Cruise Ship Wedding Anyone?

11 months ago 10th Dec 11:00

Make Your Special Day Extra Special

Exotic locations are highly popular places for wedding ceremonies to be held, as couples enjoy their special days and romantic honeymoons in beautiful locations around the world.

Increasingly, many couples are opting to combine these luxurious travel options by getting married onboard cruise ships, and many cruise liners now have specially commissioned licences to allow couples to marry at sea. Others provide on-shore ceremonies on sandy beaches in Puerto Rico, at wineries in Greece and even atop glaciers in Alaska before sailing off into the sunset.

This is an ideal option for couples wanting to make their wedding day extra special, and wedding packages can be specifically suited for each couple. Those who want to attend their wedding without having to plan all the individual details can therefore simply hop onboard and say their vows in full reassurance that everything has been organised for them professionally.

Alternatively, brides and grooms can have as much selective input as they like, sharing the fun tasks of sampling a delicious menu and booking the evening’s entertainment, and the difficult tasks of choosing flower arrangements and cake decorations between themselves and professional cruise wedding planners. Perfect!

Amazingly, some wedding ceremonies can actually be conducted by the ship’s captain, which contributes towards an interesting photograph album, and others allow couples to invite their ministers onboard.

Princess cruise liners, Celebrity cruises and Azamara cruises are ideal for couples wanting to legally tie the knot whilst at sea, as these are registered in Bermuda and Malta, which cater for such preferences. The ships’ captains are also able to conduct these ceremonies.

Disney cruises don’t allow legal ceremonies to take place onboard whilst at sea, so couples wanting romantic ceremonies on deck, or at Disney’s private Island of Castaway Cay, must complete the legal dealings and document signing before the ship departs in Florida. This isn’t particularly romantic, but non-legal proceedings and celebrations can take place at sea afterwards.

One of the highlights for couples spending their wedding day onboard a cruise ship is the fact that everything can be organised for them specifically, sometimes at a much lower cost than traditional land weddings. Whilst this doesn’t account for initial transport to exotic locations, it is an increasingly attractive option for couples who are prepared to pay for a sunny wedding overseas.

In some cases, cruise wedding packages include facials and hair styling onboard for the bride, and a special couple’s massage to create maximum relaxation. Photographers and wedding video packages are also available, and Princess cruises even broadcast the whole ceremony via webcams, so that friends and relatives can watch the proceedings at home.

Many cruise ships provide the predictable, yet completely necessary perks of covering the honeymooners’ bed with rose petals, and presenting them with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. Others provide limousine rides to the ship, priority embarkation for wedding guests, ice sculptures and cocktail hours. And some even cater to weddings on Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Day, although these generally come at an extra cost.

While cruise weddings can be relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated, additional costs soon add up, as some couples may be dissatisfied with the initial wedding package. For instance, some packages only cover the costs of a small number of guests, as low as only eight, and an increase in head-count needs to be paid for. This isn’t a problem for couples wanting an intimate wedding with minimal guests, but for others it could really increase their overall bill.

Another issue for those wanting plentiful guests is the fact that most exotic cruise weddings take place abroad, and guests must pay a lot of money to commute there to attend somebody else’s wedding. Some cruise wedding packages include private dining onboard the ships’ exclusives restaurants for the bride and groom, which doesn’t really allow guests to fully join in the celebrations.

And whilst many wedding packages include the cost of a photographer, some only provide one photograph for the couple to take home, and others none at all, meaning that couples must fork out extra money for such keepsakes.

That said, this is normally the case for many traditional land weddings too, and some services offer access to quirky, private websites to view and order wedding photographs from. For cruise weddings, additional costs usually include marriage licences and late fees for any last-minute couples who don’t book well in advance.

The main attraction for couples getting married on a cruise ship is the aforementioned honeymoon onboard, or on an exotic island where the ship docks. Cruise ships are a wonderful holiday experience, with 24-hour buffets and plentiful activities to keep newlyweds entertained, such as snorkelling and dance classes, so are an appealing option for anyone craving new experiences with their new spouse.

Also, couples can choose whether to invite guests to join them on holiday for a few days after the wedding, or to simply skip of into the sunset alone for a fortnight of blissful honeymooning, eating chocolate covered strawberries and sipping sparkling champagne.

Lets just hope you don’t get a bout of seasickness after all that meticulous planning!

By Kay Taylor