Wedding Bells Brazilian Style

Destination weddings are commonplace these days, and why not? If you’re planning, forget Florida, say Adios to Mexico by setting you sights further south.

Newlyweds - A groom and bride beach weeding
A wedding in Brazil? How about saying your 'I do's' on the beach at Ipanmea? (Photo: Focus Photography Mauritius @johnrich26 | Unsplash)

Traditionally, the honeymoon usually follows the wedding, but leave it to two enterprising Connect Brazil types to turn the tables on matrimony.

Wedding Bells, Brazilian style? Tying the knot in Rio has to include plenty of Brazilian jazz, maybe even including Quincy Jones’s ‘Setembro’. And it turns out that saying “I do” is just as easy in Portuguese as it is in English.

A wedding in Brazil? You bet – right in the heart of Rio. That was the idea for one Washington D.C. couple when took their love of each other (and for Brazilian music) into consideration in planning their nuptials.

Because Amy Bormet and her fiancé, Matt Dievendorf budgeted their dollars for an American autumn wedding in Rio de Janeiro, and for an additional four weeks to revel in the music they both love.

The couple had this to say about their big plans: “We are both jazz musicians. We love Brazilian music and want to explore Bahian culture in northeast Brazil. We’re also interested in outdoorsy rainforest time and chocolate. Hostels are fine, and anything classier is great.”

Rio de Janeiro is for lovers

They couldn’t pick a better destination in Brazil for their honeymoon.

Rio is a popular wedding destination with some of the most glamorous held right at the legendary, ultra-lux Copacabana Palace Hotel.

More adventurous? Consider that Brazil also has a number of all-inclusive resorts on the Northeastern coast and even several world-class waterparks for those wanting to make a big splash.

The couple’s plans included travels between Recife and Rio, taking in the local charm and differing musical styles that pulsate throughout this South American country.

Of course, Bossa Nova and Samba are well known outside Brazil, while others, including Axé, Choro, Forró, Frevo, and Lambada (The Forbidden Dance) are more localized.

Then, there’s Carnaval, Brazilian rhythms infused with reggae or jazz… or urban funk, Brazilian rock, and rap. Explore them all to find music that requires nothing more than a triangle and an accordion.

Quincy Jones meets Ivan Lins

But for your Wedding day, no song makes a better cross-cultural nod than Q’s arrangement of the beautiful and mesmerizing ‘Setembro’ (Brazilian Wedding Song), a 1980 ballad penned by Ivan Lins and Gilson Peranzzetta.

Faithful to the Lins original, Quincy’s version featured Sarah Vaughan’s vocals and Take 6’s emotionally moving acapella performance. George Duke and Herbie Hancock add their keyboardists to the arrangement and both guitarist George Benson and saxophonist Gerald Albright share solos.

Why not consider it for your wedding or anniversary party? Maybe in Rio.

Because planning a wedding in Brazil is easy with dozens of local and online companies ready to help you make your dream come true.

A destination wedding in Brazil can really deliver great value because of the favorable exchange rate on the dollar. Plus, a lifetime’s worth of memories.

So if there are wedding bells in your future, why not add them to a Brazilian beat?

Wedding Bells, Brazilian Style

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