Tara Marie Meacham and Richard William Grafton Clapper, of Lumberton, N.J. were married on the Meerwald after winning a contest sponsored by NJWedding.com and the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce. The bride discovered the “To Tie the Knot on a Tall Ship” contest through a Facebook group for those looking to get married in the Long Beach Island area. Her dreams of being married on a ship and her groom’s dream to be married in his childhood summer retreat came true when the couple was selected in late June from among 100 other contest entries. That’s right: late June. All the wedding preparations came together in a little over one month with the help of sponsors NJWedding.com, the Chamber of Commerce and local vendors who provided their services. Erik Kent, co-publisher of NJWedding.com, worked tirelessly along with Lori Pepenella, destination marketing director for the Chamber, to promote this “one of a kind” event.
David Toth, an international photojournalist based in northern New Jersey, also heard about the contest online, and told Kent he would be happy to provide his services to the couple. In their wedding program, the Clappers also thanked Carolyn Buss for donating jewelry, Matthew Wagner and Zach Long for donating logistics, and Kelly Rowles for creating their personal wedding web site at rickandtaraswedding.wordpress.com. The ceremony took place on a clear day with 80 guests aboard the vessel docked in Beach Haven. Deb Whitcraft, wedding officiant and former mayor of Beach Haven, donated her time to officiate the wedding because she said she “loves doing weddings.” As guests and members of the bridal party looked on in front of the bay background, Whitcraft compared marriage to the ebb and flow of the tides, keeping with the nautical theme of the wedding. Whitcraft said that she was involved in the process of bringing the schooner to Long Beach Island, and that both the wedding and the other various happenings on the vessel during the weekend were all part of a joint effort among local businesses. Many businesses helped out in any way they could, including nearby Morrison’s, which allowed crewmembers full access to their showers.
While here, the ship was home to various activities and events in an effort to increase awareness of the vessel in this, the Year of the Tall Ship. The idea for this contest came about in an effort to both increase awareness of the Meerwald and to remind people of Long Beach Island’s status as a wedding destination. Kent said that over 600 weddings take place in the Island area every year, a third more than nearby Cape May, which many consider to be one of the destination wedding capitals, according to Kent. With 18 miles of beaches and new venues like Bonnet Island, Mallard Island and The Stateroom, among many other established spots, Kent said the momentum continues to build for Long Beach Island weddings. He said his goal for NJWedding.com is to continue to promote the area with events like the Wedding Roadshow, an event that took place in April and allowed brides to scope out the various venues and vendors in one action-packed day. He said he hopes to make the tall ship wedding contest an annual event, and Whitcraft said she is excited to make it “bigger and better” each year. NJWedding.com launched on Valentine’s Day 1997 when Kent and his wife, Beth, decided to put the knowledge they had gained in planning their own wedding into a searchable, Internet-based format to help other brides- and grooms-to-be. Kent said he was happy to be a part of Tara and Rick’s unique wedding experience and that “everything worked out as planned.” As the site continues to showcase the Long Beach Island region as a destination for weddings, he called the tall ship wedding a “perfect example of what’s being done right.” The new Mrs. Clapper also thanked Kent for his help making her special day “perfect." Photos above courtesy of David Toth Photographers
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Jesse Briggs, captain and director of marine operations of the Meerwald (
