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The first known recorded wedding to ever take place in the lantern room of Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest original standing light tower in the United States, took place this past October between Heather Rusczyk and Eric Decibus.
The couple, who had both been previously married, met in 2011 as a result of Tropical Storm Irena when Heather was helping to clean up the yard of Eric’s neighbor. The second date of the Delaware couple took place at Sandy Hook Lighthouse in Highlands, New Jersey and visits to the lighthouse soon became a regular weekend event for the couple and her two sons.
When Super Storm Sandy struck the New Jersey shore at the end of October in 2012, the couple immediately became weekend volunteers at Gateway National Recreation Area where the lighthouse is located by Fort Hancock. Every weekend for the next four months, the couple shoveled sand at the site while the boys played.
When they decided to get married, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was the logical choice and their wedding plans were made. While other weddings have taken place at Sandy Hook Lighthouse, to the best of anyone’s knowledge, none had ever taken place in the lantern room because the Fresnel lens takes up so much space that there is only room for less than a handful of people at any given time. Plus, as well as the $100 special use permit, the park service requires a $3 million insurance liability policy. The couple obtained both and the date was set.
However, as the old saying goes, “the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray,” things did go astray when the federal government shutdown closed the lighthouse, putting a major stumbling block into their wedding plans. Although the couple was extremely disheartened, they soon came up with a second plan and arrangements were made with the folks at the nearby Twin Lights of Navesink, which is not run by the federal government, who said they could accommodate them for a lantern room wedding.
But then, at the last minute as fate would have it, the government shutdown came to an end and the couple received an e-mail that the Sandy Hook Lighthouse would reopen in time for their historic wedding.
We wish Eric and Heather the very best, and may lighthouses continue to play some kind role in their life journey together as husband and wife.
This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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