By Muriel J. Smith
HIGHLANDS – If Patti Swick weren’t such a fireball of energy and enthusiasm, her fiancé Dan Feehan could have proposed exactly the way he wanted to – in one of the towers of the Twin Lights.
While the engagement didn’t quite work, the Twin Lights State Historic Site and its beautiful grounds are so important to this couple that they drove to Highlands from their Linden home just to have their engagement photos taken.
It all started more than 10 years ago when Swick began working at a deli and catering business near her home in Linden. Feehan was already working there and, almost instantly, the pair felt a connection of friendship. After Feehan bought the business, the friendship blossomed and they started dating. That was nine years ago.
Driving to various places along the shore, the couple found themselves drawn to the Twin Lights. There was something about it, a charm that held their attention. So much so that when Feehan knew he wanted to marry Swick, he planned to bring her to their favorite place, climb one of the towers, and propose to her at the top, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.
The date of the proposal was set for Jan. 8, 2023. Freehan and Swick were going to a friend’s baby’s baptism and thought they could stop at Nicholas Creamery for ice cream and then visit the Twin Lights.
Instead, Swick said she was too tired and wanted to go directly home.
Undaunted, when they got home, Feehan asked if Swick could stand still for 30 seconds. As Swick tells it, “I turned around and he was down on bended knee next to our couch. It was the most perfect proposal because it was just us in our home with no interruptions. “
So the engagement did not take place at the top of the Twin Lights as Feehan had hoped, but because the site was so important to them both, they drove back down to take photos both inside and outside the museum, as well as a few overlooking Sandy Hook and the Atlantic Ocean.
“It was the perfect engagement shoot. We had the fortune of being able to climb both towers and actually used one of them in our engagement shoot,” Freehan said.
The wedding is set for Oct. 13 in Linden.
As for the Twin Lights, it will always be a special place for both and a reminder of their love every time they climb a tower, enjoy a picnic lunch on the front lawn or pick up a gift or souvenir in the gift shop.
The Twin Lights grounds are open every day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for visits, whether or not an engagement or wedding is planned.
Visit twinlighthouse.org for more information.
This article originally appeared in the February 8 – 14, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
