We met in 2018 on an online dating site. Fabio messaged Laura on Christmas Day, he had no idea what was in store for him! Laura was in recovery from a leg injury (something of a recurring theme) and was preparing a Christmas dinner for the extended family with leg in moonboot. With a barely functioning oven and many cries of “where’s my dinner” it was a painful experience! After a carefully crafted message from Fabio “how is your day going?”, he got a single word response, “stressed”. Nevertheless, he persevered! After agreeing to go on a date a few days later, Laura’s one stipulation was that he book a place with no stairs to the bathroom (due to moonboot)… this rule was not followed (as is a recurring theme with Fabio), but laura persevered… and the rest is history!

Whilst on holiday in Trani, Fabio took Laura to one of our favourite restaurants, Memento. He booked the private dining room and we had an amazing tasting menu. Laura didn’t suspect anything, but there were some clues. For starters, Fabio had been sneaking off to “help his mother with something” and on the night was wearing a suede jacket even though it was high 20s outside. So, this restaurant is fairly inventive in its presentation of the food. The dessert course was served in a giant ceramic egg on a bed of hay in a wicker basket, and the spoon was actually a mini shovel. So when the post meal chocolates came on top of a wooden box, Laura thought nothing of it. After getting a bit impatient Fabio said (I think you should open the box now) and there was the ring! Of course Laura said yes! And here we are. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you.

As neither of us lives in our hometown, and London is expensive, we had many hours of discussion around where we should get married. Fabio’s hometown of Trani in the south of Italy, or Laura’s hometown of Sheffield in Northern England. Which location has the best cuisine, weather, idyllic location… it was a very close competition, but we ultimately chose Trani.

Puglia is a stunning region and has many historic sites, beaches, great food (lots of seafood and fresh produce), and a relaxed feel. It can get hot and stay hot so it is typical on hot days to eat dinner after dark. Italy in general and particularly the south is very family-friendly. Children are considered just another member of the family. Even small children will be out in restaurants with their parents and playing late into the evening. As with much of Italy, the region has many traditional cobbled streets. So consider leaving the heels at home unless you’re a pro!