LONG BEACH ISLAND – The nor’easter had already put parts of Long Beach Island under water when it upended Kirsten and Aaron Denesevich’s wedding plans. Early on the morning of September 26, Kirsten’s phone rang with news that might have ended most wedding days before they started.
Wedding coordinator Gianna Verdoni was on the line. Mallard Island Estate, where the couple had spent 2 1/2 years planning their celebration, was flooded and impossible to reach.
“I thought there is no way this is happening,” Kirsten said. “No matter what, I’m going to marry the love of my life today, regardless of where it is.”
And she did. By nightfall, the high school sweethearts were married at a different venue with a Walmart cake, a friend serving as DJ and about 60 guests who made it through the storm. The room that made it possible opened up because another pair of high school sweethearts had to cancel their own milestone party.
Kirsten, 29 and Aaron, 30, are both from Egg Harbor Township, although they graduated from two different high schools. The couple first met at a House of Blues concert in Atlantic City when they were 15. Together half of their lives, they originally expected about 200 people to watch them marry on the island.
Flooded roads, bridge closures and the growing risk to guests and vendors quickly put that plan out of reach. A couple of hours after the call, the couple texted guests that the wedding was postponed and warned them to stay off LBI. At that point, they had no new date, no new space and no idea the day could still be saved.
Searching For Dry Land
Kirsten’s family, wedding party and close friends started calling restaurants and event venues. One business on the island offered to help, but the group couldn’t safely get back there. So the search moved to the mainland, away from the worst of the flooding.
Meanwhile, some of the groomsmen were still stuck on the island. Kirsten later saw news clips of them pushing cars through floodwater as they tried to get out.
Aaron had left his tuxedo behind in his rush to get to Kirsten after the cancellation call. Members of the wedding party retrieved it and found their own way through the storm. “They were the true MVPs,” Kirsten said.
Then Element Restaurant & Bar in Manahawkin called. Staff had worked through Mallard Island Estate and Verdoni to track down the couple, and the restaurant had a room available starting around half past noon. The Deneseviches did not yet know why it had become available.
A Party Washed Out
Jeff and Diane Reagan had planned to welcome 90 family members and friends to Element that evening. The Beach Haven West couple was celebrating their 60th birthdays and 40th wedding anniversary. Instead, they were dealing with floodwater in their home and garage.
The house had been their summer place since 2002, and they moved there full time in 2021. Diane said about 18 inches of water entered the home and garage as repeated high-tide cycles pushed water into the neighborhood.
Robin from Element assured the Reagans the restaurant would work with them if they needed to cancel. That made a hard decision a little easier, since the flooding was beyond anyone’s control.
About 10 minutes after the Reagans canceled, the Deneseviches called Element looking for a place to get married. Neither couple had any idea the other existed.
A Facebook Post Finds The Bride
The Reagans didn’t learn they had made a wedding possible until later that night. Once the water dropped enough to drive down their street, they met their daughters, a son-in-law and a few friends for a quick drink before the next high tide.
A friend got to Element first and saw right away there would be no room at the bar. The restaurant was packed with people dressed for a wedding.
“She found out from the group of people gathered there the story of the bride and groom and their canceled wedding,” Diane said. “Hearing the story immediately brought tears to my eyes.”
The next day, Diane shared the story in the Beach Haven West Community Group on Facebook. She wrote that she hoped the post would reach the new Mr. and Mrs., and it did. A friend sent the post to Kirsten and asked if it was her wedding. Kirsten replied, and the two women started talking. That’s when they learned Diane and Jeff Reagan are high school sweethearts, too.
The newlyweds have offered to take the Reagans to dinner. The Reagans, in turn, have invited the couple and their parents to the rescheduled birthday and anniversary party.
For Diane, that connection changed how the lost party felt. “Learning that our cancellation allowed another high school sweetheart couple to have their wedding in the very same venue, our disappointment took on a whole different meaning,” she said.
A Wedding Remade In Hours
The last-minute switch meant the couple could no longer use several original vendors. The cake, DJ, band, photographer and planned decorations were canceled, though Driftwood Florist managed to get the flowers to the new venue.
Verdoni and Merri-Makers arranged for someone to pick up key items like candles and guest favors. Close friend Marcus Zamot stepped in as DJ, and the replacement cake came from Walmart.
When Kirsten and Aaron walked into Element, they were overwhelmed by how the room looked on such short notice. It was nothing like the wedding they’d planned, but it was no less meaningful.
The moment Kirsten knew they had pulled it off came as she started down the aisle. The speakers were still being set up, so the people around her began singing the couple’s wedding song a cappella.
“It made me realize that’s all that matters,” Kirsten said. “The person I’m marrying and the people close to me.”
The day still came with real losses. Kirsten said three vehicles were totaled by water damage, and many people who hoped to attend couldn’t safely make the trip.
The Reagans are still waiting to reschedule their party. But knowing their cancellation helped another couple start a marriage has made the disappointment easier to carry. “Sometimes you don’t understand why something happens when you’re in the middle of it,” Diane said. “Then, later, you realize that something beautiful came from it.”
She called it a “pretty wonderful 60-60-40 gift.” She also offered the Deneseviches some advice for a marriage that began in a nor’easter.
“Life comes with its ups and downs and unexpected storms,” Diane said. “They quite literally started their marriage in a storm and they came out stronger because of it.”
