The beach was the perfect place for her and her husband, Mark, to officially celebrate their matrimony with a vow-renewal ceremony.

Rebecca, 24, did her research and discovered Tropical Beach Weddings, owned by Cecelia and Michael Cappella of Navarre. Though her initial hope was to have her wedding ceremony in Destin or Fort Walton Beach, Cappella easily changed Rebecca's mind.

"When we booked our wedding through her, she suggested we check out Navarre Beach," said Rebecca, who lives in Phoenix City, Ala. "And we did. It's a great, hidden gem that no one knows about. We loved it."

In March, Rebecca booked her beach-side service for June 21.

But when news of the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion hit mainstream media, Rebecca became concerned.

"We were a little worried, but just hoped that (the oil) wouldn't make it that far," she said.

Each week, Rebecca monitored local news outlets, as well as called Cecelia for updates on the status of Navarre Beach.

"We never had thoughts of canceling," she said. "We would go down and check out the water. We just loved the location and if (the oil) made its way there, we'd find a spot that wasn't too bad and still (have the ceremony)."

Rebecca's luck prevailed and she and Mark renewed their vows June 21, surrounded my close family and friends.

"Navarre Beach is not as touristy as Destin, Fort Walton Beach or Pensacola," Rebecca said. "It's still natural and the beaches are still untouched. It was perfect."

Since the oil spill, Cecelia has seen a drop in business - but fortunately not from cancellations.

"We've had about 10 cancellations but a lot of phone calls," she said. "The bad part is, we're not booking any weddings, and this is the time when we book weddings - little ones for the summer or weekdays or for the fall - and we haven't' booked anything in five weeks."

Cecelia knew immediately after news of the oil spill broke that she and her 7-year-old business would be affected negatively.

"I was worried about what the brides were going to hear," she said. "But they call me every week and I tell them what's going on out at the beach. If there's tar balls, they get cleaned up. But so far, no oil."

Though Cecelia is hopeful the dark sludge may not wash along the sugar-white shores of Navarre Beach, she's also realistic.

"It's going to hurt, definitely," she said. "Worse case scenario, (the beach) won't be anything like it's been and people won't want to come here.

"If it's not worse case, they'll get it cleaned up and people will still want to come here to the beach to get married."

Eight years ago, Cecelia and Michael moved from Georgia to Destin to expand on their new business in beach weddings. Formerly an office manager at a doctor's office, Cecelia had dabbled in photography, eventually mastering the art. While she took photos, her husband would officiate the ceremonies, occasionally serving as the DJ and caterer.

"We started out doing 55 weddings a year," Cecelia said. "But that was part-time. We moved down here and this was going to be our retirement. Mike and I have put a tremendous amount of work into this business and we're not going to start a new business somewhere else."

While on a weekend drive shortly after relocating to Okaloosa County, the Cappella's discovered Navarre's pristine beaches. It was then that the two decided to settle down on Navarre Beach.

"We would do 200 weddings a year and still turn people away," she said. "And that's because we wanted these brides to have everything they wanted. We wanted to focus on them."

Last year, Cecelia bought the former Navarre Beach Flower Shop on U.S. Highway 98. She hired a full-time floral manager to create bouquets and other floral arrangements for various events and special occasions, including weddings.

"I had called up a friend who was a florist and she had worked in a floral shop in Fort Walton," Cecelia explained. "I told her about this crazy idea I had and asked if she'd come manage it."

At the time, Cecelia didn't think twice about the fate of her purchase. But as the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sloshes closer to Navarre Beach, she's all too-thankful for her business decision.

"I had no idea a year-and-a-half ago why I was supposed to buy this flower shop," she said. "Now I know."

Two weeks after the oil spill, the Cappellas immediately filed a claim with BP to start documenting the loss Cecelia knew she would face.

Cecelia anticipates a 40-percent drop in business over 2010 and possibly more next year, though she hasn't been taking reservations until she knows what the fate of Navarre Beach will be.

"This year was going to be one of the biggest years we've had until this happened," she said. "I was just worried about fighting hurricanes this year. I was down and out, really, thinking what in the heck am I going to do.

"But I just keep going," she continued, "and we're thankful that our brides are OK with what's going on. They know we'll make it beautiful no matter where we are - on the gulf or sound-side."

Description

Wedding specialist Cecelia Cappella continues to wed couples on Navarre Beach, despite the oil spill.