Parker House Love Stories ♥

The Parker House has been the source of memorable experiences for thousands, and for some, it has been the beginning of a beautiful relationship. For young and old alike, the magic is always here and every story is unique. Share your story and be a part of our story.

Share your Parker House love stories by filling out a form on our “Contact” page and we will reach out to you for more details.

Kerri and Alex L.

tied the knot December 2021…

“My Husband and I met at Parker House in June of 2016. He asked me if I wanted to dance… and the rest is history.
We will always remember “God’s Basement” with fond memories. We can still point out the exact spot on the basement dance floor where we first met.
Alex was part of a summer house rental in Manasquan that 2016 summer, and I was a “local girl” coming down from Hoboken each summer weekend and staying with my parents.
We went on many dates in the city that summer, but we always came back to Parker on the weekend to have some real fun!
I was (and still am) a VIP Card holder and I think that really sealed the deal in our love story…LOL!
We got engaged the summer of 2020 at the Manasquan Inlet and married at Saint Catharine’s in Spring Lake in December 2021. We of course had to take wedding pictures at Parker House and Ryan Wade (our favorite bar tender) made our Parker inspired wedding koozies too!
The Parker house will always hold a special place in our hearts!”
– Kerri

Larry & Valerie D.

… tied the knot June 1987

“This is truly a love story.

Having taken a share in a summer place three doors down from the Parker House in summer 1985, we kick things off by venturing into the legendary Parker House late Saturday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend for a few beers and clams with a few of ‘the boys’.

Not long thereafter, I glance over and see the most stunningly beautiful girl in the world and think, ‘Oh my God, but she must be waiting for her boyfriend.’ It seemed like an hour but was more like ten minutes and having glanced over countless times to see her still standing there with a friend, I get up the courage to go introduce myself. Not long into our conversation, a friend grabs me and says, ‘LD, we’re headed to Belmar, let’s go.’ In true rookie fashion, I not only fail to get her number but also her last name. I had a lot to learn.

As fate would have it, two weeks later I am back in the same position at the same time and glance over once again to see ‘this most beautiful girl in the world.’ I waste no time in engaging her and immediately inquire, ‘what’s your last name and what’s your number?’ The rest as they say is history. We fell in love over the course of that summer, got engaged 15 months later and married in June 1987. Four beautiful children and 37 years later, I welcome returning to where it all began for us when we were ‘just kids’ to celebrate my beloved’s 60th birthday filled with the pride and knowledge that she is still the most stunningly and spectacularly beautiful girl in the world. I firmly believe it was no mere coincidence we met at the one and only Parker House. That said, I still pinch myself and wonder, ‘how I ever got so lucky to meet her and marry her, I will never know.’ Thank you, Parker House. I remain madly in love with this beautiful ‘Jersey girl’.

I love you Valerie.”

-Larry

Gianna G. & Dan M.

“My now fiancé and I met in the Parker House basement of summer 2018 on Labor Day weekend. Started out with Mind Erasers and Spring Lakers at the back bar and now, 3 and a half years later, we’re engaged! We plan on having “Spring Lakers” as our signature cocktail since it was the first drink my fiancé bought me! We even have a classic picture from that first night of us together. Wouldn’t have found my fiancé without the Parker House cultivating the most premiere vibe for falling in love!!”

-Gianna

Melissa and Brendan D.

tied the knot 2016

“Brendan and I “officially” met at the Parker House in July of 2013. He was down at his family’s house in Sea Girt for the weekend and I was meeting up with some friends on the back porch. We were introduced by mutual friends and spent the afternoon on the porch and that evening down in the basement singing, dancing, and having a blast. At the end of the night, after agreeing that dating in your 30’s is not as fun as it sounds like it should be, I asked HIM on date! 3 years later he proposed on Beacon Blvd. beach where we had spent many summer days and went right to the Parker House to celebrate. We were married 8 days later and celebrated 6 weeks later with our friends and family at the Columns. Brendan’s mom still lives in Sea Girt and we try to get there as often as we can. We now live in Rumson where we raise our 2 boys who are being properly groomed to earn their VIP cards in a few years! Anytime we are down in “God’s Basement” with our kids there are always young people who hear our story and tell us that they want the same one! The Parker House has always been, and will always be one of our favorite places on Earth.”

– Melissa D.

Jennifer and Craig

tied the knot 1992

“My parents met at the Paker House on Memorial Day back in 1990! My mom, Jennifer, was born and raised down the shore and my dad, Craig, was a NYC transplant from Nebraska. Both were ready to celebrate the start of the summer at the Parker House that fateful Friday night. My dad approached my mom with a classic corny pickup line: “So, how many guys have offered to buy you a drink tonight,” and the rest is history. After raising our family in Monmouth Beach, and Nebraska for a time, they now reside on the Gulf in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. They will be celebrating 30 years of marriage this year, all thanks to God’s Basement.”

-their daughter Chloe

Nicolette C. and Jon A.

tying the knot August 2022 after 5 years together

Jon and Nicolette met at the Parker House 5 years ago. Jon ended up proposing to Nicolette on the beach where he then suggested they stop by the Parker House to get a drink and celebrate. Upon arrival, Jon surprised Nicolette with all their friends and family to celebrate their engagement at the place they met those years ago.

“It was amazing” – Nicolette

Courtney and Mike C.

tied the knot 2013

“We met for the first time at the Parker House in July 2008. Mike was from Staten Island and I’m a Jersey Girl. We both frequented the Parker House that summer and met upstairs on a Sunday Funday. Mike left to go eat some shrimp but he found me after and we danced and then hung out in the basement until closing time. What started as a “summer fling” turned into a long lasting relationship of 15 years. We got married in 2013 in Red Bank (was supposed to 2012 but we had to postpone our wedding because of Hurricane Sandy). After living in Hoboken for several years we moved down to Monmouth County and currently live in Aberdeen. We have 2 kids, Connor is 7 and Caroline is 5. We tell them about that summer and how we met and about the Parker House. We have a picture of it hanging in our living room and hope to take them there one day. It reminds us of the best summer we ever had and being young and carefree!

We went back to PH often in our younger days but not as much as we would like these days. We usually rent a beach house in the summer at the Jersey Shore and try to make it over there for lobsters and shrimp on the back porch.

“

Maria and Jim M.

tied the knot September 1992

“My name is Maria McDonough, and my Husband is Jim McDonough. We met in God’s Basement in the summer of 1990! I love that this was the nickname of this area of the Parker House!
Jimmy and I were introduced by a mutual friend, in early August 1990. He was a regular for years at the Parker House, however, it was my first year ever going there. I was a regular at Joey Harrisons Surf Club farther south. That year I had a summer house in Brielle with my older sister, who knew Jimmy and his friends. I was soon a fan of the Parker House vibe.
After being together for two years, we married on September 12, 1992 . This year will be our 30th wedding anniversary, thanks to the Parker House! We were married in Monmouth Beach where we have lived ever since .
Thanks to God’s basement we have been blessed with 5 fabulous girls ages 18-26. The of age girls love going to the Parker House! We have gone with them a few times and pointed out the spot where we met. They got a kick out of it!

Maybe they will meet their future soul mate as well there!

Thank you for the interest in our story!

Maria and Jim McDonough and our daughters
Jesse , Sam , Devon , Frankie , Rori”

Lisa and Matt T.

tied the knot August 2003

“How I met your father– Parker House love story.

The Jersey Shore has always held a very special place in my heart. From a very young age, I grew up spending summers on its beaches with my family and soon that turned into renting beach houses with friends in our twenties where we had a total blast! The Jersey Shore has created memories that I will treasure forever and think of often, especially all those times spent at the good ole’ Parker House! I loved everything about this place (and I still do) – – – from the rock bands and the competitive shuffle board games that were played downstairs to the amazing seafood on the outside back porch to the fun, lively dance scene upstairs. Although, there have been some recent, much needed updates to the place. (I was actually shocked and slightly disappointed in the bathroom remodel when those famous shutter bathroom doors of those tiny bathroom stalls were replaced. Those were the doors that heard all of our secrets before we went back onto the dance floor.) However, the Parker House holds the key to my heart because it’s the very special place where I met my future husband Matt, the love of my life, on one fateful Saturday night of August 4th, 2001.

My best friend Taryn and I were not even supposed to be at the Parker House that night. We had decided to go at the very last minute and enjoy a fun night of drinking and dancing after being stuck at a baby shower the whole afternoon! Isn’t that always the way?! The best plans are not planned at all! Saturday, August 4th, 2001: Drinks were flowing, the music was blasting, the bar was crowded, people were actually chatting since this was before our society’s obsession with cell phones. My friend and I ran into some friends at the bar and that’s how I was introduced to Matt. He bought me a drink which eventually led to a long kiss on the dance floor, ya’ know- – -typical Jersey Shore! (He still boasts to this day how I kissed him first, but he leaned in! LOL!!) However, this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship thanks to a great night at the Parker House. One year later, we were engaged, and two years later, we were married on August 9th, 2003.

Till this day, we return every year to the Parker House, along with our 12 year old son, Matthew, to enjoy a delicious traditional dinner on the porch. We get a kick out of watching all the dressed up “young” people waiting in a long line to get into this amazing meeting place and my husband

and I think back to our early Jersey Shore days! Hopefully, the Parker House will still be going strong in another 10 years and my son may meet that special someone just like his parents met over twenty years ago.”

~Lisa Toto

Mary-Kate and John L.

tied the knot September 2012

“Week after MDW 2009. It’s traditionally a quieter weekend and many of my Squan roomies abandoned me for Northern Territory. I shook off my grumpies, vanned it to PH and met a group of very funny guys by the shuffleboard table- and one hilarious Zach galifianakis lookalike in particular. September of this year will be 10 years of wedded bliss. Our three children also would like to shout out God’s basement for allowing them to be here today and look forward to finding their own true loves there in 14-17 years .

Our entire empire is built upon one chance meeting in God’s basement. We are forever indebted to Parker House for bringing us together and also all the nights (many, many, many nights over the course of 7 summers) we spent having the kind of fun you can only have at Parker. [We are] living the blissful parent life in Westfield. Parents to Jack (7) Molly (6) and Owen (4) Mary-Kate is employed as an RN and John works in business/ always has a side gig of volunteering to coach basketball and baseball. Even when we were in the thick of new parenthood we still lived vicariously through younger cousins who were still partying there [at Parker House] and creeping on insta to feel like we were still in the loop (or on that beautiful line).”

Heather and Nick R.

tied the knot September 2020

“My now husband and I met in Manasquan where we both had beach houses in 2017. At the time we met, we had no idea that his house was in the backyard of my house! Parker House is so important to us because it symbolizes our first true connection. After getting this mysterious hot neighbors phone number at Leggetts, I decided to invite him + his friends to Parker House one Sunday when Pat Roddy was playing. I remember waiting + waiting, feeling defeated that he might not show. Turns out he was upstairs looking for me, he had never been to PH + didn’t realize there was a basement! (Rookie move) When he finally emerged down the stairs, I introduced him to oyster shots + then we spent the night singing our hearts out. What I knew that night was that it was going to be a fun summer; what I didn’t know was that a fun summer would turn into a lifetime of happiness”

Pamela and Matt C.

tied the knot September 2019

“Matt and I met spending summers in Ocean Grove – our grandparents lived around the corner from one another and as it’s a pretty small town, we quickly became friends 15+ years ago. Once we were both 21+ years old, visiting Parker House was a summer must. We even ran one of the last Parker House Fun Runs together in 2014 – although we joke that Matt cheated and took a shortcut to get to the Bud Light’s faster! Later that year we took things to the next level and became “more than friends”. While dating we started a tradition of riding our bikes from Ocean Grove down to PH for lunch and would pass through God’s Basement for a Spring Laker (or 4, they go down easy!) before riding home. Fast forward to 2018 when Matt proposed, I had done my homework and saw that PH did weddings in the off season and I knew in my heart this would be a dream venue, I just needed Matt to get on board. Thankfully he was excited as well and the planning began. We were married September 14, 2019 and it was so magical to have all our family, friends, and loved ones celebrate with us in our favorite place. It was TRULY the best day ever ! Our love for the PH continues… We welcomed a child in August and of course, named him Parker! We cannot wait to bring him this summer, and hopefully he can get a VIP card so we can show him God’s Basement :)”

Kelsey and Will

tied the knot April 2021

“A Fist Pump with “Chelsea”: It seems like just yesterday when it all happened. It was Summer 2016, the week before MDW, and everyone was flocking to Parker House in Sea Girt, New Jersey for the official start of the summer. Will and his buddies, who were living in Spring Lake for the summer, were ready to kick off the summer with the infamous Friday Happy Hour. As the mid afternoon was getting off to a great start, Will and his friends were setting their sights on the action in “God’s Basement”. As this was occuring, Will peaked across the room and saw something was off. Right at the bar, a tall bro had fallen asleep with his head on a young lady’s shoulder. Will made eye contact with that young lady and he knew he had to spring into action when she shook her head in distress. It was a matter of moments that Will, acting in good faith, would be meeting the one woman he’d be spending the rest of his life with. She was a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and serious beach vibes.A simple tap on the shoulder and fist pump with the bro on her shoulder resulted in him moving away and Will meeting “Chelsea” (or so that’s what he heard). A few Bud Lights and dancing made for the night they would never forget. Will took the first step forward and asked for her number, to which “Chelsea” replied “yes!”. A couple of texts back and forth finally revealed the young lady to not be “Chelsea” but in fact the love of his life, Kelsey.
Fast forward to April of 2021 when we became husband and wife on the beach! We go to Parker House at least once a year to celebrate where we met and relive the memories in god’s basement! We look forward to taking our children there some day (for lunch)!”

Hillary and Kevin

tied the knot July 2018

“7/7/12 I had just graduated nursing school and was spending every Friday and Saturday night in God’s basement. On July 7th in the basement by the back bar I was walking to the bathroom when I literally bumped into Kevin. He was heading to the bar to get a drink and invited me to join. There he introduced me to his favorite bartender, Buck and bought me my first double spring laker. We spent hours at that bar and then traveled up to the boom boom room and banged our bud lites on the floor to a million voices-the rest is history. From then Kevin and I spent every weekend night together. A month later at the upstairs bar he told me he loved me. We spent the following summers doing Squan share houses and the Parker house was our weekend staple.

On July 14, 2018 we got married and in our vows Kevin said, “no matter what we achieve together, no matter what dreams of ours come to fruition, we will always be 2 kids from Jersey who fell in love at the Parker House.” Every time we get back to our basement back bar corner spot it’s like we are two young kids discovering love for the first time. I am currently pregnant with our first child and due July 2, in the running for names is of course, Parker. For most, the Parker House isn’t just a bar-it’s a little slice of eden, where when Pat Roddy sings a Bruce song you feel like you were born to run, where you are made to feel like the night is limitless and happiness floods your being. For me, it’s all of those things but it also brought me Kevin-who truly is my better half, without him I would be lost, and my life nowhere near as magical as it is everyday thanks to him. Thanks for reading my submission and letting me reflect on how much the Parker house has given to me.”

Kelly and Michael

tied the knot January 2022

“Mike and I first met at a party in the city where we had mutual friends. We both remember meeting and being interested in one another, but needed the good vibes of the Parker House to make it happen. In the summer of 2015, Mike and I ran into each other in the basement. We hit it off right away! Mike vividly remembers offering to buy me a Spring Laker in the basement to then realize he had no cash… we’ve all been there. I ended up paying for the drinks and it’s a scene that still haunts him to this day… I hardly remember it. That romance fizzled after the summer, but we can’t really pinpoint why. Two summers later, we reunited in the basement and it was for good this time.

Mike and I were engaged in December of 2019 in Central Park and finally married on January 1st, 2022 in Spring Lake. We served Spring Lakers at our wedding! We moved to Basking Ridge and still spend time at the Jersey Shore. The Parker House will hold a special place in our hearts forever. “

Frannie and Michael

“We met Memorial Day Weekend four years ago. We were both leaving the Parker House and were waiting for a Wally’s and Frannie decided to “jump” in the Wallys that I was in. The Wally’s driver made a sharp turn and she literally “fell into my lap” and the rest is history. We have been coming here for the last four years, as both had beach houses and look forward to it every summer.”

Frannie and Michael both currently live together in Hoboken. They love to travel and both enjoy skiing and golfing. Frannie and Michael still frequent the Parker House and love watching Pat Roddy!

Christina and John M.

tied the knot December 2020

“My now wife Christina and I met in the summer of ‘17 when our summer “palaces” shared a backyard in ‘squan. I knew Christina was special the very moment I first laid eyes on her. That summer we had a constant tug-of-war of Saturday “darty” locations. Christina being a devout Djais attendee, and myself, a cold-blooded, spring laker loving, proud PH man. I naturally won (most) of the battles and knew it was true love when Christina posted our first “IG official” picture right in the back bar of gods basement. When the summer came to an end, I knew Christina was too important to let go. Keeping it full circle, that Sunday of LDW, we were enjoying our last hurrah at PH. After my fair share of spring lakers, I asked her to be my girlfriend right in the very spot we had our first pic in gods basement! She said yes, and the rest is history. This past December we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and are proud Monmouth County residents.”

Amanda and Steve

tying the knot July 2022

“My fiance Steve and I met at The Parker House in the summer of 2016! Steve had already been working as a bar-back at Main Bar for several years. It was my first summer working as a waitress in the restaurant. One day before his shift, Steve came by the restaurant to say hello to some of his friends who were waitresses. I saw them talking to him and thought he was really cute and had a nice smile. I asked the girls about him and they quickly wanted to set us up. Jillian Berra who I teach with during the year then told her husband Larry Berra that I had been interested in Steve. Larry may have switched the words around a bit when he relayed this message to Steve, but either way he found out about my little crush. After a few weeks of quick conversations mid shift, Steve finally asked for my number after work one night at the foyer bar. The next day we went to the beach and began spending every day we weren’t working together. Now we are getting married this July and we owe it all to The Parker House. The PH will always have a very special and important place in our hearts.”

Colleen and Chris

tying the knot 2023

“My fiancé and I met in God’s Basement on July 7, 2017. We both went to Point Boro HS but graduated 7 years apart so we didn’t know each other at the time. I was standing near Dan D’s bar when Chris came up and asked if he could buy me a Bud Light. Every Friday after that we both showed up to the basement hoping to see each other – and we did! After the third Parker Friday he finally asked me out, and the rest is history! We go to Parker House for dinner every year on July 7, and hope to somehow incorporate PH into our 2023 wedding festivities!”

Emily and Jared

Photo by @susanelizabethwedddings

tying the knot July 22, 2022

“I met him on bumble 6 years ago. He was from Paramus and I was from Rumson. The first thing we bonded over was the Parker House! We talked about how we would spend every summer in God’s Basement or getting a lobster at the back porch. We would both always hang out at Will’s bar- him ordering Spring Lakers and me decorating the chalkboard. Even though we had all this in common, we never met. Since that first conversation six years ago, we have been dating ever since- spending all our free time in the summer with Will at his bar (still him with a Spring Laker and me decorating the chalkboard)! In fall 2020 we got engaged and plan to have our home away from home be a part of our day as much as possible: a watercolor drawing of the Parker House on our invitation, flying the Parker House flag on our big day at our venue, taking our engagement photos at PH, and having a table for all our Manasquan housemates at the wedding called “God’s Basement.””

Kristyn and Gary F.

tied the knot November 9, 2018

“Me and my girlfriends were going out one night back in June 2016 and Parker House was our destination. We were meeting up with one of our guy friends who we knew from lifeguarding. This guy lived in one of the backhouses of Sea Girt with a few friends. He was bringing some of his friends (obviously Gary was a part of this group). Funny thing was-I already knew of Gary. He was working with my mom at the time, and my mom got to know him through bus duty. It was mentioned a few times to me that ‘Gary was a great guy, I should meet him etc’ from my mom, but never pursued anything. Fast forward to this Friday night, we made the connection of him working with my mom, had a few drinks at Ryan Wade’s bar, and danced to Pat Roddy. The rest is history!

The following summer-Gary proposed to me on the beach down the street. It was a Sunday night, so the plan was to go to Parker House anyway. To my surprise, all of our family and friends were in the basement waiting for us to celebrate. For our wedding photos the following fall, making a pitstop at the Parker House was a priority to us since that is where it all started. To this day, we love to make Sunday nights with Roddy or just to grab a bite to eat at the raw bar. Luckily this summer, we got to bring our 6 month old daughter and “show” her where it all began. We can’t wait for this summer to enjoy some nights there :)”

Laura and James C.

tied the knot June 28, 2014

“My now husband, James and I “met” in the Parker House basement in June 2010. Back in 2010 my friends and I had a house in ‘squan and would start every Sat evening out at Parker House. I had arrived later than my friends that particular night and was eager to make up for lost time.

As I arrived I ran into a coworker, James, that worked on my floor but was not someone I really ever talked to. We made some small talk and I was ready to go find my friends. He offered to buy me a drink and I since I was playing catch up I accepted. He ordered 2 beers and 2 shots, and then attempted to pay with a credit card! Being a regular at this point, I couldn’t believe he didn’t know about the cash only rule. I paid for the drinks, which took a chunk of my cash reserved for the evening and stuck around talking to James so he could buy the next round with cash! We ended up hitting it off & the rest is history!

James claims he knew about the cash only rule and was a little festive when he ordered and simply forgot! We’ve had countless nights at the Parker House and it’s a special place for us. We got married on June, 28, 2014 and now live in North NJ. We have a daughter, Emma, and a baby boy on the way! ♥♥”