Mark and Melanie’s wedding
Devastated Dave Stroud realised he’d lost his wedding ring while in Venice with his wife – only to bizarrely find the bespoke band on his return inside a giant commercial printer.
The director of Dorset-based BCP Media and bride Melanie flew to the Italian city to celebrate their first anniversary – a day after he wrapped the machine ready for export.
It took four days in Venice for Dave to notice the ring had gone and the pair assumed it had come off in the city.
Mark and Melanie in Venice
They studied photographs of the trip to try and narrow down where it might have come off, but without success.
The unique ring was designed by Melanie and was crafted from meteorite and dinosaur teeth.
Having returned home, Dave, 49, had given up all hope of finding it and with colleague Luca Shenton went back to the Store & Secure facility in Poole, Dorset, where the printer was.
They began to take the printer outside ready for collection when Luca spotted the ring gleaming through the wrap.
WATCH THE MOMENT HERE:
Dave said: “I couldn’t believe it. We had given up hope of finding it and had already begun the process of getting a replacement.
“The ring is only worth about £700 but Melanie had designed it and of course it was priceless to me.
“I had wrapped the printer on the Friday and flew to Venice the next day unaware that I had lost it.
“On Tuesday I woke up after dreaming that the ring had gone. And when I looked at my finger it was missing.
“Melanie was not happy and we studied our phone pics to try and work out where it might have been lost, but in the end we gave up and assumed it had gone forever.
“We flew back on the Wednesday and made an appointment to have a replacement made.
“On the following day I returned to Store & Secure to get the huge printer ready for collection.
“And it was then my colleague Luca found it, gleaming in the wrap.”
Mark’s ring moments after he found it
Lucy Maidman, who runs Store & Secure in Poole with sister Sophie, said: “As they were bringing the printer out I looked up at the CCTV and they were both jumping up and down and clapping and high-fiving.
Lucy Maidman of Store and Secure in Hamworthy toasts another happy customer
“Our customers are always happy using our facility but this was something else.
“It was such a wonderful moment and we’re so happy the ring was found.”
Dave and Melanie live in Wimborne, Dorset, and were married at Branksome Dene Room in Bournemouth.
