Community Corner
Couples Left Devastated by Sandy Given Opportunity to Compete for Dream Wedding
JSWA Director Arlene Schmid said that the Jersey Shore Wedding Association wants to help local couples who have been affected by Sandy in any way they could.
Becky Grodzki and Matthew Budreck, both of Brick, had planned their June wedding at the waterfront Martell's Waters Edge venue, in Bayville. But when Sandy blew in, portions of the couple's venue were reduced to rubble, and they were told the venue probably wouldn't be ready in time for their wedding.
As if that weren't enough, Grodzki was helping a neighbor remove possessions from his house after Sandy pushed about 4 feet of water into the home, when a diamond from her engagement ring fell out and was lost among the rubble. Then there was the $3,000 that Grodzki and Budreck were forced to spend from their wedding fund, to remove an oak tree in their back yard that Sandy had uprooted.
In January, several vendors at the Jersey Shore Wedding Association's bridal show at the Captain's Inn in Lacey helped Grodzki and Budreck manage, despite these dramatic setbacks.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Grodzki and Budreck captured the most votes overall in the Jersey Shore Strong Wedding Package Give-away. The couple received $13,000 in wedding goods, which they can now use for their big day, which has been rescheduled for the Battleground Country Club in Freehold Township.
JSWA Director Arlene Schmid said that the association wanted to help local couples who have been affected by Sandy in any way they could, and now they are doing it again.
Find out what's happening in Barnegat-Manahawkinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"We aren't carpenters, or electricians, but we are in the wedding business, so we are doing what we can, how we can, to help," she said.
Schmid and her colleagues have organized another Jersey Shore Strong Wedding Contest to help a couple whose wedding plans were affected by Sandy.
"If you know a couple whose wedding plans were affected please direct them to the Jersey Shore Wedding Association's home page at www.jswa.org to enter," Schmid said in an email sent to Patch.
Stories may be submitted between April 1 and April 10.
The Public will vote on Facebook and through e-mail survey between April 15th and April 24th.
All prizes will be awarded April 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Jersey Shore Wedding Association's Spring Bridal Show at Sea Oaks Country Club, 99 Golf View Drive, Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08087.
