Ceremony and traditions give sense of the definite to our relativity. They mark the passage of time with gravitas and levity. I welcome every excuse to celebrate life. I became acutely aware of just how precious life is, having undergone major surgery in 2011. How many more joyous events will I savour with my health intact and my loved ones around?
2013 has been the year of Weddings (with a capital W). It kicked off with an epic Indian wedding that spanned three continents and several cities. As more invites came in, I had to make gut-wrenchingly difficult choices as 2 sets of weddings were on the same day in different countries. Two of the years’ weddings have been Indian, one Italian, one Spanish-Turkish, one American and one Canadian. So much love from all around the globe, family and friends dizzyingly beautiful and crazy. But of course, (said wiz a Frensh accent) that’s what weddings are all about.
I have sung at many weddings over the years. It’s an acutely emotional experience to sing at a wedding. The lifting of the human voice in song is primal, primordial. It’s atavistic. Couple that to the nervous bride and groom, atmosphere that is pregnant and about to deliver. It’s a moment that will define lifetimes. It’s a juicy dramatic concoction. There’s the hidden anxiety (never so far manifested thank my lucky stars) that I’ll be overcome with emotion and weep half way through singing. I’ve come close.
For me music has always been the most important part of a wedding. But ask the bride and she’ll say The Dress. Each wedding I attended this year – and have ever attended – had the most beautiful brides wearing amazing dresses. It is rare that the dressmaker herself or himself is in attendance. Rarer still that she be a close friend of the bride. When I learned that Gabriella made Rossanna’s abito da sposa, it was an epic Style-Diet Shot! Gabriella made this dress herself from the beautiful buttons to the cintura: the kind of belt, the drop-waist. Note the detail: the beads and embroidery – the labour of love.
Below is Gabriella, wearing her own design in green silk. The Bracelet in Enamel is made in Tuscany by a local artisan. Note the line, how the bottom of the shirt scoops upwards slightly. Note the green fingernails and the bracelet.
Love how the warm glow of the Tuscan alters the perception of color.
