A bride’s wish come true — a wedding on the beach.

Others, like Barbara Freet of Philadelphia, dream of something much more down to earth…or more precisely, down the shore.
“They both always wanted to get married on the beach,” her mother Barbara Lance said, and with the help of a cadre of friends, neighbors and local businesses, Freet and her new husband, Paul, were able to make their wedding dreams come true in Sea Isle City last September…and on a surprisingly modest budget.

“We wanted to keep it under $5,000,” Lance said, “and we came pretty close to that goal.”
The key to success, according to the bride, was to do away with as much of the fuss and frills as possible. But according to the bride’s mom, it couldn’t have been done without the help of their neighbors at Landis Avenue Condominiums, where they have owned a modest summer home for years.

Everybody lent a hand, either by contacting local businesses to arrange logistics or by putting time and muscle toward tasks, like setting up folding chairs (provided by LaCosta Liquors as a favor to the bride) for the beachfront ceremony for some 75 guests.

One of the first orders of business was to find a Sea Isle beach house that could serve as wedding headquarters, as well as a honeymoon haven for the newlyweds. They found a five-bedroom townhouse called the Sandcastle.
“It was a big house with a big deck,” Freet said. “Perfect for entertaining.”
Which they did. The night before the wedding, they held a get-together for the bridal party, enjoying a casual rehearsal dinner from Mike’s Seafood on the deck overlooking the bride’s favorite beach town.

“Most of the bridal party stayed there that night,” Lance said, “and they got ready for the wedding together there as well.”
It was a just a few blocks from the house to the beach at John F. Kennedy Boulevard, where the ceremony took place on a brilliant and warm Indian Summer day.
“It was gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous and sunny,” Lance said. “Some people got sunburned during the ceremony, even though they weren’t out there that long.”

Lance’s cousin, an ordained minister, performed the ceremony, making it unique and personal.
The bride’s bouquet of white roses and hydrangeas, created by Rocky & Fred's Creative Designs florist on Landis Avenue, was embellished with seashells, and the bride and groom rode to the luncheon reception at Vince’s Restaurant (on the beach at J.F.K. Boulevard) aboard a surrey, rented by her grandfather.

In a show-stopping moment, the bride’s dogs—shih tzus named Champ and Nemo—proudly donned mini-tuxedos and served as ring bearers in the ceremony. Freet said she saw the tuxes at Paw Prints pet shop in Stone Harbor. The “boys” pranced down the isle to the “William Tell Overture,” (the “Lone Ranger Theme Song”) and delivered the rings (without incident).
“The luncheon was perfect,” Lance said.

The owner and staff were extremely accommodating to their big group, and guests were able to walk from the ceremony to the reception, and to enjoy a view of the beach. The cake, created by a local baker, who provides cakes to Vince’s, was adorned with white chocolate seashells.
“The best cake ever,” Freet said.
Rich and Jeanine Falk of Sea Isle Photography—found via their Old Time Photography studio on Sea Isle’s promenade—took the pictures.

After the luncheon, the guests joined the bride and groom at the beach house, where they feasted into the evening on appetizers and sandwich trays from Mrs. Brizzles, on Landis Avenue.
“It was a lot of work, but we had a lot of help,” Lance said. “Everyone was just so nice and accommodating. We never could have done this at home.”
“I wouldn’t have changed anything,” Freet said. “With the reception back at the house, we got to spend time with everyone. It was perfect.”
The bride and groom continued the celebration together in Sea Isle for 10 more days.