VALENTINE'S DAY

Love and leather

Two local couples renew wedding vows at biking-themed ceremonies

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Carmen De La Cruz, an employee of the Town of Hempstead Department of Public Works, will soon be leaving her post and Elmont home to retire to Jacksonville, Fla. with her husband of 32 years, Ramon. The pair plans to quite literally ride off into the sunset, as they recently found a new hobby: riding motorcycles.

A few short days before their move, the De La Cruzes decided to celebrate their new passion for biking and their longstanding love for one another by renewing their wedding vows at Harley-Davidson of Nassau County.

“This is so nice,” Carmen said, donning a leather cap with a veil tucked underneath, waiting for the ceremony to begin. “We’ve been riding for a few years and [town officials] knew we were into it, so we said, why not?”

The De La Cruzes were one of nine married couples to renew their vows at a town-sponsored event at the Bellmore motorcycle shop. Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray officiated at the “Biker Love” ceremonies on Feb. 13, as all in attendance celebrated love and leather just before Valentine’s Day.

Murray explained that, every year, town officials discuss how they could honor Valentine’s Day by celebrating locals’ commitments to one another, which she described as a cornerstone of society. They knew many former police officers and veterans were interested in motorcycles, so they reached out to different biking groups and found several pairs of people who wanted to renew their vows.

“It wasn’t very hard to find couples,” she said. “It’s all about fun – the love of motorcycling, the open road and each other. But when you come down to it, it is also a renewal of marriage and is really poignant.”

The celebration began at 11 a.m. at Newbridge Road Park, where some of the couples and their friends met to form a motorcycle procession to Harley. Bundled up in leather jackets, the bikers cruised up Newbridge to Sunrise Highway on a frigid morning, as the cold did not deter them from kicking off the “Biker Love” festivities in style.

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