Many of you know that I am a Ocean County wedding planner, and I love weddings on Long Beach Island. My family spends so much of our time on LBI. And so many of my family traditions were started down the shore and go back a few generations! But today, I thought I would highlight a few fun things you probably didn’t know about this Ocean County wedding planner.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About this Ocean County Wedding Planner

10. I do not tan. When I’m on the beach, I’m always covered up. And if I expose my skin to the sun, I’m sure to have about a 1/4 inch of 50+ SPF sunscreen. When I do get to the point where I have a “tan” you can look closely and notice that it’s just an optical illusion created by an over-abundance of freckles.

9. My family is notorious for goofy photographs. We can’t resist the opportunity to ham it up. Serious first. Goofy second. And I couldn’t love them any more for it if I tried.

8. In 2000, I swam around Manhattan Island. It took me a really (really) long time. Nine hours, forty-five minutes and eleven seconds after jumping in, I slowly climbed out of the Hudson River. These days it feels like it was a lifetime ago, or maybe even a different life. I used to love marathon swimming. It’s not often anymore that I jump in for more than a romp in the surf. But “back in the day” I used to like to go for really long swims.  These days there’s not enough time for that level of commitment. And I really miss my old-back-in-the-day swimming buddies who swam with me. This photo is from me swimming in 2014 on a relay around Manhattan (I got talked into it). That’s me swimming underneath the George Washington Bridge and past the Little Red Lighthouse. 

7. My best friend and her husband performed our marriage ceremony. I met Erin the day I turned seven, when her parent’s came to my parent’s home to interview my mother for a care-giving job. Thirty-five years later, and Erin is still there for me every step of the way. Erin’s husband, Sean, was in my 8th grade homeroom. (And, I’m still thankful to Sean’s mother, Judy, for getting me out of the one high school detention I got for being late.)

6. I am obsessed with shoes. I have a lot of shoes. And it’s still not enough. I love Zappos and order from them a lot. There’s nothing better than trying on a new pair of shoes and wearing them and feeling amazing.

5. I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and my favorite pens are felt tip markers. Perfect for doodling in the margins. I love writing lists. They have to be on paper. They have to be in pencil or felt-tip pen. I will sometimes photograph them, so that I don’t risk as much if I lose them. But I am a list-making, note-taking, goddess.

4. I have a cat. We rescued her. No big secret, you say, lots of people have cats. But my cat…no one ever sees her. She only lives on the second floor of our home. She’s a bit of a scaredy cat, and won’t come anywhere near the dog (who we keep on the first floor).

3. I love to knit. My grandmother taught me when I was seven years old. She started by showing me how to make accessories for my cabbage patch doll. She would make the sweater and I would knit a scarf. When my daughter Caryn was teeny-tiny, I put her in them. When Caryn was baptized, she was wrapped in a christening blanket my grandmother knit for her before Caryn was even a distant possibility. One of my most prized possessions is the Irish Fisherman cable knit sweater I made for my father.

2. I am obsessed with Star Wars. As a child I had a huge crush on Han Solo and I always imagined that Chewbacca would make an amazing best friend. Before I became an NJ wedding planner, I planned my own wedding. And Richie and I chose At-Ats (Imperial Walkers to the uninformed) as our wedding cake topper.

1. I do almost no cooking. I do know how to cook. Before I met Richie, I made 7 things on an almost weekly basis. These days, I will bust out my split-pea soup or chicken meatballs and sauce every now and again. But only by special request. Richie is a trained chef, and actually enjoys cooking. So, he cooks and I clean up. And everybody is happy (and well fed).

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit more! I actually had a lot of fun preparing this blog! Feel free to leave something in the comments that most people don’t know about you! And if you’re planning a wedding and looking for a New Jersey wedding planner, let me know! This Ocean County wedding planner would love to find out how I can help you plan the stress free wedding of your dreams down the shore!