Roman Jewelers Partners with TLC stars Robert L) and Jerry (R) Frungillo to host this year's Roman Jewelers Wedding presented by New Jersey Bride magazine.

Mountain Lakes – Jerry and Robert Frungillo, stars of TLC TV show Masters of Reception have teamed up with a luxury jeweler and New Jersey Bride magazine to give away a free wedding. The contest, created by Roman Jewelers of Flemington and Bridgewater invites engaged couples to compete for the wedding by raising money or making a difference for one of ten New Jersey charities.

 Known for throwing lavish weddings at their four locations – The Villa, Skylands Manor, The Mezzanine and Oakeside Mansion – Frungillo Caterers (www.frungillo.com) was chosen for TLC’s TV show over 100 other caterers. “They like how we go out of our way for our events and our brides and grooms. They witnessed it first hand and liked our family atmosphere and how Robert and I are so involved in what happens every day — selecting menus, purchasing fresh items, and training our staff ourselves. They like how we never say no, we just keep going and going until people are happy.”

 The Frungillos were happy to get involved in a giveaway that gives back to the community. “It’s nice to help people out during these tough times,” explains Jerry, the older of the two brothers.

 Along with developing a passion for doing whatever it takes to make their clients happy, the Frungillo brothers learned the importance of helping others early on. “If something ever happened to someone we knew, my father would be the first one to house offering to help out, we learned that lesson and are always helping out organizations and individuals,” admits Robert.

 Although Frungillo Caterers has given away a wedding reception in the past, this contest is far different.  Now in it’s second year, The Roman Jewelers Wedding combines romance with philanthropy. To win the luxury wedding prize, brides and grooms-to-be will have the make a difference for ten New Jersey non-profit organizations.

 Last year’s contest, created to celebrate Roman Jewelers’ 20^th Anniversary and help area charities raise funds and awareness in tough economic times raised nearly $100,000 for charity in 6 short weeks. “Our couples did such a good job. They worked so hard and the community is so thankful.  We don’t expect any less from this year’s contest,” said Roman Jewelers’ co- owner Sophie Shor.  “We’re expecting more,” she adds with a smile.

At auditions on July 17, 2010 at The Villa at Mountain Lakes, couples will tell their compelling love story to a panel of judges from 9am to 2:30pm. At 2:30, judges will announce twenty semifinalist couples that will have two weeks to develop a creative and original “Good Deed Plans” to help their chosen charity.

The ten best plans will be chosen to move on as finalists and compete to win the grand prize; a free luxury wedding including a reception with food and drinks for 200 guests at The Villa, diamond wedding bands from Roman Jewelers, a couture wedding gown from Donna Morello Wedding Gowns, entertainment by Craig Scott, floral arrangements by Conroy’s Creations, professional photography by Transposure Fine Art Photography and invitations by Occasions. Videography, luxury transportation, skin care and exercise packages, hair and makeup, tuxedos, and a honeymoon at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Hawaii’s big island are also all included.

Finalist couples will have approximately eight weeks to implement their “Good Deed Plans on behalf their Charitable Partners which include Make-A-Wish Foundationâ of New Jersey, Special Olympics New Jersey, Anderson House, Woodlands Wildlife Refuge, America’s Grow-a-Row, The Arc of Hunterdon, Hunterdon Art Museum, Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity, SAFE in Hunterdon and the Hunterdon County YMCA.

 The winning couple will be announced at Flemington’s Renaissance Plaza in October. They will be chosen based on the couple’s love story, their dedication to helping others, the impact they’ve had on charity and the results of their Good Deed.

To register and find out more information about the luxury wedding visit www.romanjewelers.com

Flemington – A lucky couple who makes the biggest difference by conducting an original and creative philanthropic initiative can win a free luxury wedding in this year’s Roman Jewelers Wedding Contest presented by Roman Jewelers of Flemington & Bridgewater and New Jersey Bride magazine.

Last year’s contest, originally created to celebrate Roman Jewelers’ 20^th Anniversary and help area charities raise funds and awareness in tough economic times, was so successful they decided to hold it again.  Thanks to the efforts of ten dedicated finalist couples, the inaugural contest raised nearly $100,000 for ten area non-profits in 6 short weeks.

“There was an outpouring of interest from area residents and charities. Last year’s couples did such a good job. They worked so hard and the community is so thankful.  We don’t expect any less from this year’s contest,” said Roman Jeweler’s store co- owner Sophie Shor.  “We’re expecting more,” she adds with a smile.

Roman Jewelers is pleased to partner with generous area businesses such as Frungillo Caterers, owned by Jerry and Robert Frungillo, known for stunning catering venues and their TV show, Masters of Reception on TLC.

“We are also pleased to partner with New Jersey Bride magazine, whose coverage of the contest will further help the charities’ causes,” says Shor.

Couples interested in winning their dream luxury wedding by helping others should register online then attend auditions on Saturday, July 17^th at the Villa at Mountain Lakes, in Mountain Lakes, NJ. Those who attend will tell their love story to a panel of judges, after which 20 couples will be chosen to compete as semifinalists.

Once chosen, semifinalists will develop “Good Deed Plans,” or philanthropic initiatives for one of the ten Charitable Partners involved in the event.” The 10 most impressive plans will move on as finalists and implement their “Good Deeds” from August 2^nd to September 30^th, 2010.

The winning couple will be announced at Flemington’s Renaissance Plaza in October. They will be chosen based on the couple’s love story, their dedication to helping others, the impact they’ve had on charity and the results of their Good Deed.

To register and find out more information about the luxury wedding visit www.romanjewelers.com

About The Roman Jewelers Wedding, presented by New Jersey Bride:

The Roman Jewelers Wedding is a luxury-wedding giveaway combined with philanthropic outreach.  From July 17 to October 7, 2010 soon-to-be-married couples will compete to win a free luxury wedding by raising money or making a difference for one of ten New Jersey charities. Last year’s inaugural contest raised approximately $100,000 in only 6 weeks. 

This year’s winning couple will receive a luxury wedding courtesy of Roman Jewelers and its ‘Romantic Partners,’ a group of premier New Jersey wedding vendors.  Their reception at The Villa at Mountain Lakes, owned by Robert and Jerry Frungillo of TLC’s Masters of Reception television show, will be complemented by various accoutrements from Frungillo Caterers, Mariage Couture, Conroy’s Creations, Transposure Fine Art Photography, Craig Scott Entertainment, honeymoon by Hilton Waikoloa Village at Waikoloa Beach Resort in Hawaii, Mikimoto, Absolute Media Productions, Dieci Lifestyle Spa, Dress for Success, LeMedSpa, NJ Limo Bus & Limousine, Occasions, Opulent Events, Printech, Sphericality and Roman Jewelers.

About Roman Jewelers:

Roman Jewelers is a family owned and operated store with locations in Flemington and the Bridgewater Commons Shopping Mall in Bridgewater. Roman Jewelers specializes in custom jewelry design, fine jewelry including diamond and bridal jewelry, designer jewelry and jewelry repairs.   The Roman Jewelers Flemington location also offers a wide selection of fine Swiss watches. Additional information about Roman Jewelers is available at the company’s website, www.romanjewelers.com.

Sophie & Roman Shor are recognized for service to Hunterdon Community by Senator Leonard Lance

On Saturday, May 8, 2010 the Hunterdon County YMCA hosted its 20th Annual Recognition Dinner at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club honoring Roman and Sophie Shor, founders of Roman Jewelers, for outstanding service in the community. Congressman Leonard Lance was in attendance and presented the couple with a congressional award.

Through this event the YMCA raised over $105,000 for its financial assistance program, a new record. The financial assistance program allows people facing economic and social challenges the opportunity to participate in YMCA programs and services including summer camp, childcare and health and wellness. The funds raised through the Annual Recognition Dinner will help local children attend camp, participate in sports and receive childcare provided by the YMCA.

In addition to the YMCA, the Shors are supporters with the Hunterdon Medical Center, Safe in Hunterdon and the local Police and Fire departments. They have a special place in their hearts for the school children & seniors who they regularly help with with donations and special seminars. Most recently, they have lent their energies and talents to the event “The Roman Jewelers Wedding” which is designed to encourage volunteerism and philanthropy in young adults. Last year’s premiere event proved to be a wonderful way to inspire commitment and awareness in a younger generation, raising over $100,000 for various local and national charities.

HUNTERDON COUNTY — Joe Panico and Angela Rotella raised more than $33,000 for the Special Olympics of New Jersey to win what promises to be an unforgettable $100,000 wedding. But in the wake of winning the Roman Jewelers wedding grand prize, the couple said the race to victory was just as rewarding.

The couple was awarded the grand prize Thursday at Roman Jewelers in Flemington in a competition that pitted 10 couples against one another in a bid to come up with the most creative and effective philanthropic project to benefit various organizations across the state in a six-week period.

“In a world of Bridezillas, where weddings are all about selfishness, we thought by putting philanthropy with weddings that it would be that much more meaningful to those involved,” said Sophie Shor, owner of the event’s chief sponsor, Roman Jewelers.

Panico, of the Three Bridges section of Readington, and Rotella, of Flemington, raised a total of $33,647 for the Special Olympics of New Jersey through their project “Taking the Plunge,” which solicited donations while hosting over 100 Special Olympics athletes at professional sporting events throughout the state.

The couple said spending time with the Special Olympics athletes and watching them smile with excitement when they were featured at the events — such as being brought onto the ice at a New Jersey Devils game — kept them going.

“Watching people smile that really deserve to smile, it’s like its own energy source,” Panico said.

Panico and Rotella will be married on Feb. 14 and will be treated to a $100,000 wedding that includes a gala reception at the Palace at Somerset Park for 200 people.

“We’ve been doing this every day, I haven’t even chosen my bridesmaids yet,” she said.

But she said she wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.

“Everybody remembers their wedding day, but we’ll never forget the six weeks that led up to it,” Rotella said.

October 2, 2009. By Dominic Serrao/Examiner.THREE BRIDGES, N.J. – In order to help spread the message of the Special Olympics New Jersey, Angela Rotella of Flemington and fiancé Joe Panico of Three Bridges recently organized for five professional sports teams to host athletes from the not-for-profit organization, which provides sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

The athletes and the programs of the Special Olympics New Jersey were introduced to the crowds at the games of the New Jersey Devils, Camden Riversharks, Lakewood BlueClaws, Newark Bears and the Somerset Patriots.

At a Riversharks game held at Campbell’s Field, the Special Olympics athletes had the opportunity to spend time with many of the players during their pre-game warm up routines. Rotella excitedly said, “It was a blast for both us and the athletes.”

In an interview with the Examiner, Panico said that “their smiles were priceless.”  According to Panico, the faces of the athletes would light up each time they were being cheered on by thousands of fans at the games. “At the New Jersey Devils game, one of the kids said that he hadn’t been that happy, ever. It was truly a moving experience for both of us,” said Panico.

Rotella and Panico are amongst the top ten finalists in ‘The Roman Jewelers Wedding’, a luxury wedding giveaway to a couple that proves they can work together and make a difference in the community. As part of the contest, each finalist couple is currently executing their individual ‘Good Deed Plan’ for a randomly assigned charitable partner.

The good deed plan for the young couple culminates with them “taking the plunge”, literally. They will be running into the Crystal Lake in Oakland on November 28 to benefit the Special Olympics New Jersey.

“We are seeking support from the community in our quest to ‘take the plunge,’ figuratively and literally,” said Rotella.

For more information, visit the couple’s website, Angela and Joe’s Wedding.

In an interview with the Examiner, Hrehovcik said, “I am thrilled and surprised to be selected as a semi-finalist.“ Upon hearing the news, she said her biggest concern was getting in touch with MacDonnell to let him know that they had made it through to the next round.
MacDonnell, a resident of Berlin in Camden County, proposed to Hrehovcik on Holy Saturday right before Easter. He used a trail of freshly cut daffodils along with a series of notes and clues to lead her from church to her parents house with stops at her grandmother’s and aunt’s house. “At my parent’s house, he proposed in front of all of my extended family. It was extremely romantic,” she gushes.

Each semi-finalist couple was randomly assigned a charitable partner. They are busy working on a ‘Good Deed Plan’, which will outline their approach and support in making a difference for their charity.

Hrehovcik and MacDonnell are working with the Hunterdon County YMCA. “We are so thrilled to be able to directly give back to the YMCA and return their kindness,” she said.

The ten couples with the most impressive plans will be chosen as finalists on Saturday August 29. Throughout September 2009, the couples will be required to execute their philanthropic initiative.

To help the Roman Jewelers team get to know them better, Hrehovcik and MacDonnell have started an online video series on Facebook and YouTube detailing their stories.

A couple is interviewed by judges for the Roman Jewelers Wedding Auditions on Saturday at Bridgewater Commons.BRIDGEWATER — When Bianca Ruffin came to Bridgewater Commons to compete for a luxury wedding on Saturday, she was unlike all of the other future brides who auditioned. She didn’t come with her fiance. He was thousands of miles away, on his second tour in Iraq.

So Ruffin, 22, of Branchburg, showed up with her mother, and the two competed as a team.

“He wanted to be here, but couldn’t,” Ruffin said of her fiance, Domenick Distano, a 23-year-old Marine who will be coming home in October.

Bianca Ruffin after learning she is in the competition to win a wedding.
The Ruffins were one of 20 couples selected for the promotional contest for an all-inclusive wedding valued at $100,000, bankrolled by Roman Jewelers. Now, the 20 couples must develop plans for a “good deed,” and prove they can make a difference
in the community.

Approximately 30 couples auditioned in front of a panel of judges on Saturday. They had about five minutes to tell their love story, share examples of how they have helped others, and state why they should win. They were also judged on appearance, chemistry, energy, enthusiasm, and if they would be good representatives of the brands sponsoring the event.

From there, 10 couples will be selected to implement their plan, keeping up-to-date by blogging, sending pictures and tweeting to show their progress. The couple judged most successful will win a dream wedding — complete with rings, a wedding dress, bridesmaid gowns, tuxedos, honeymoon (location to be decided,) cake, and a reception at the Palace at Somerset Park.

Sophie Shor, owner of Roman Jewelers, said she wanted to give a couple the chance to have their dream wedding and to give back to the community at the same time in celebrating Roman Jewelers’ 20th anniversary. The couples will be teamed up with one of 10 New Jersey charities (Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity, The Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, SAFE in Hunterdon, Hunterdon County YMCA, Special Olympics New Jersey, Hunterdon Art Museum, St. Hubert’s, Bonnie Brae School, The Arc of Hunterdon, and the Flemington Food Pantry). They will then have two weeks to develop a “good deed plan.”

Shor said throwing a wedding, especially during a rough economy, is not easy for many young couples.

Because of the economy, the average amount couples spend on a wedding is anticipated to drop at least 10 percent in 2009, according to The Wedding Report, a research firm baseed in Tucson. In 2008, the average price for a wedding was $21,814, down from $27,490 in 2007.

“In this economy, education fees keep going up, the jobs are more difficult to come by, salaries are not as high,” said Shor. “To really have the wedding of your dreams is hard.”

Ruffin, a student at Raritan Valley Community College, agreed. “It’s been stressful,” she said. “Saving is hard because I’m a student, and my mom is a single parent.”
As soon as Ruffin found out she was chosen, she went home and instant messaged her fiance.

“Baby we were chosen for the semifinals,” she wrote at 1 a.m. his time.

Ruffin found out she would have to come up with a philanthropic plan for Safe in Hunterdon, a non-profit organization that helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“We need to start brainstorming,” she added.

Some couples, like Vince Mueller, 45, and Dawn Giuliano, 44, from Lyndhurst, have been engaged for years and the contest provided the opportunity to get hitched.
Giuliano, a make-up artist, heard about the competition on theknot.com, a popular wedding-planning Web site. They described their philanthropic history to the judges, and seemed pleased with their audition.

“We’ve been trying to get married for a long time — enough already,” said Giuliano.

The Roman Jewelers Wedding giveaway

Roman Jewelers has announced ten charities that will benefit from The Roman Jewelers Wedding contest. A winner will be determined according to which couple makes the biggest contribution to their charity. Couples participating in the contest will work with representatives from each Charitable Partner to develop a “Good Deed Plan” and make a difference in the community.

A range of charities have been selected to assure competing couples will reach out to a variety of community organizations in need, ranging from therapeutic learning for troubled youths to animal welfare services.

The ten Charitable Partners participating in The Roman Jewelers Wedding include;  Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity, The Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center, SAFE in Hunterdon, Hunterdon County YMCA, Special Olympics, Hunterdon Art Museum, St. Hubert’s, Bonnie Brae School, The Arc of Hunterdon, and the Flemington Food Pantry.

Couples interested in winning a free luxury wedding are encouraged to attend the auditions at Bridgewater Commons Mall on August 15th. Brides and grooms-to-be will tell their love story to a panel of judges. Twenty couples will be chosen as semi-finalists and given the opportunity to demonstrate they are driven to make a difference by working with their chosen Charitable Partner.

There won’t be any talent shows or other competitions, couples will only compete against each other to contribute the most to charity. “We thought it would be great to give a lucky couple the wedding they’ve always dreamt of. Then we realized this is a wonderful opportunity to help more than just two people, so we made the contest about philanthropy. Now instead of only helping the winning couple, we will hopefully help hundreds,” says Sophie Shor, owner of Roman Jewelers. To get involved visit www.theromanjewelerswedding.com.