Maggie Halsey

47

Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

When your business is beach weddings, says Halsey, it gets to where you’re scared to pick up the phone for fear of another cancellation. Halsey owns Barefoot Weddings, which arranges ceremonies near Fort Walton Beach. Already, 16 couples have canceled because of the spill. Halsey keeps the deposits, from $200 to $700, but that’s only a fraction of what the bill would be. “We’re referring people to BP’s claim office for their deposits,” she says. She tells customers that if tar balls appear on the sand the day of a wedding, or booms float in the background, they can be removed from pictures with Photoshop. But the cancellations keep coming.