Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Cruise Weddings: The Pros and Cons of Getting Married on a Cruise Ship

getting married on a cruise

Perhaps the biggest question is whether you want friends and family sailing with you on your honeymoon. At-sea nuptials have many selling points — including a wedding planner and a built-in honeymoon — especially for couples looking for smaller, more intimate weddings (up to 125 guests). Yet before you decide to get married on a cruise ship, you'll want to understand all the pros and cons. If you’re considering getting married abroad but can’t decide on a single location for your big day, you may want to consider a cruise wedding.

The Coolest Perk of a HAL Cruise Wedding:

Princess Cruises, known for being the “Love Boat,” offers a selection of wedding packages including a Timeless Wedding at Sea, also for up to eight guests, for $4,495. Most wedding packages are modifiable to add additional guests for a per-person fee. In terms of the packages, cruise weddings are a considerable value when it comes to how much is spent on the ceremony and reception in comparison to the average land-based wedding. However, an inherent part of a cruise wedding is the cruise, which can fluctuate in price depending if the betrothed are looking to splash out on a suite or opt for a more modest cabin.

Plan on the go with the WeddingWire app

Disney Cruise Line offers six venues, including indoor and outdoor spots on its ships (accommodating up to 40 guests) and on Castaway Cay (the line's private island in the Bahamas, which can host up to 100 guests). You can have costumed Mickey and Minnie join you for photos or offer a Dole Whip unity ceremony, as one couple did. If you're getting married on embarkation day at a domestic port such as Miami, Seattle, New Orleans or Fort Lauderdale, you can bring your own officiant to conduct a legal wedding, the same as you would at any land-based wedding venue.

Why Choose a Holland America Cruise Wedding?

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Then dance away at your reception with a live band, pianist or DJ. Since the Bahamas does not allow same sex marriages, those could not be done legally on the ship itself. Pressing of the couple’s attire and complementary hair and makeup for the bride are a nice addition to both packages on P&O cruises. For those longing to say “I do” with a beautiful ocean backdrop, on a sandy white beach or plush garden setting, we offer idyllic island settings for your special day.

Then dance away at your reception with a live band, pianist, or DJ. Same-sex marriages are a possibility in countries where they are recognized. Of course, any couple can also opt for a symbolic ceremony, meaning that there is still all the pomp and circumstance of a celebration, without it being legally binding.

Hashtag your photos #CarnivalCruiseWedding — you may see them right here. "We start with a package and design your ceremony to be just for you," says Bernal. But you do need to get your paperwork in order before the wedding day. On a Caribbean cruise, life's a beach—actually hundreds—some long and straight, some tucked between cliffs, some brilliant white, some volcanic black. We can create group shore excursions including everything from standard tours to over-the-top experiences like Private Journeys. We can even create a custom shore excursion package for your group.

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Cunard’s wedding package features an at-sea ceremony with the captain and flourishes like a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, invitations and thank-you cards, and a White Star bellman to escort the bride to the ceremony. On the ocean liner Queen Mary 2, the price is $3,400, including the license. Plus, you'll pay above and beyond the price of whichever wedding package you choose every time you invite more people. If getting married on embarkation day, Norwegian Cruise Line provides guests priority boarding. Therefore, it is important to plan travel plans around arriving at the port early. This applies to the cruise line and ship you choose, the destination you pick and the wedding package you purchase, as they can all affect how much you enjoy your voyage and how smoothly your big day goes.

Be sure to check with your cruise line wedding planner for all the requirements. Some couples get married legally at home and simply have a ceremonial wedding on the ship. Carnival launched same-sex Bermuda weddings in 2018 and Cunard‘s first same-sex wedding is set to take place in November 2018. If you've always dreamed of picking out each flower yourself or getting married in your hometown in front of 300 people, you might not be happy with this simple approach. If you want to get married at sea by the captain, you're limited to only a handful of cruise lines, due to legal limitations that are based on ships' countries of registry.

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Alternatively, Princess Cruises' Tie the Knot Ashore package includes a ceremony at a beach or garden (or even at a glacier in Alaska) and transportation for the couple in addition to the standard services of a Tie the Knot ceremony. Note that receptions, photography packages and enhanced ceremony options are available at extra cost on Princess Cruises. Since wedding planning is notorious for involving a lot of work and decision-making, some people find themselves pleasantly surprised when they start browsing cruise wedding packages. Booking a wedding on a cruise ship can be a one-stop shop that simplifies the process. Princess Cruises' three packages (At Sea Wedding Cruise, Harborside Wedding Cruise and Ashore Wedding Cruise) fold in all the details for a flat fee and also offer a registry so that guests can help amp up the luxuries on their honeymoon at sea.

Not only can your ceremony be conducted at sea by your Princess ship's captain, but the line also features state-of-the-art technology that allows you to broadcast the ceremony live, via webcam, to friends and family on land. On one particular cruise over Valentine's Day, the captain casually announced he'd conduct vow renewals for anyone who wanted them, and about a half-dozen couples showed up. Princess is a prime choice for cruise weddings because, of all the lines offering shipboard nuptials, it provides one of the best combinations of features, services and facilities.

Clergy and guests can come aboard for the wedding and after-party, then debark before the ship sails, and you get the cruise as a honeymoon. There are certain occasions when guests can board a cruise ship and celebrate your wedding with you even if they aren’t passengers. In order for non-sailing guests to be allowed to attend events onboard, your wedding ceremony and reception have to take place in one of our embarkation ports on sailing day. The cost of getting married on a cruise ship will vary depending on the port destination where you decide to tie the knot.

getting married on a cruise

The Anchors Away Harborside package, starting at $2,000, adds priority check-in for the couple and their guests, and photography services. Norwegian Cruise (NCL) weddings come in a vast array of options, which can turn basic packages into full-blown extravaganzas. Its ships also feature a wide range of specialty restaurants for easy romantic dining for two. NCL also offers legal same-sex ceremonies, available in destinations where same-sex marriages are recognized by local law. Licensing and regulatory fees are not included in Celebrity's base wedding package prices.

Weddings on Celebrity cruises include the option to have the captain perform either a legal or symbolic ceremony at sea -- including legal same-sex weddings -- under the line’s Malta registration. The line's fleet of ships offers a pleasant mix of fun and luxury, leaving the happy couple and their guests with plenty to do before and after the big day. Celebrity's newest ships are also upping the luxury factor on their Edge Class ships, with The Retreat -- an exclusive suite-only complex with its own deck, pool, and dining option. These wedding cruise packages vary in offerings from an intimate ceremony on the ship to an idyllic destination event and reception — but they do not include the cost of the cruise itself. In addition to standard marriage packages, many cruise lines also offer vow renewals and even romantic proposal packages. Several cruises lines have private islands for wedding or vow renewals, but they can't always be legal marriages.

Trying to coordinate all the details and desires of group travel can be a daunting task indeed. Our large group cruises and event cruises make it simple to seamlessly plan and customize your special events to ensure they are memorable occasions you can look back on fondly for years to come. Couples have reported great success with getting married on cruise ships. Cruise ships tend to have a convivial and party-like atmosphere, and nothing makes people more excited than a wedding. Expect plenty of goodwill and well-wishes from fellow passengers on your big day at sea.

The entire group receives lunch at Pinnacle Grill (Holland America's upscale alternative restaurant), a private wine tasting and chocolate-covered strawberries, plus a bottle of in-room Champagne. The Ashore package comes in a wide range of price points depending on your destination of choice. At the lower end of the spectrum are weddings on HAL's private island, Half Moon Cay. Browse our three At-Sea wedding packages, all offered as either legal or symbolic ceremonies.

Although not all captains can perform weddings, many cruise lines have figured out ways for couples to marry, and on some ships captains do perform the rites. This is one of the most exciting and important times of your life, and Royal Caribbean® has everything you need to make your wedding as beautiful and seamless as you can imagine. From the right venue to the right menu, you’ll find fantastic choices onboard. Our inclusive wedding packages leave room for customisation and those special personal touches, so the cake, flowers, music, breakfast-in-bed and more are up to you. If you want to get married onboard and want to choose the clergy to perform the ceremony or invite people who won't be sailing, consider having your wedding onboard while the ship is still docked at its homeport.

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