Monthly Feature

Location Spotlight: Spring Lake, NJ

Summer Weddings Getting Hotter at the Jersey Shore

Bride and Groom pose for wedding portrait on the beach in Spring Lake, NJ.
     If you've always dreamt of having a Caribbean or beach wedding but don’t want your guests to travel too far or to spend a lot on expensive airfares, then a Jersey Shore Wedding may be a perfect alternative. You can still have a beachfront setting but without the hassle of traveling too far.

Bride and Groom wave to passers-by as they head for their reception via horse & carriage.
     The July 4th Weekend may have been just a holiday to most, but for a few, it was the perfect weekend to have a wedding or be part of one. The town of Spring Lake, NJ caught our attention as it hosted several weddings over the holiday weekend. Brides, grooms, and their wedding guests enjoyed beachside photographs, horse and carriage rides, fireworks, dancing, shopping and much more over the weekend. Many stayed overnight if not the entire weekend.

     Several weddings took place at a popular hotel and banquet hall known as Breakers , located at 1507 Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake. We’ve entertained parties and wedding receptions at Breakers many times over the years, but this time, we really came to appreciate the beauty of the location. Breakers not only offers a wonderful catering facility for weddings, but offers hotel accommodations and a terrific restaurant facility. Even though it’s right across the street from the beach and boardwalk, it has a very nice pool on the premises. What’s nice is that wedding guests can enjoy cocktail hours on the outdoor patio and enjoy views of the horizon as they look out toward the ocean. We’ve provided a few pictures to give you an idea of what we mean.

     In case the hotel accommodations at Breakers are booked, several other beautiful hotels are nearby for your party guests to stay. The Chateau , on Fifth and Warren Avenues, is a popular hotel and very beautiful. We were told that gold plaques were installed over the doorways of the rooms where celebrities had once stayed. For more information, go to the Chateau’s website at http://www.chateauinn.com/.

Toni inspected the quality and the prices of the merchandise at the local shops at gave them good recommendations. She also gave this purse a good home.
     Spring Lake seems to be the perfect spot for a relaxing weekend, so if you need to recuperate from party the night before at the wedding reception, this is the place. Even though most of us sleep it off on the beach, we toured the Town of Spring Lake and found many other relaxing events to occupy our time.

Shopping
     Spring Lake’s main street for shopping is Third Avenue. Some of the shops focus on beach life. We have to warn the guys to be careful when shopping in town with their significant other. Some of our favorite landmark shops were Kate & Company, Skuby & Co., and the Third Avenue Chocolate Shop.

     Kate & Company is a furniture and gift store located at 1100 Third Avenue. It’s the corner store across from Spring Lake where Third Avenue ends. This is a terrific store to shop in if you’re soon-to-be newlyweds. There are plenty of items here for furnishing a new home. This is also the place to find items for a romantic newlywed lakeside picnic. By the way, food and drinks are not allowed on the beach.

     Skuby & Company at 1106 Third Avenue has a great variety of menswear that’s almost entirely focused beach and maritime apparel. You can choose styles ranging from sporty beachwear to business casual. We were especially impressed with their Tommy Bahama line.

     The Third Avenue Chocolate Shop makes a wide variety of homemade candy, chocolate, and ice cream. The owner, Matt Magyar really loves his work. He explained the details of the candy to the point where every piece of candy we looked at told a story. When we were there, he even informed us that he came back from the grand opening of the second location in Manalapan. We wish them luck.

For additional shopping information, go to The Spring Lake Local Directory or Sea Crest by the Sea. Here you will find detailed information about other wedding-related shops such as jewelers, florists, women’s apparel, lingerie, and more.

Lakeside
     There’s plenty to do in Spring Lake when you’re doing nothing – walk the trails, feed the ducks, sit in the trails, feed the ducks, watch the model sailboats, feed the ducks.
     The trails are relaxing and the nearby fountain in the lake gives it a “feng shui” effect.
     When you’re done with your walk you can watch the sailboats. They may look small when they’re in the water but they’re pretty big when you stand next to one of them.      Did we mention that you should feed the ducks? You’re not supposed to – the signs are posted in a few spots. Nevertheless, the ducks can’t read and they don’t take no for an answer. They see you coming from half a block away come upon you and mug you for your potato chips. Watch your fingers.

     Two more places in Spring Lake that are worth mentioning are two of the beautiful churches in the area.

St. Catherine's Cathedral.
The first is St. Catherine Church on Third and Essex Avenues (shown left). The second is St Margaret Church on Ludlow and Third Avenues. If you’re serious about having a reception in Spring Lake, you want to find out if you can have your ceremony there as well and go for the “full package.” To contact the churches, go to http://www.stcatherine-stmargaret.com

     Spring Lake can provide it all from ceremony, to reception, to hotel accommodations. With this type of service, there’s no need to invite all of your guests to a hotel resort a thousand miles away from home. Of course, if your heart is set on it, then go for it. However, if you find that it’s not possible to get all your guests to the Caribbean, then get them to Spring Lake where the dream is still possible.

DPP

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