Atlantic City’s Wedding of the Sea Celebrates 58 Years, Continuing a Tradition That Spans Centuries

ATLANTIC CITY — Thousands of people are expected to gather in Atlantic City Saturday for a tradition that officially dates back 58 years here — but traces its roots across the Atlantic Ocean and more than 1,000 years into history.

The Wedding of the Sea, one of Atlantic City's most distinctive summer traditions, returns Saturday, Aug. 15, with a 10 a.m. Mass at the Seminole Ballroom inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, followed by a procession to the beach and the ceremonial blessing of the ocean.

Father Robert Hughes, pastor of St. Monica Parish, discussed the event in separate interviews this week on The AC Mike Lopez Show and Klein Time with Dan Klein on WOND, providing both the history behind the ceremony and a look at how the celebration continues to evolve.

Hughes said organizers are hoping for a crowd of about 3,000 people this year as the event continues rebuilding from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But to understand why thousands of people gather on an Atlantic City beach to watch a bishop and mayor travel beyond the breakers and place a ring into the ocean, Hughes said you have to go back centuries.

"The tradition originated in Venice, Italy," Hughes told Klein, explaining that it is known as the Sposalizio del Mare, or Wedding of the Sea.

From Venice to Atlantic City

The tradition grew out of the relationship between coastal communities and the sea — something that resonates particularly strongly in a place such as Atlantic City.

"It can — it's a very, very life-giving source of so many things for us," Hughes said. "But it also has the power to take life."

Ancient civilizations made sacrifices in hopes of appeasing the gods they believed controlled the sea. Hughes said the tradition was eventually Christianized, with prayers offered for protection and a ring placed into the water as part of the symbolic marriage with the sea.

The ceremony became a way to give thanks for what the ocean provides while acknowledging its dangers.

"We thank God for all the blessings he bestows upon us through creation," Hughes said, "but ... realize that we also have to be mindful of the dangers that the sea, especially the sea, brings with it."

Italian immigrants eventually brought versions of the tradition to the United States.

Although Atlantic City is celebrating the 58th annual Wedding of the Sea, Hughes told Klein there is evidence similar ceremonies were held here considerably earlier.

"The history in Atlantic City says that there were events that were like the Wedding of the Sea ... that took place in the early 1900s," Hughes said.

The celebration became a formal annual Atlantic City tradition 58 years ago.

Bishop and Mayor Head Beyond the Breakers

Saturday's celebration begins with Mass promptly at 10 a.m. in the Seminole Ballroom at Hard Rock. The Mass and procession are free and open to the public.

After Mass, participants will process along the Boardwalk and toward the ocean.

There, Bishop Emeritus Dennis Sullivan of the Diocese of Camden is expected to be joined by Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. aboard a lifeguard boat.

"The two of them will join forces and get into the boat, just like in Venice," Hughes told Klein. "The mayor and the archbishop get into the boat and they'll go out and they'll throw a wreath into the sea with a ring tied to it."

The lifeguards will row the boat beyond the breakers, where the traditional ceremony will take place.

Hughes said the ritual recognizes the central role the ocean continues to play in Atlantic City's identity and economy while asking for protection from its dangers.

Sullivan has a long connection to the event. Hughes said the retired bishop participated in the Wedding of the Sea each year during his decade-plus leading the Camden Diocese.

"It's an honor to have him," Hughes said. "He's looking forward to climbing into that boat and being rowed out and throwing the wreath and ring into the sea."

Event Rebuilding After COVID

The Wedding of the Sea has drawn enormous crowds in the past.

During his appearance on The AC Mike Lopez Show, Hughes said attendance once exceeded 5,000 people, before the pandemic forced organizers to dramatically scale back the celebration.

The event has been rebuilding since then, and organizers are hoping approximately 3,000 people will participate this year.

And it isn't simply an Atlantic City event.

Hughes told Lopez that people travel from throughout the region to participate, including visitors from New York City, North Jersey, Scranton, Philadelphia, South Jersey, Delaware and the Baltimore-Washington area.

Hughes also credited Hard Rock and Atlantic City's public-safety agencies with helping make such a large event possible.

"We're grateful for their sponsorship and all the efforts that they make to help us," Hughes told Klein of Hard Rock. "As we are with the city of Atlantic City, they're great in their support."

Hughes specifically thanked the Atlantic City Police Department, fire and rescue personnel and the Atlantic City Beach Patrol.

"All of them ... really come together to help us to make this event both safe and beautiful," Hughes said. "So it's a great community effort."

A Changing Catholic Community in Atlantic City

For Hughes, this year's Wedding of the Sea comes as he completes his first full year as pastor of St. Monica Parish.

A priest for 36 years, Hughes previously served in roles including Catholic high school teacher and president, parish pastor and vicar general of the Diocese of Camden before coming to Atlantic City last year.

The parish itself reflects how Atlantic City has changed.

Hughes told Klein that St. Monica was formed through the merger of Atlantic City's Catholic parishes and today serves a congregation that mirrors the city's increasingly diverse population.

"I find it to be a very vibrant community, very representative of the population of Atlantic City," Hughes said.

The parish maintains traditions rooted in Atlantic City's longtime Irish and Italian communities while also serving newer Hispanic, Filipino and Vietnamese communities. Masses are offered in three languages, Hughes said.

Hughes also told Klein that he has noticed an increase in church attendance during his first year in Atlantic City, particularly among younger people attending the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Nicholas.

"I would say that in the year that I've been there, attendance has increased," Hughes said.

More Than a Religious Ceremony

The Wedding of the Sea carries an obvious religious significance, but its connection to Atlantic City extends beyond the Catholic community.

The blessing recognizes the people whose lives and livelihoods remain tied to the ocean — including fishermen, lifeguards, swimmers and the millions of visitors who come to the Jersey Shore.

That connection is one reason the tradition has endured through generations of change in Atlantic City.

Following Saturday's ceremony, attendees can return to Hard Rock for a seafood buffet. Tickets for the buffet are $45 in advance and $50 on the day of the event. The Mass and Wedding of the Sea ceremony themselves are free.

For Hughes, the enduring appeal of the Wedding of the Sea comes back to something much larger than a single ceremony.

At a time when he believes many people feel disconnected from one another, Hughes said traditions can provide a sense of continuity and community.

"Traditions are so very important," Hughes told Klein. "And faith is so very important because it pulls us back together and reminds us to be together with our families and with our bigger family of faith."

On Saturday morning, thousands are expected to do just that — gathering along the Atlantic City Boardwalk and beach to continue a local tradition that reaches back 58 years, and a relationship with the sea that reaches back centuries.