a real-life wedding
Their first date was to a popular Chinese restaurant where the hours sped by in animated conversation across a range of topics and interests. Julian recalls, “We had a lovely dinner followed by a nice drive around the city. We talked for hours and didn’t want to leave each other’s company. We had our second date only two days later and I knew she had my heart!” The romance grew and blossomed into a love affair over the next years until Julian knew this was the women he wanted in his life forever. “We had gone on a trip together. Melissa is passionate about travel and we were in Rimini, Italy on vacation.” They had gone for dinner and an evening walk in the nearby piazza and Melissa remembers the moment with crystal clarity: “We approached a large fountain in the centre of the square. Julian was talking about how when we returned to Canada in a few days, he didn’t want to be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. I was devastated. I thought he was breaking up with me!” Instead, he handed his camera to a passer-by and asked him to take a photo. Melissa was confused. As he was saying he didn’t want to be boyfriend and girlfriend, Julian had got down on one knee. “That’s because,” he said, “I want us to be fiancées. Will you marry me?”
78 Wedding Essentials 2011