JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Philadelphia is home to a unique wedding custom that most people outside of the city haven't heard of. Reporter Justin Kramon takes us to the largely Italian American neighborhood of Packer Park.
JUSTIN KRAMON, BYLINE: Every few weeks in the warmer seasons, streets are closed here, not for festivals or bike races but a particular tradition with over a century of history - the South Philly Serenade. The week before a wedding, the groom-to-be will sing to his bride in front of her parents' home. And these parties have gotten big - friends, neighbors, family, more guests than the actual wedding. The stakes are high. Some say the wedding will be called off if the groom doesn't give a good performance. Dominique Milillo, a lawyer, grew up watching videos of her parents' and aunts' serenades, which she says looked super fun.
DOMINIQUE MILILLO: I wanted a serenade, but I didn't want to get married.
KRAMON: Until in 2020, she met Will Christen, a project manager.
WILL CHRISTEN: There was just such an immediate comfort. We couldn't stop talking to each other.
KRAMON: They shared values like the importance of family and concerns about the world. They enjoyed spending quiet time together.
D MILILLO: Like, I'll do crossword puzzles, and he'll be playing a game, and we just sit there with each other.
KRAMON: They got engaged. But one issue - Christen grew up in a Philly suburb about 10 miles away and had never heard of South Philly serenades. They're loosely based on a southern Italian tradition that immigrants brought to the U.S. in the 19th century then revived in the second wave of Italian immigration after World War II. Upholding this tradition means Christen has his work cut out for him. He's kept the song he'll sing to Milillo a secret, and he's kind of a quiet guy. But deep in his heart...
CHRISTEN: I actually love to sing. I'd really like to crush, if I'm being honest (laughter).
KRAMON: So the bar is set high on the night of the serenade party in late April, as guests gather outside on this block in Packer Park. It's a neighborhood steeped in tradition. Houses often pass down through families. Everyone knows each other. Singer Vito Lombardo warms up the crowd.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWEET CAROLINE")
VITO LOMBARDO: (Singing) Touchin' me, touchin' you.
KRAMON: Milillo's dad was a police captain. He died in 2020 of COVID. And at her childhood home, her mom, Kimberly Milillo, is remembering when he did their serenade around 35 years ago.
KIMBERLY MILILLO: I had a mandolin player, an accordion player, and the man just sang, and my husband sang.
KRAMON: So this family ritual has particular importance.
K MILILLO: You need this. You need people to see each other under good circumstances.
KRAMON: But there's an issue with the circumstances today.
K MILILLO: The weather is terrible. It did me dirty.
KRAMON: It's pouring, so she's tented the whole street.
D MILILLO: Oh, hey.
KRAMON: Outside under that tent, the bride, Dominique Milillo, says she expects Christen to pull off the song. But...
D MILILLO: If he fails, that's it (laughter).
KRAMON: Soon the DJ, John Luciano, a serenade veteran known to everyone here as Johnny Looch, starts playing the music in his set.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WHERE OR WHEN")
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing) We've stood and talked like this before.
KRAMON: Milillo and Christen enjoy a dance together. And then it's time.
JOHNNY LOOCH: All right, gang - the reason why we're here.
(CHEERING)
LOOCH: Will, you ready?
KRAMON: Milillo sits on a chair, and Christen takes the microphone, facing her in front of a crowd of around 100 people.
CHRISTEN: Thanks for being here.
KRAMON: Will looks a little anxious.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Woo.
KRAMON: And then the music begins.
(SOUNDBITE OF FRANK SINATRA SONG, "YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG")
KRAMON: And Christen? Well, he starts singing.
CHRISTEN: (Singing) You make me feel so young. You make feel so spring has sprung.
KRAMON: And he's really good.
CHRISTEN: (Singing) You and I...
Honestly, as soon as DJ Johnny Looch handed me the mic, I was like, all right, like, this is cool.
(Singing) Running across the meadow...
D MILILLO: I could tell that he was nervous, but then he kind of got comfortable 'cause he stopped looking at me (laughter).
KRAMON: Before long, he's singing the final notes.
CHRISTEN: (Singing) You make me feel so young.
(CHEERING)
CHRISTEN: (Singing) Ooh, you make me feel so young.
(CHEERING)
KRAMON: For Milillo, it feels good to be in her community this way.
D MILILLO: It's, like, comforting to know that this same thing has been happening, despite anything else that's going on. It's like everyone gets to just have a good time.
KRAMON: Afterward, Christen says he was grateful to be let into his future wife's tradition.
CHRISTEN: She helps me enjoy life. And in that moment, singing up there, I was like, man, like, she's doing it again.
KRAMON: Despite the rainy weather, Milillo says it all came together.
D MILILLO: It's just perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better serenade.
KRAMON: For NPR News, I'm Justin Kramon in Philadelphia.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG")
FRANK SINATRA: (Singing) You make me feel so young. You make me feel so spring has sprung. And every time I see you grin, I'm such a happy individual. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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