Runaway bride and groom! Newlyweds leave their lavish Italian wedding reception dinner for 80 guests without paying the £7,000 bill – and flee the country
- The couple married in Italy September 24 and flew to Germany the day after
- But they left the country without paying their bill for the lavish wedding banquet
A bride and groom have begun their new life together severely in debt in Italy after setting off on their honeymoon – without paying their £7,000 restaurant bill.
The couple – a local 40-year-old construction contractor and his 25-year-old German wife – were married at the end of September in Frosinone, southeast of Rome.
After tying the knot next to the venue’s swimming pool, they put on a banquet at the restaurant – described as a typical Ciociaria eatery – for their 80 guests.
But when the owner went to collect on their bill, he found to his dismay that the couple had not only left town, but had fled the country – with their family in tow.
Police are now involved and are tracking the couple’s movements.
The couple – a local 40-year-old construction contractor and his 25-year-old German wife – were married at the end of September in Frosinone, southeast of Rome. After tying the knot next to the venue’s swimming pool (pictured), they put on a banquet at the restaurant – described as a typical Ciociaria eatery – for their 80 guests
When owner Enzo Fabrizi (pictured) went to collect on the bill, he found to his dismay that the couple had not only left town, but had fled the country – with their family in tow
The wedding was held on September 24, according to Italian news outlets, and everything had been organised months in advance of the wedding day itself.
The bride and groom, along with the groom’s parents, had visited Ristorante La Rotonda seven months before the big day, tasting the different menus on offer.
Opting for the fish, they paid a deposit of a 3,300 euros and agreed to pay the final bill – which totalled 8,800 euros including the deposit – after the wedding, with a deadline set for Wednesday, September 27.
Initially, everything went according to plan at the venue in the hills near Boville Ernica. The couple happily exchanged vows in front of their friends and family in a civil ceremony, officiated by a priest who came from Germany, the owner said.
The 80 guests enjoyed the fish menu and the drinks, leaving Rotonda’s restaurateur no reason to believe he would not be paid for the service offered.
However, Italian media reports that the groom did not pay the day after the wedding – as he had agreed with the owner – and when the official Wednesday deadline came around, the newlyweds were nowhere to be seen.
The owner, Enzo Fabrizi, waited for the groom to show up at the venue until late in the evening, and even tried to call him – but recieved no answer.
He was even able to trace the groom’s parents, who had been at the tasting session earlier in the year, but had no response from them either.
After visiting the couple’s address and speaking to neighbours, the owner discovered the couple had not been heard from since the day after the wedding.
After visiting the couple’s address and speaking to neighbours, Enzo Fabrizi (left with his lawer) discovered the couple had not been heard from since the day after the wedding
Pictured: Ristorante La Rotonda a Boville, in the Italian province of Frosinone
The bride and groom, along with the groom’s parents, had visited Ristorante La Rotonda seven months before the big day, tasting the different menus on offer
Mr Fabrizi said the banquet cost the couple around 90 euros per-person, and that the overall bill also included decorations – such as flowers – and other extras
This prompted him to contact the local police, who were able to trace the couple’s movements from the wedding.
To his dismay, the owner was told that the couple had driven to Rome and flown to Frankfurt, Germany after the party.
Officials suspect they could have been en route to visit the bride’s family.
‘It has never happened in many years of business, at most someone was late but it had never happened that the spouses disappeared without having paid the bill for the wedding banquet,’ Mr Fabrizi told Corriere Della Sera newspaper.
He told reporters that he had been introduced to the groom by a friend he had known for 20 years, who had often come to eat at the restaurant, and claimed that the 25-year-old was the groom’s third wife.
‘I trusted because my friend has always kept his word,’ he said. ‘A serious person.
‘He reassured me by saying that the bride’s father works in a bank in Germany. In short, it’s a wealthy family.’
Mr Fabrizi said the banquet cost the couple around 90 euros per-person, and that the overall bill also included decorations – such as flowers – and other extras, that the owner said alone cost 400 euros.
‘Immediately after [the ceremony] the guests, almost all from Ferentino and about ten Germans, sat down at the table and lunch began,’ he said. ‘They ate, danced and drank to their heart’s content. They left at 10pm, but they were almost all drunk.’
The owner said he spoke to the groom, inviting him into his office, to discuss finances. ‘We did the calculations and he shook my hand and told me he would come by the next day to pay,’ he said.
‘The next day, however, he took the plane to Germany.’
Mr Fabrizi told Corriere Della Sera that he is determined the recoup the money he is owed for the lavish banquet.
The bride and groom, along with the groom’s parents, had visited Ristorante La Rotonda (pictured) seven months before the big day, tasting the different menus on offer. They paid a deposit, and agreed to pay the rest of the bill in the days after the wedding
‘I will not give him peace until he has paid every penny. I’ve been a restaurateur for 40 years, and I’ve never had a misadventure like this happen to me,’ he said.
‘My lawyer will take care of blocking him and I hope that as soon as he sets foot in Italy again, his passport will be withdrawn immediately.
‘And to think that he told me that he would also tip the waiters.’
Local reports say police are investigating the whereabouts of the couple, and the groom is now wanted for fraudulent insolvency.
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