Speeches

I would like to start by telling you my story with the bride and groom. Fede and Tim you are two very dear friends of mine and being here today with all of you to celebrate your wedding makes me super happy. The three of us share so many memories, and a holiday... just THE holiday that definitely changed your lives I would say, but one thing at a time. Fede you and I have known each other for over 15 years now. We met at the Carducci high school, you had just returned from an exchange in Germany and I was there doing a year in your class to learn Italian well. We soon discovered, however, that our love of languages was not the only thing we had in common. After high school then unfortunately, we never studied or worked in the same city we always managed to remain friends. Then came the summer of 2015 and the two of us were single at the time and wanted to go on holiday together. However, in the meantime I had also heard from Tim - another single friend whom I had met two years earlier in Rome after a tangle of strange coincidences - If at first I thought this tangle of strange coincidences in Rome was completely coincidental, all I can say today is: it must have been fate that I met you. In short, the three of us were 25 years old, single and in the mood for a holiday. Only you two still did NOT know each other and it was more my idea to go on holiday as a threesome. I still remember well that you Fede at first didn't seem too happy about going on holiday with a Belgian stranger, but by then it was too late because I Tim had already invited him and he was very motivated to come. Let's say I was a bit anxious and really hoped that you two would get along. Now I have told a lot in Italian - long story short now in Dutch. Fede and I have known each other for 15 years, having been atschool together for 1 year. My mother tongue was (and is) German, hers Italian. Because of the school system in this province, due to the difference in our mother tongues, we had to go to different schools. But then, thanks to an exchange, we spent a year at school together. We still share a love of languages - and a [ön] curiosity about new things. We never studied together or worked in the same city. But we have always kept in touch! So too in the summer of 2015; when we were single and went on holiday together. But of course, Fede didn't know that I had invited Tim too! But more on that later ;-) But how did Tim and I actually get to know each other? That was 2013 in Rome at a party by Simon, whom some here remember. ;-) Simon and I had met in line at a discotheque in Rome a few weeks before. But we unfortunately didn't get in there. And then a few weeks later, Tim and I were dancing in this new friend's living room - and we became instant friends. The story of how Tim and I met is really curious, but today I think: it must have been fate. As I said, we became friends and after my time in Rome, I moved to Brussels. Tim was living in Ghent at the time - so we lived quite close to each other. Tim was one of the few real Belgians I knew as a foreign expat in Brussels. But now back to the story of how Fede and Tim met. In the summer of 2015, all three of us were single and I thought: let's go on holiday together. And I remember Fede you weren't too happy about it, going on holiday with a Belgian stranger. But by then it was too late: I had already invited your Tim. Let's just say I was a bit worried and really hoped they would get along. At the end of August, all three of us were on the Amalfi Coast and to my great relief, you two got along very well indeed. Although I don't think it was really love at first sight.... Or I didn't notice In Italy, we had a cool time! In autumn 2015, Fede and Tim saw each other again at the Oktoberfest in Munich. And then their real love story began! You were soon inseparable and Fede you moved to Belgium just a year later to live with Tim. You found a job, learnt the language, bought a house and in 2022 Livia arrived. You two have already achieved so much together. - And I'm sure you will continue to be a great couple for whom no challenge is too big. Anyway, the Amalfi Coast holiday as you can imagine went well, in fact... more than well, otherwise we wouldn't all be here today at their wedding! Their love story, however, started in full force a few weeks later with the help of the Munich Oktoberfest beers, and it evolved very quickly from there. A year after Fede you moved to Belgium, found a job, learned the language, bought a house and in 2022 Livia arrived. You have therefore already experienced so many adventures together, in a life full of changes and novelties. I am therefore certain, that no mountain will be too steep for you to climb, and no challenge too difficult to overcome, if you face it with the joy, love and energy you have shown so far. Dear Fede, dear Tim, I am so happy for you both and wish you all the best for your love and your future together. I hope that we will remain friends until the end of our lives - and that between Bolzano, Antwerp and perhaps other holidays there will be many good times together.