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3/15
2002

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Bloomfield, is busily planning her
March wedding to Robert Bronstein.
As soon as the couple became
engaged, they hired the Simone Vitale
Band. "We had heard through word of
mouth that he was great, so we want-
ed to book him right away," says
Rosemberg.
Vitale usually plays with 10 other
performers, but on occasion has
worked with a 27-piece group. Rates
are based on number of performers
and length of performance, and range
from $8,000-$12,000.
Because most of Rosemberg's family
is flying in from Mexico City, she
wanted an extra emphasis on both
Latin and Jewish music at the wed-
ding. "We gave Simone sheet music
and CDs of some of our favorite salsa
and merengue music," Rosemberg
says.
She also provided a preferred song
list, including many Spanish and
Hebrew tunes. One of the reasons
Vitale was chosen in the first place,
she says, was because of his band's
diverse song list.
Rosemberg wanted the bridal song
to be a fast Latin beat, but Bronstein
disagreed. "My Nanny [grandmother]
can't dance the merengue," he says.
Sam Thomas of the People's Choice
has been performing in the Detroit
area for more than 20 years, and
points out a factor often overlooked
by clients: volume. Thomas says he
understands the importance of playing
music at an appropriate decibel level.
"The music should not interfere with
your guests' enjoyment of the
evening," he says. "It should serve to
enhance it."
Often, weddings bring together
family members who have not seen
one another in a long time, and if the
music is too loud, the guests will leave
so they can hold conversations with
their loved ones. Thomas is also care-
ful to continually update his reper-
toire, performing "everything from
Etta James to newly released Top-40
songs." The People's Choice quotes
prices ranging from $3,600 to $5,200.
Stella Actis Aldo, manager and lead
singer of Intrigue, understands that
every band needs to be versatile in
order to appeal to the largest possible
audience. "Our job isn't only to pro-
vide music," she says. "We create an
entire presentation."
Intrigue costs $5,000 to $7,000.

Intrigue attempts to stand out of the
crowd by incorporating costume
changes into their performance. Actis
Aldo also sings in Italian, French,
Spanish and Hebrew.

Be Demanding

Speaking different languages can be a
plus. Daniella HarPaz Mechnikov
learned the hard way.
Mechnikov, 32, now of Huntington
Woods, was living in Boston while
planning her November 2000 wedding
in Detroit. She couldn't attend local
functions to hear live bands, so she
and her finance, Igor; went to the
Lorio-Ross Agency in Royal Oak.
They were looking for a- big-band
sound, and were shown numerous
videos of potential bands. They select-
ed the Jerry Ross Band because of
their versatility and what HarPaz calls
an "incredible horn section."
They also hired the ABZ Orchestra
to add Jewish music to the evening,
but looking back, HarPaz wonders
whether they should have also hired
an expert linguist.
Because HarPaz's family is Israeli,
and Mechnikov's is Russian, she knew
that it might be challenging for the
band to pronounce some of the for-
eign names. She reviewed the names
in advance with the band, even writ-
ing down the phonetic pronunciation
of certain names. However, the night
of the reception, every time someone
was called up to make a toast or join
the bride and groom on the dance
floor, the pronunciation seemed incor-
rect.
"My father Natan was Nate and
Nathan," HarPaz laughs. "I was
Danielle the entire night, and my hus-
band's last name was pronounced at
least three different ways, including
Mechnifof, Mechnikor and
Mechinov."
The families all had a good laugh,
and HarPaz understands that at the
end of the wedding the most impor-
everyone had a
tant thing was
good time. She cautions futures brides
to be emphatic about issues important
to them.
"Your wedding day is one very
important day in your lifetime, but it's
possibly one of a hundred weddings a
band will play each year. You shouldn't
worry about appearing too pushy," she
says, "because it's your day." ❑