A couple of newlyweds have been accused of running away from their wedding in Italy without paying a $8,500 bill.
Moreno Priorietti and Andrae Svenja enjoyed an extravagant celebration at an upscale seafood restaurant in Italy - but have left the owner of Ristorante La Rotonda - Enzo Fabrizi - shaken by the ordeal.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the couple enjoyed a feast featuring high-quality seafood, meticulously arranged music, flowers, and decorations, before allegedly running off.
Fabrizi was left flabbergasted as he discovered that the newlyweds had not only departed from the town of Boville Ernica in Italy but had actually fled the country.
He emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that failure to recover the unpaid bill could potentially jeopardize his business. His lawyer, Lugi Tozzi, has been compelled to file a formal complaint with local law enforcement for fraud.
"I will not give [the groom] peace until he has paid every penny," Mr. Fabrizi asserted. "I've been a restaurateur for 40 years, and I've never had this happen to me."
The events leading up to this baffling incident began seven months before the couple's wedding in August 2022. Priorietti and Svenja were introduced to Fabrizi and toured the venue, following a recommendation from the owner's trusted friend of two decades who knew the couple.
They, along with the groom's parents, visited the restaurant to sample various menus before settling on the fish menu for their big day. A deposit of $3,470 was paid, with an agreement to settle the remaining $5,780 by the Wednesday following the ceremony.
"I approached him [Priorietti] and let him into my office," Fabrizi recalled. "We did the calculations, and he shook my hand and told me he would come by the next day to pay."
After the celebrations in the Italian hills, where approximately ten guests, including the bride's father, had traveled from Germany to celebrate, Fabrizi assumed that the bill would be paid.
He explained that the entire ceremony took place at the restaurant, with a special altar set up for a German priest. The civil ceremony was held by the pool, followed by a lunch and festivities, with the guests departing around 10:00PM.
However, when Wednesday arrived, the newlyweds were apparently nowhere to be found. Despite waiting for Priorietti's arrival and making numerous phone calls to both him and his wife, Fabrizi received no response.
He even visited Priorietti's local address, only to discover that no one had heard from the couple since the day after the wedding.
"And to think that I thought of everything: flowers, music, SIAE [a wedding license fee in Italy]," Fabrizi said. "The decoration alone cost me [$420]. And to think that he told me that he would also tip the waiters."
It was reported that the couple drove to Rome and then flew to Frankfurt after their celebration.
Fabrizi's lawyer asserted that the legal matter is now in their hands, urging the couple to turn themselves in or, better yet, settle the outstanding debt.
However, Priorietti is now claiming that he did pay the outstanding amount.
According to Corriere Della Sera, the groom was pursued by German police, and his lawyer has stated that he paid by a bank transfer from Germany.
"He only disputes the total, but these are small details," his lawyer said. "We had closed at [$8,100], plus 400 for the waiters."
