Looking for Plan B

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Jennifer Wrighton and her family stood in the early morning light at the downtown Long Beach landing of Catalina Express, surrounded by luggage but going nowhere. They arrived last night from Monterey and were planning to take the first ferry this morning to Catalina, where her sister-in-law Katie was to be married on Descanso Beach.

‘We are going to find out what Plan B is. Now we’re not sure,’ she said as her three children zoomed around the bags.

The bride has a timeshare and a boat on Catalina, so she and some other family members have been on the island all week.

‘Grandma called and said, ‘I don’t think you’ll be able to come over. There’s a huge wall of fire,’’ said Wrighton’s son Billy, 10.

Wrighton did not know what the 75 wedding guests would do, suggesting that perhaps the Saturday celebration would move to a relative’s church in Newport Beach.

‘It’s just not the same if you don’t have a reception,’ Wrighton said.

-Susannah Rosenblatt