Roberta — Well, for many moments I thought we were soulmates, and destiny just wanted us to meet and be together. However, I must say that seeing him play and care so much about our two little neighbours (pretty much our nieces) just sparkled something in my heart, that told me: he is the one, I want to marry him, spend my life with him and have a family together.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
I am Italian and I always loved the ocean and I am a fish scientist! I work as a researcher at the university. My husband is Kiwi, loves surfing and he is a plumber. We love adventures, pack our bags and travel or go on roadies with our van or caravan, surf, and have projects (renovate the house or the camper, change countries, new jobs, etc). We love our two kids: Kingi and TiPi the cat that follows us everywhere… yes, they both come camping too
How did you meet– and what were your first impressions?
I am originally from Italy, and my mum and dad were super keen for me to learn English, so they sent me to New Zealand to study abroad when I was 17. I had a hosting family… guess who was the family? (Sam’s). Long story short… we lost contact for a year, then he “randomly” came to Europe for a surfing trip, we met up in Italy, traveled a bit of Europe together, and love sparkles happened. We had two and a half year long-distance relationship in Italy-NZ so I could finish my studies and then I moved to NZ approximately 5 years ago! He popped the question in Jan 2020 and now we live in Australia.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
I found the ring in the sock drawer and knew it was going to happen, but Sam tried to make it a surprise anyway.
It was January 2020 and we were on a surfing trip with our dog, Kingi, on the South Island of New Zealand. We had booked a flight to go whale watching in Kaikoura, and I was convinced he was going to propose on the plane. I’m obsessed with whales, so it seemed like the perfect setting. But Sam knew me too well, so the night before our whale-watching excursion, he took me for a walk on an old, ugly wharf.
I couldn’t believe he was going to propose there, of all places, and started joking about his surfing addiction. He hugged me, trying to shush me, and then asked me to marry him. And my answer was: “Are you asking me now? YES, of course, YES.”
We celebrated with some red wine, seafood, and a stunning sunset at a nearby restaurant. It was a perfect surprise, and even though the setting wasn’t what I expected, it was absolutely wonderful.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
I was walking down the aisle with my mum, and it was all magical and everyone was very emotional…and puff! I almost fell! Obviously, everyone started laughing and the ceremony lit up!
CEREMONY: Borgio Verezzi Square / RECEPTION: Villa Sole, @villa_sole_borgio_verezzi / PHOTOGRAPHER & VIDEOGRAPHER: Giuliano Lore, @giulianolorephotography / CELEBRANT: Isabella Cazzoli, @isabella.cerimonie.simboliche / ENTERTAINMENT: The Milan Saxophonist, @milansaxophonist / HIRE: Noire Event Solutions, @noire_eventsolutions / FLORA: Giardino di DaFne, @giardinodedafnee / CATERING & BEVERAGES: Lovisolo Ricevimenti, @lovisolo_ricevimenti / CAKE: Lovisolo Ricevimenti, @lovisolo_ricevimenti / STATIONARY: DYO / RINGS: Master Jewellers, @masterjewellers / ROBERTA’S SHOES: Forever Soles, @foreversoles / SAM’S SHOES: RM Williams, @rmwilliams / MAKEUP & HAIR: Luna Colavolpe, @lunacolavolpemua / FRAGRANCE: Armani Beauty, @armanibeauty
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