Couples have been planning their weddings at the Jersey Shore for a countless number of years. The many vendors along the East Coast have made Long Beach Island and surrounding shore towns a captivating place to celebrate the marriage of two people in love.
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| Photo via JSWA One lucky couple will receive a chance to make their dream wedding a reality, even in the face of storm devastation. |
But the wake of Superstorm Sandy has left many engaged couples with a plethora of wedding glitches. Many of them lost their homes and have bills upon bills to consider. Some of them lost their venues or vendors, who also suffered major damage from the storm, and have had to relocate or reschedule.
The Jersey Shore Wedding Association, comprised of more than 50 local, preferred vendors that work together to make the area a leading wedding destination, is hosting a Jersey Shore Strong wedding contest for local couples who have been affected by the storm and are still hoping to make their dream wedding a reality, even in the face of destruction.
“We all saw the devastation out there, all heard stories of loss,” said Arlene Schmid, co-owner of JSWA and owner of Parties by Design. “The members of the Jersey Shore Wedding Association are not plumbers, nor construction workers. But we are in the wedding industry, and we do know how to put together a wedding. We all help in the ways we can,” she explained.
The couple who win the contest will receive free wedding planning for the ceremony, including invitations, gift baskets, floral arrangements, video footage, photos and tuxedos, as well as the reception, including a candy buffet, cake and weekend stay. Other services may be available as many vendors are donating their services to the contest every day. So far, more than $11,000 in products and services has been given.
“Shortly after the storm, our members started reaching out to each other. One florist called another to see if they needed a place to do wedding flowers for somebody. One of the venues that was up and running called up others to see if they needed to move their weddings to their place,” Schmid noted. “There’s been an overwhelming sense of support and helpfulness amongst the vendors. It motivates you to want to do something to help.”
Couples who are interested in competing in the contest must go to jswa.org to submit their stories, in 500 words or less, to jswaweddingcontest@gmail.com. Applications must be in by midnight on Christmas Eve.
The public will be asked to vote for the winning couple via the JSWA Facebook page and through an email survey, between Tuesday, Jan. 1, and Thursday, Jan. 10. The winning couple will be announced between 2 and 6 p.m. at the JSWA’s Winter Bridal Show on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the Captain’s Inn, located in Forked River. Contestants must attend the bridal show to accept the prize. Admittance is free and includes a bridal fashion show, live entertainment, food tasting and, of course, a chance to meet some of the area’s best wedding professionals.
All brides and grooms are invited to enter for a chance to win the $11,000 grand prize drawing and honeymoon giveaway at the bridal show. Participants who preregister for the event will receive an extra entry when they sign in at the show.
For more information, email any questions to info@jswa.org.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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