- Donato and Magda are out for dinner when their dog chews through the groom-to-be’s passport.
- The couple are due to be married later that week in Italy.
- Getting a replacement passport is harder than they expect.
- Bride Magda Frattaroli, 26, shares their story with Take 5…
Sitting down at the restaurant, my fiancé, Donato, 35, and I, enjoyed a moment of calm.
It had been a crazy few days getting everything ready for our wedding.
In a week’s time, we would be tying the knot in a civil ceremony before flying out to Italy the following day for a huge reception.
Donato had some Italian family, but the majority of our 100 guests would be flying from the US and around the globe, including Melbourne.
Our flights were booked, our passports were up to date, and we had filed the paperwork registering our intention to get married.
“We’d better get back to Chickie,” I said after we’d eaten.
Chickie was our cheeky one-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever who we loved like a baby.
Arriving home, I got ready for bed while Donato checked on the pup.
Suddenly, I heard screaming coming from the living room.
“Chickie! No!” Donato was repeating.
What is going on? I thought, racing from the bedroom.
Donato was holding a tattered booklet.
“She ate my passport!” he cried.
He’d left it on the coffee table after getting all our travel documents together.
“I’m sure it’s still okay,” I said, trying to stay calm.
But as I opened the chewed book, I saw that his personal information was shredded.
Chickie clearly felt guilty. Her tail was between her legs and she was sending us forlorn glances.
“It’s okay,” I reassured my fiancé, “the passport agency does same-day printing for emergencies.”
I got on the phone to book an appointment.
Unfortunately, the only vacancy was the day before our flight – at a bureau five hours away!
“We’ve been planning this wedding for a year and a half,” I said to Donato. “Cancelling is not an option.”
Thinking fast, I emailed the local state office explaining the situation and our need for an appointment.
The local news caught wind of our story and it soon made national headlines.
Strangers who’d seen the story on social media, reached out offering us their own passport appointments, which was incredibly kind, but sadly not a legal option.
Our guests were more concerned about us than their own travel plans.
What can we do to help? many responded.
After three anxious days, Donato received good news from the state office.
We’ve arranged a local appointment for you on Wednesday, they told us.
Donato and I hugged each other in happy relief and I wondered if the media attention on our story had helped move things along a little.
We had the new passport that Wednesday, got married on Thursday, and flew out on Friday!
The reception was beautiful, beside an old tower overlooking a lake in northern Italy.
Chickie stayed at home, but we placed a golden retriever figurine on the cake in her honour.
“She loves eating things, so it’s only appropriate,” I joked.
Despite the stress she’d caused us, we were so excited to see Chickie when we arrived home, and from the huge hug we received, I’d say she missed us, too.
The bureau had also given her a present while we were gone – a chew toy shaped like a passport!
