Merrick couple weds in south Bellmore as Irene bears down

Allison Lutz spent many summer days on her grandfather William Lutz’s boat that he kept at the Alpha Sigma Boat Club in south Bellmore. Though he died 20 years ago, the family has continued to dock boats there, and it has always held a special place in Lutz’s heart. When her boyfriend of 12 years, Tom Ruggiero, 35, proposed on Valentine’s Day in 2010, the Beach Street club seemed like the obvious choice to get married.

When they picked a wedding date –– Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 –– they never imagined that a storm the likes of Irene might be bearing down on them.

The couple grew up down the block from each other in Baldwin and now live in Merrick. Lutz, 31, said the couple have waited years for their wedding, which they had no intention of cancelling. The ceremony was slated to take place under a tent overlooking Bellmore Creek at 5:30 p.m., and against all odds, the 15-minute ceremony went off without a hitch.

The couple said their vows under the protection of a tent overlooking Bellmore Creek, as Irene’s early rains began to fall. As soon as the ceremony was over, the crowd of 80 headed into the boat club. Less than 20 minutes later, Irene’s wind gusts picked up to speeds that would have required the tent to be taken down. The couple married “just in the nick of time,” Lutz said.

As the wedding party was announced to guests, the Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” bellowed across the speakers, and the newly married couple was ready to celebrate with their friends and family, safe from Irene’s grasp.

Tommy Valenti, owner of Piccolo Ristorante in Bellmore, catered the event. Valenti was able to get the food to the boat club without a problem, and guests devoured the sumptuous feast, Lutz said. Valenti had even offered his restaurant on Sunrise Highway in the event that the boat club was unusable, helping to ease the bride’s mind with the stress of Irene bearing down.

“Everybody had such good energy,” Lutz said, thankful for those who helped make the wedding a success.

Only a few guests didn’t make it to south Bellmore for the festivities, Lutz said. Others made the trek from surrounding communities, Staten Island and New Jersey. The most distant guest, Lutz’s cousin, came from West Virginia just in time.