Happily Ever After: LI Couple Wins Dream Wedding Giveaway

LONG ISLAND, NY — One lucky Long Island couple were announced as the winner of special wedding giveaway. In May, the Bohemia-based business, New York Tent, launched the giveaway to provide one couple with a dream wedding venue large enough to accommodate 175 guests. The contest was started to help a frontline worker during the coronavirus crisis.

Recently, the company announced that 26-year-old Shannon Nigg, of East Moriches and 29-year-old Shaka Ballantyne, of Calverton were the recipients of the prize. The couple met at Boardy Barn, a popular bar in Hampton Bays, in August 2016. The two began dating three weeks later and endured a long distant relationship for about nine months.

Then both decided to apply to Radiology School at Peconic Bay Medical Center to be a part of a competitive program that only accepted 12 students. The couple were both accepted into the program and began to attend two years of school to become radiologic technologists.

Then on June 7, Ballantyne proposed at a local beach in Wading River. After getting engaged, the couple were informed of the giveaway by a professor from radiology school as well as Nigg's boss. The two took the opportunity to tell their story as an interracial couple and give them a great opportunity financially to still be able to bring their family and friends together to celebrate their union.

"After hearing that we won the contest we were filled with so much joy and love. Our thoughts kept leading us to say 'God is so good,'" Niggs told Patch. "We were overwhelmed with all the love and outpouring we received from our family members, friends, and co-workers."

Ballantyne and Niggs are now getting ready for their wedding on July 31, 2021 at Brecknock Hall in Greenport.

"On our wedding day we are looking forward to becoming one in God’s eyes and to celebrate the unity of our marriage. We cannot wait to see all the hands of everyone who donated come together and create this beautiful evening," Niggs said. "To be able to witness everyone putting their time and energy into this one event has made us feel incredibility humbled. Lastly to see all of our family and friends come together a celebrate will make this night one we will never forget. We just want to thank all the vendors who have donated from the bottom of our hearts and we want to thank everyone who had voted for us continually. Your love and support has filled us with so much happiness."

This article originally appeared on the Sayville-Bayport Patch