When Rick Zimmerman and Robb Kimbles were looking for a location for their June 2019 wedding, they first gravitated toward Cape Henlopen State Park’s Herring Point.
That spot, while a favorite of the Zimmermans, in particular for its soaring views of the Atlantic Ocean, just didn’t lend itself to hosting a wedding and reception.
Deciding on a wedding date of June 8 of the same year — a scant four months away, the two began an intense hunt for the perfect locale. The short planning period “put us a bit of a tailspin,” Zimmerman said.
Since they planned to invite family and friends “from all over,” it was important to them to have their ceremony and celebration someplace memorable. The couple said they drove by some places that friends had suggested, but nothing quite checked all of their boxes.
One day, shortly after Kimbles “popped the question” on Valentine’s Day 2019, co-workers in their office at Jack Lingo Realtor’s Lewes location were attempting to help them find the perfect wedding spot.
“Robb was out of the office,” Kimbles said, but the co-workers were on mission.
When Zimmerman came back in the office, Lingo and Cooch shared their idea with him, showed him some information about the site, and soon after, Zimmerman said, he told Kimbles, “We have our wedding venue.”
“The” location turned out to be Fort Miles, a World War II installation within Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. The fort was a busy place during the second World War, serving as an outlook point for enemy vessels that could have been approaching the East Coast, where they could conceivably have attacked a number of port cities.
In later years, the fort sat unoccupied and unattended. That is, until a group of volunteers went in and started to clear out decades of debris — the first task in bringing the fort back as a living history museum.
That group, known as “the Bunker Busters,” still works with the fort’s 6-foot-thick concrete walls, built into the side of a large dune, in the continuing efforts to tell the fort’s story in a meaningful way.
One of their latest projects was opening up a space in the fort’s Battery 519 where events can be held, as well as building a space just outside the fort, overlooking the confluence of the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, where guests can take in the splendid views.
A few weeks after learning about the fort from Cooch, who is a member of its board of directors, Kimbles and Zimmerman, led by Cooch, saw it for the first time. That day, they said, was cold and misty. Still, they were convinced they had found their wedding spot.
“We were cool,” Kimbles said.
Soon, they toured the facility with Fort Miles Executive Director Mark Chura.
“He told us what the plans were — the vision,” for the event space, Zimmerman said. “We were already on board at that point.”
By having their wedding be first “event” to be held in the new space, the couple experienced a few perks — such as helping to pick out the carpet in the indoor portion of the space. The planning of their event also helped the Bunker Busters to figure out appropriate placement of things like electric outlets, they said.
Both men said the Bunker Busters put in yeoman’s work to make sure the venue was ready for their big day.
“It was all the way up ’til the day of the wedding,” Zimmerman said, with electric wiring to the bandstand the final detail. “They promised and delivered,” he said.
June 8 arrived, and started cool and foggy — not as cold, but otherwise similar to the first day Kimbles and Zimmerman had seen their wedding location. As their 5:30 p.m. wedding time neared, though, the weather cleared.
“We had the use, if things went south, to use the inside space,” Zimmerman said.
As it was, guests were free to walk through the history Battery 519 during the evening to get a glimpse of its historic significance.
Guests, Kimbles and Zimmerman said, were duly impressed by the history of the fort, as well as the epic views out to the ocean, with the picturesque Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse visible and the New Jersey coast lighting up the view as night fell.
Wanting a casual feel for their event, they planned a short ceremony that followed an hour-long time for them to greet their guests. Afterward, dinner was served at several stations, and then the cool evening air set up the perfect atmosphere for dancing into the night.
“We wanted it to be like a very long cocktail party,” Zimmerman said.
“It worked out perfectly,” Kimbles added.
Catering for their celebration was by Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, and tenting was provided by Coastal Tented Events in Ocean View.
The men heaped compliments on the Bunker Busters, the staff at the fort and Chura, who they said personally chauffeured guests from the parking lot to the fort throughout the night in a camo-painted golf cart.
They said they were struck by the fact that many of their guests — particularly those who had served in the military — found the site “very moving” and found its history fascinating.
Chura said the future holds even more enhancements for the area around the fort, including paths that connect the parking area to the event space, as well as improving other outdoor areas that can be used for events.
“There are a lot of fun things you can do out here,” he said as he pointed out future focus areas.
“The nice thing is we can accommodate a very large group, or we can size it down. Whatever size group we do it for, we can create a very intimate setting,” Chura said.
The work on the event spaces is being continued thanks to grants from private organizations including the Longwood Foundation and the Crystal Trust Foundation, as well as the State of Delaware.
“If anybody has the opportunity to use it for anything, the staff are just incredible. They will bend over backwards to make you feel like you’re the only one, like you’re special,” Zimmerman said.
For more information on holding your special event at Fort Miles, contact Mark Chura, executive director, at mark@chura-assc.com.
