings and today the money is most often placed in a satin bag carried by the bride.
Food, food, food! …from the antipasto to the sugared-almonds (should be tied in bundles of 5’s or 7’s for good luck) are said to ensure fertility and thus always play a large part in traditional Italian weddings to encourage large families.
In the small villages of Italy, after the Wedding Mass, the newly married couple walks through the town plaza, greeting their friends, relatives, and neighbors. There the villagers set up a sawhorse, a log and a double handled rip-saw. The newlyweds must saw the log apart with the prompting and cheering of the crowd. When the job is finished and the log cut, it symbolizes that the man and woman must work together in all of life’s tasks.
In days gone by, many Italians avoided marrying during the months of May and August. May was reserved for the veneration of the Virgin Mary, and August was thought to invite bad luck and sickness.
Tags: Italian Wedding traditions
