Jacob Feibusch and Emily Mae Siegel met in kindergarten in Kings Park. On Sunday, November 8, they were married at Brecknock Hall in Greenport, in a wedding paid for by the North Fork. The couple were this year's winners of the Veterans Day Wedding Giveback, a contest run by Peconic Landing and Brecknock Hall that has given a complete wedding to a military couple every year since 2011. This was the 14th.

The groom: an Army captain who farms oysters

Feibusch is a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving as a brigade human resources officer with the 2nd Brigade Headquarters of the 78th Training Division in Newport, Rhode Island. His earlier assignments were in network operations and movement control units. He holds two Army Achievement Medals, one for his work as a weapons range officer in command and one from Operation Freedom Shield in South Korea.

Off duty, he runs Davy Jones Shellfish Company, a 20-acre oyster farm in Peconic Bay. He sits on the board of the Long Island Farm Bureau and is treasurer of the Long Island Oyster Growers Association.

The bride: a seventh-grade English teacher

Siegel teaches seventh-grade English in the Eastport-South Manor Central School District. Her father and grandfather both served in the U.S. Army. After growing up together in Kings Park, she and Feibusch reconnected in college and began dating in 2020. They now live in Cutchogue.

How the couple was chosen

The contest is open to current service members and veterans, as long as at least one partner has served or is serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. A panel of Peconic Landing members with military ties picks the winners, weighing years of service, military honors and the couple's own story. Feibusch and Siegel found out on May 14 during a surprise reveal at Peconic Landing, with family members there in person and others watching over Zoom.

A $65,000 wedding, donated

Peconic Landing values the package at about $65,000, and nearly all of it comes from local businesses and organizations donating their time and work. This year's list ran to more than two dozen names, most of them from the North Fork, including:

  • The setting: Brecknock Hall, with a tent from McBurnie Tent
  • Food and drink: By Hand Catering, East End Events Catering, Southold Fish Market, Sterlington Deli, Sassy Sue's Tasty Treats, Leanne's Specialty Cakes, Bridge Lane Wines, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company and Greenport Wines & Spirits
  • Flowers, dress and beauty: Blooms by Design, Riverhead Flower Shop, North Fork Bridal Shoppe, North Fork Face and Beauty By Devonn
  • Photos, music and paper: Amanda Lee Seely Photography, Fresh Face Photobooths, Make Some Noise DJs and Arni Paperie
  • Getting there: Vineyard Vans
  • Also on the list: the North Fork NJROTC, Nic's Knack, Libby Koch and Valerie Defio of Touchstone Crystal

Peconic Landing is the senior living community at 1500 Brecknock Road in Greenport, with independent living, assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing on one campus. Robert J. Syron, Peconic Landing's president and CEO, described the couple's ties to the North Fork as part of what made the day meaningful for the organization, and thanked the businesses and volunteers who have kept the tradition going for 14 years.

Next year's contest

Applications for the 2027 Veterans Day Wedding Giveback will be posted in January on Peconic Landing's website. Couples planning their own event at Brecknock Hall can reach Valerie Tirelli-Hallock, the venue's sales and events coordinator, at [email protected]. Brecknock Hall is at 1 Brecknock Road, Greenport, 631-593-8200, and Peconic Landing can be reached at 631-663-8779.

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