Elaine Mangion and Nick Farrugia were like two peas in a pod when they first met through mutual friends. Something instantly clicked between them, and they discovered they have common interests from the start, despite their differences. “We still don’t agree on everything!” Elaine says.
Elaine and Nick developed a baking business together, and soon after, Nick decided to pop the question, which came as a total to surprise to Elaine, considering they had just embarked on their new venture together. “It’s been the story of our lives for good things and opportunities to always come up at once and not always at the best times,” Elaine admits. “But we always tend to jump on board and take it as a challenge.”
The proposal turned out to be a double celebration for the couple. “He proposed in Rome, which was a surprise birthday trip that I got him, to go watch one of his favourite artists, Vasco Rossi. From his end, he didn’t really plan when or how, but he knew he wanted to do it while in Rome.”
Nick proposed in style at a Michelin Star restaurant in the Italian capital. “It was something I never would have expected!” Elaine admits. “The ring box was served to me for dessert alongside my apple pie. I couldn’t even eat it with all the emotions!” she remembers.
From then, they went headfirst into planning the wedding. “Considering we only had 9 months to plan it all, the pressure was on! However, there was nothing we were dead set on and took everything as it came.”
The couple chose Our Lady of Victories church in Valletta, followed by a reception at The Sheer Bastion. “Our wedding day was always just about celebrating our love with those closest to us. We wanted everyone we loved in the same place to enjoy themselves to the full, eating, drinking and dancing, and everyone did! People mention till today the close-knit feel the wedding had and how enjoyable it was to be walking around and being able to talk and dance with everyone.”
Elaine and Nick had a mostly traditional wedding, with about 350 guests present, but made it a point to make it their own. “We baked our own cake and desserts since we own a bakery! Apart from that, I didn’t have a maid of honour. Instead I opted for a bridal party of four bridesmaids, and my sisters as my witnesses, all of whom were equally important to me.”
The couple’s favourite part of the day was their first dance, and for the sweetest reason. “We had decided on a song from Vasco Rossi’s repertoire since we had seen him in Rome. It was just the most memorable thing that made us feel like everything finally came together, seeing all our family and friends around us while we danced. We also had fireworks over the grand harbour on the day from the Fireworks Festival, which were gorgeous!”
Looking back, they wouldn’t change a thing. From their traditional wedding with a personal twist, to Elaine’s stunning dress – an ivory strapless A-line gown that fitted her like a glove – to their rose-gold invitations and miniature cacti as wedding favours, their wedding day was everything they’d hoped for. “Everything was just as perfect as it could have been.”
Mark Cassar