By Eileen Moon
What better way to set sail on the sea of matrimony than to climb aboard a wooden ship and say your vows on the water?
In Atlantic Highlands, Classic Boat Rides often hosts weddings and receptions aboard its paddle wheeler, the Navesink Queen, which can comfortably accommodate about 100 people for a “boutique” wedding celebration that can be custom-designed to include a DJ, a live band or the boat’s state-of-the-art Bluetooth sound system.
Owned by Capt. Dan Schade and his wife also offers, as Schade put it, “more rustic” weddings aboard their smaller wooden boat The Mariner, which can accommodate 40 people.
“From May to October, we do weddings on the boat,” Schade said.
Unlike a traditional wedding venue on dry land, a wedding on the water offers some distinct advantages.
“A wedding on the boat is special,” said Schade. “The nice thing about a boat is that everybody has to stay at the party, he joked. “They can’t leave early.”
More importantly, he continued, “It’s usually picturesque.”During its wedding events, The Navesink Queen sails up the Navesink and the Shrewsbury rivers. “Then we go far out into the bay to see the sunset.” It’s a nice way to toast to the newlyweds with the help of Mother Nature.
The Schades also have a six-person boat, The Amazing Jill, which docks at the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank. While it’s too small to host a reception, it can accommodate a wedding party or even transport the bride and groom to a reception at the Molly or the Oyster Point so they can make a grand entrance via the water.
The Schades can also bring the Navesink Queen or the Mariner into Red Bank for clients who want to take wedding guests on a lunch cruise before or after the main wedding event on shore.
For the most part, couples who book the Navesink Queen or the Mariner are looking for a traditional wedding with a little Two River flair.
“It’s certainly not like a friend of mine’s wedding with 300 people at the Oyster Point,” Schade said. “It’s for those of you seeking a boutique or rustic wedding with a budget-minded pocketbook.”
For a wedding and reception aboard the Navesink Queen, the price would range from approximately $3,000 to $7,000 depending on what services the couple wants to include.
The Schades don’t provide the catering themselves but have a roster of recommended wedding professionals who can bring all the necessary ingredients of a great reception together, and Capt. Dan, Vickie and the crew are always available to help with the details of getting the provisions on board and decorating the two-deck Navesink Queen.
The Navesink Queen is located at Slip 65 on Frank’s Pier in Atlantic Highlands. Contact Classic Boat Rides online at classicboatrides.com or call 732-337-9292.
Further down the shore, the River Queen in Brielle launches many a couple on their journeys to wedded bliss, sailing inland waters on the Manasquan River, Point Pleasant Canal, Barnegat Bay and Metedeconk.
The River Queen is owned by Capt. Howard Bogan. His wife Sharon manages the River Queen’s full-service catering on board.
Having a wedding and reception aboard the River Queen is a great way to make the most of the beauty of the Jersey Shore, said River Queen spokesperson Jen Burden. On the River Queen, you can have the beauty of a beach wedding with the comfort of knowing your event is completely weather-protected and as “on the water” as you can get, she said. “To me, it’s the best of both worlds.”
Since the business began in the 1980s, the Bogan family has hosted an uncountable number of fun-to-fancy weddings and receptions aboard their boat. Most notable among them was one in which the entire wedding party and all of their guests came dressed as pirates.
Another memorable event featured a flamingo theme, with the pink birds (plastic, of course) perched throughout the boat and dockside in Brielle.
While many people book the boat for their wedding well in advance, Burden said the River Queen is happy to accommodate weddings on shorter notice so long as the time slot is available. Spring and summer weddings are always in demand, and they often host both afternoon and evening weddings on the same day.
The River Queen can be reached online at riverboattour.com or by phone at 732-528-6620.
So, if a landlocked venue is not ringing the right bells for your coming nuptials, you might want to consider taking a sail on the sea of love with the Navesink Queen in Atlantic Highlands or the River Queen in Brielle.
The article originally appeared in the February 9 – 15, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
