From a midnight proposal on a Norwegian summit to tying the knot amongst Amalfi Coast ruins, John and Linda’s betrothal has been a global fomo-fest.

John, how did you met Linda?

We’ve been together for five years. We moved to London about the same time, but we didn’t crossed paths until about a year in. There would be many social gatherings with various groups of friends, however, we never spoke to each other until a mutual friend’s going away party, where they introduced us.

Linda, what was it about John that made you fall in love with him?

I appreciate the fact that John is caring and understanding and very easy going. I also admire his patience with me, especially when it comes to teaching me something new. He is always down for anything, even though it might not be his preference.

John, how about you? What was it about Linda that made you fall for her?

Linda is a kind soul and cares for her friends and our dog. She always does things without complaint and doesn’t ask for acknowledgement for doing it. She never gets mad or holds grudges, and she gets over things really quick.

Tell us about the proposal. Where was it, how did it happen?

Linda: In July 2022, we went to Lofoten, Norway, with our friends as part of our exit trip before moving back to Australia. On our second night there, John said he wanted to do an “easy walk” at 12am, because it was midnight sun during that period which meant that the sun would not set and it was daylight for 24hrs. We thought it would be a great idea and asked him to find the “easy trail” that we could follow. As it turns out, it was the most challenging hike ever. We didn’t have proper gear for this steep and muddy hike. I was ready to give up and we weren’t even halfway there yet, but John said not to give up because the view would be well worth it once we reached the top. We continued to follow him on this hike because we didn’t have a choice and we didn’t know how to get back down and didn’t want to just leave him. I was really annoyed at him and felt delirious because the climb up felt like it was never ending. When we got to the top, the view was breathtaking. Suddenly, I wasn’t annoyed at him anymore. We began to take solo photos of each other on the edge of the rock with the stunning backdrop of the pink skies. Then we asked our friend to take a couple of photos of us and that was when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was pretty funny because he made me work so hard for my reward.

Tell us about the wedding. Where was the venue, and did it play out exactly how you imagined?

We eloped in the Amalfi Coast, Italy. It’s our favourite and most visited country. We did our vows at the Basilica di Sant’Eustachio in Scala and ended the day with a sunset boat ride from Positano to Amalfi. It was the perfect day.

In terms of the wedding day, any advice you can give to prospective grooms and brides? E.g., would you invite the third cousins again?

Don’t overwhelm yourselves with a back-to-back itinerary. It’s your day, make it memorable and enjoyable for yourselves. Don’t stress if things might not turn out the way you wanted it to be on the day.

John, tell us about the M.J. Bale outfit you wore on the big day. How did you land on this particular style, and who or what did you use for guidance and advice?

I wanted to wear a tux and M.J. Bale styles have always fitted well on me, so it was a no brainer to go and try one on. It was the first one I tried on and it was perfect, as it didn’t need any alterations. I used Linda for my style advice

Lastly, how was the honeymoon? Where did you go?

We went to Sicily afterwards to relax by the beach. The best thing about eloping or having a destination wedding is that you can continue to travel straight afterwards.