Romance sets sail

If you’re one of those people keen on Elvis sightings, the King is alive and well, and marrying people on a cute little riverboat in Newport Harbor.

Capt. Rick Garcia dons the chops and jumpsuit to perform the Elvis wedding. More often than not, though, he can be found in the more traditional captain’s uniform as he unites couples in holy matrimony on the Angela Louise, the miniature, battery electric replica of a Louisiana paddle boat — minus the paddle — he purchased in 2003.

As a mobile DJ operator, Garcia had been performing on yachts in the harbor for several years before hooking up with the previous owner of the Angela Louise, who had named the boat after his sixth wife.

She was ex-wife No. 6 within a year, Garcia said, proving boat owners should follow one simple nautical rule.

“You never rename your boat after the woman you love,” Garcia said. “It’s bad luck.”

It was love at first sight for Garcia and the glass-and-wood version of Angela Louise. Garcia had never owned a boat before and had no aspirations to be a boat owner, yet found himself thinking there was something special about that vessel the minute he saw it.

“It made me laugh, but I thought if I were ever gonna have a boat, I’d want one just like that. It was about the most adorable thing I’d ever seen,” Garcia said.

After becoming the proud owner of the Angela Louise, Garcia was ordained through the Universal Life Church, which allowed him to perform wedding ceremonies himself.

Shotgun weddings. Romantic, quickie weddings. Short-notice weddings. One-hour, two-hour wedding cruises. Garcia said he offers them all, and the best part for couples is they have very little to worry about when it comes to the planning.

The Deluxe Victorian wedding for $4,995 is the most popular one, Garcia said. The price of the four-hour harbor cruise includes a single entrée dinner, hosted unlimited soda bar, three-tier wedding cake, champagne toast, bridal bouquets, a “Bride’s Cottage” for changing and awaiting the ceremony, and a DJ providing entertainment and dancing.

Guess who puts on yet another hat and spins the music?

Capt. Rick, of course, who described himself as an all-around guy who decided to concentrate on weddings in the first place because it’s such a happy occasion.

“I’m an inspirational person who likes to bring and share joy with the people around me,” he said.

Garcia also wanted to be a hands-on boat owner, so in 2005, he obtained his captain’s license. Then he was able to pilot the boat once he was done helping couples “embark on a voyage that will last a lifetime.”

That’s just one of the lines in one of several wedding vow options Garcia makes available in his wedding packages.

Paul Madsen thought that line, and the ones that followed, were “perfect, brilliant and provided the right ambience” when he married Lulu on the Angela Louise Oct. 6.

The Madsens went with the Victorian package, but for an additional cost they added a few of their own touches. They extended the cruise by one hour, bought more flowers, and made a couple of CDs of their own for Garcia to play.

Other than that, everything else was taken care of, Madsen said, which is why they loved the idea.

“It’s a rather small boat, so they had to be really organized, and they were.”

Best of all, the weather cooperated. It was very calm on the water, sunny and bright, Madsen said, and he, Lulu and their 70 guests had a fantastic time.

And an extremely quiet time, Garcia would assure potential clients. The boat’s conversion to battery electric in 1999 means there’s no pollution and not a lot of noise, vibration or the smell of diesel fumes to contend with during the romantic cruise at sea.

“There’s a lot of stress prior to the event, but once we leave the dock, it seems like all the problems stay back at the dock, and it becomes a nice event,” Garcia said.

For information on Capt. Rick and the Angela Louise, go to www.angelalouise.com or call (949) 633-5997.

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].