Our story officially began late one evening a few years ago when Greg discovered a beautiful woman named Luciana on a dating website. He was instantly drawn to her “Italian” name, not having a clue whatsoever that she was actually from Brazil with a very “Brazilian” name. As he read through her profile again and again, he became very intrigued. So many things seemed to naturally be shared in common and align between them. It seemed like fate. So, Greg decided to take a leap of faith and send her a message, never once thinking that she would actually reply back. But the next day, she did reply, and from that moment on, their relationship was formed. Her response marked the beginning of something very special and the melding of two different American cultures; North and South.

At the time that they first met on-line, Luciana had just returned to Brazil from visiting her daughter in New York and Greg was on his way to Italy for a few weeks. They remained in daily contact with one another by phone and video call, but because of their geographic location(s) and the distance between them, they hadn’t actually had the opportunity to meet in person. When Greg arrived in Italy he had a crazy romantic thought. Why not invite Luciana to come to Italy and visit? It seemed like a natural and logical question except for the fact that they had never seen each other in person before, and they had only known each other for just a few short weeks, so meeting halfway around the world seemed a bit daring, yet at the same time it seemed to be so natural and make so much sense. So, Greg asked, and Luciana thought it over. And after some additional research and consideration, she determined the risk of Greg being a serial killer was fairly low, so she decided to give it a go and she said yes!

Following that initial meeting in Italy their love for one another only grew deeper and stronger and the idea of being apart for any great length of time was just not an option. Within a short period of time Luciana was visiting New York and Greg was making his way south to visit Brazil for the first time. They also made other subsequent trips back to Italy together, a country that they both share a great love for. In November 2023, Greg decided to plan a very special trip to Italy for the two of them that on the surface, would serve as a celebration of their November birthdays, but the true purpose serving as the venue for their engagement. In the months leading up to the November surprise, Greg worked tirelessly to design a custom engagement ring that was unique and special to match Luciana’s internal and external beauty. Greg also hand crafted a wood presentation box made of Bocote, a rare south American hardwood that has tiger like striped grain patterns. Little did he know at the time, but the wood he had randomly selected at his supplier to use for the box was imported from Brazil. Fate had once again appeared.

As part of the larger trip, they had decided to visit the historic village of Matera in Southern Italy for a few days in order to celebrate Luciana’s birthday on November 13th. She didn’t know it, but this visit was going to forever change her life! In addition to becoming another year older, she was going to be given a marriage proposal and an engagement ring. On her birthday, they awoke to a beautiful sun filled autumn morning and spent the day exploring the once abandoned village that has now become a cultural art center and visitor attraction. That evening, the birthday celebration dinner was spent in a former 15th century chapel that had been hand carved into the limestone hillside. Lit only by candlelight and a roaring fire in the fireplace, the personal chef prepared a delicious five course meal for the two of them followed by a dark chocolate cake with fruit topping that Greg had arranged to have delivered from a local bakery shop in celebration of the event. The original plan was for Greg to make the proposal to Luciana in a secluded part of the village, but the weather had turned cold and windy, and Luciana wanted to return to the hotel room for the evening, not knowing what surprise lay ahead. Greg remained flexible and adjusted his plans accordingly to suit the situation. Once they returned to their limestone cave hotel room, he sat Luciana down at the ancient farm table and handed her the pre-prepared written proposal that he had with him. He wrote this in both Portuguese and English in order to make it easier for Luciana to understand and comprehend. As he handed her the rolled up document across the table and she began to read it, with tears welling up in her eyes, she said “this is serious.” Yes, it was serious, it was very serious. It was a big moment in both of their lives. It was one that was well deserved for both of them, and one that they had each been waiting for, for a long time. Once Luciana had finished reading her note in Portuguese, Greg read his out loud in English as best he could between the tears. It was then that Greg asked Luciana the question, “will you marry me?” She said “yes! I will marry you!”

So that is the short story of how they arrived at where they are today.

We returned to Cortona as an engaged couple after our romantic stay in Matera where we had the pleasure of photographically documenting our engagement with the professional help of STUDIO 167 from San Miniato, Italy. Greg had prearranged the photo shoot to take place after the engagement once we returned to Cortona. Giulia and Matteo made us feel so comfortable and natural and allowed us to just be “us” for the day. The beautiful autumn weather, historic location(s) and their incredible creativity gave way to some very meaningful photographs! Below are a few of the selected images from that memorable afternoon. Enjoy!