The couple who were alleged to have left their wedding reception in Italy before 'fleeing’ the country without paying the £7,000 bill have now insisted that they did, in fact, pay.
The couple - a 40-year-old construction contractor local to the area and his 25-year-old German wife - reportedly enjoyed a lavish banquet with 80 guests at Ristorante La Rotonda in Frosinone, Italy, before leaving without coughing up.
Owner Enzo Fabrizi, who hosted the civil ceremony on 24 September after being introduced to the couple by a friend, told the Corriere Della Sera newspaper: "I trusted because my friend has always kept his word.
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"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."
Fabrizi said he provided a lunch 'costing 90 euros per person' for 'around 80 guests', claiming: "They only paid me the deposit (around £2,800) and disappeared. And to think that I thought of everything: flowers, music.
"The decoration alone cost me 400 euros (approximately £350)."
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However, the plot thickens further, as groom Moreno Prioretti is now saying he did pay, adding that there had been a dispute about how much he and his new wife owed.
According to Corriere Della Sera, Prioretti was ‘pursued by the Carabinieri and the German police’ today (Wednesday 4 October).
He told the outlet that he had called his lawyer, Antonio Ceccani, saying he was ready to pay everything, with Corriere Della Sera saying he ‘paid with a bank transfer from Germany’.
“He only disputes the total (8,100 euros instead of 8,800) but these are small details,” the newspaper said, quoting Prioretti as claiming: “We had closed at 7,700 euros, plus 400 euros for the waiters.”
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Corriere Della Sera said Fabrizi was ‘ready to withdraw the complaint (for fraud)’ as soon as he received the bank transfer.
It also said it is ‘not year clear’ whether or not the marriage between Prioretti and his wife Andrae Svenja was even registered.
Fabrizi, who has been a restaurateur for 40 years, previously revealed that never in all four decades has he had a 'misadventure' like this happen to him.
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"My lawyer will take care of blocking him and I hope that as soon as he sets foot in Italy again, his passport will be withdrawn immediately," he said, adding that Prioretti had promised him he would go above and beyond to compensate the servers.
"And to think that he told me that he would also tip the waiters..." Fabrizi claimed.
Tyla has reached out to Ristorante La Rotonda for comment.
Topics: Wedding
Jess Hardiman