Fishing and tourism are suffering as oil washes up on many popular beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. So is one Mississippi man who peddles in romance.
'It Simply Won't Work'
Clyde Marcel makes his money on the beach. He plans weddings, and many couples dream of getting married on the beach.
"When you think about it, waves crashing behind you is fantastic," Marcel says of beachfront weddings. "But waves crashing with the smell of oil just won't work. It simply won't work."
And so, as reports of tar balls and oil mousse hit the Mississippi coast, Marcel's business is going bust.
Unique Commodity
At least five brides have canceled on him in the past two months, even though his favorite wedding spot is still clean. And more brides are threatening to back out, including the one for whom he has set an elaborate silk-draped table in his wedding showroom.
It's a mixed emotion in that the livelihood of that industry supports everybody I know back home, in one way or the other. And it takes a fool to say we should stop drilling.
The table is adorned in loden green and white colors with pink roses. But the ceremony location may change, Marcel says.
"She was originally on the beach, but right now we [have] almost talked her into the college," he says. The Jefferson Davis Campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport has an oak called "The Friendship Tree" that Marcel says would be a good spot for the wedding.
But he's not very hopeful that he'll keep that bride's business, because she's from out of town like a lot his customers.
"I can't promise her the beach -- all I can do is promise her a tree," Marcel says. And, he acknowledges, "The draw is the beach. You can find an oak tree anywhere."
He says he's losing about $30,000 a month. Normally his fall calendar would be filling up with weddings, but brides aren't calling. They're worried that the beaches will still be oily months from now.
Marcel is worried about his long-term financial health.
"I went to my insurance company to file a claim against my business interruption insurance [and] found out there was no claim to be claimed," he says.
Marcel's insurance company told him to visit the BP claims center. Marcel is not sure he'll qualify, but he figured it was worth a shot.
A Double-Edged Sword
He is actually a bit sympathetic toward the oil company. Because, until just a few years ago, Marcel was an oilman, too.
He is from Houma, La., and spent most of his life working on rigs in the Gulf.
"It's a mixed emotion in that the livelihood of that industry supports everybody I know back home, in one way or the other," he says. "And it takes a fool to say we should stop drilling."
But for now, that drilling has put a stop to his weddings.
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