Lovebirds Ilaria and Marco got married last year and wanted to do something special for their first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife. They started out with a laid-back session at home (in the most adorable Roman abode we’ve seen) with Istanti Senza Tempo, who captured the pair in their element. Then they led us to Ammodonostro, a romantic conservatory made for a candlelit dinner for two. It’s a luxe editorial and sweet couple’s session rolled into one.
How did you meet?
Marco and I were already friends because we met each other years ago at our salsa dance school in Rome. We attended different classes because I had started dancing 3 years before him, so at the beginning we used to see each other only once a week at the weekly social dancing evening event of our school. Then we started to talk and know each other a little deeper, discovering a lot of interests in common: books, bikes, travel, art and many more.
At that time we were both writing our thesis (mine in medieval Latin literature and his in mechanical engineering) and so we started to go and study together at our university campus. During a coffee break in a summer afternoon while we were talking and walking on the lawn, he suddenly kissed me and so our story began.
What is your proposal story?
Our proposal story is not a conventional one because there was already a special day for both of us, therefore for Marco it has been “just” a matter of choosing the right year and the right moment. He is very romantic but also very shy, so I didn’t expect him to kneel down as seen in movies… and I was right! Exactly one year before we got married he simply popped up in my room at my parents’ house, closed the door, kissed me and asked me to cover my eyes. A moment later he had that little box in his hands and told me “Do you think a year is enough to organise everything?”.
Tell us about the ring/band.
My engagement ring is handmade by an old goldsmith from Rome: it is a white gold “Valentino” ring, which is a solitaire ring with hug shanks.
