Thursday, April 11, 2024

Cruise Weddings: A Complete Guide to Getting Married on a Cruise Ship

getting married on a cruise ship

We requested to have the chocolate covered strawberries and the cake delivered to our room. Even though it was October 28th, the ship was already decorated for Halloween. Just tell us your dream destination, wedding date and ceremony style, and we'll take it from there. We have a world of options — grand ceremonies in The Piazza, outdoor settings with an ocean backdrop — and packages at a value that beats land-based venues. On the other hand, if you want to plan a simple, stress-free wedding, it doesn't get much easier than this. Cruise weddings are ideal for couples who want a small event and love the one-stop shopping of having all the event details taken care of by the cruise line.

Celebrity Cruise Wedding Package Details:

First, not all captains are certified to legally officiate a wedding. Because you’ll be embarking on your built-in honeymoon along with your wedding, be sure to choose a ship and itinerary that distinctly suits your style. A notable exception is popular cruise line Viking Cruises, which does not offer cruise weddings. Cruise wedding couples can choose to hold their ceremony in a homeport like Seattle or Miami before departure. This gives them the ability to choose their own clergy and invite day guests onboard for the afternoon before setting sail.

Coolest Perk of a Norwegian Cruise Wedding:

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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. A hefty marriage license fee is required for couples marrying onboard Azure, Ventura, Arcadia and Aurora. Additionally, the per-person costs of a wedding aboard P&O cruises is a bit steep compared to other entries on this list. Here's our guide on everything you need to know about cruise weddings. Celebrity Cruises captains are able to officiate legally-recognized same-sex weddings while in international waters.

Or Call Your Travel Agent

Most of our wedding and event packages include essentials such as an indoor or deck venue for ceremonies, reserved indoor area for receptions with food and beverage service, floral arrangements for the couple, cake and champagne, and a photographer. 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. Weddings, reunions, birthdays, or getting together with friends and family. For any group celebration or occasion, we are by your side each step of the way.

getting married on a cruise ship

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Yet before you decide to get married on a cruise ship, you'll want to understand all the pros and cons. The most basic (and cheapest) package is Norwegian's Symbolic at Sea option, while a Harborside package allows couples to be married onboard at select ports of call. Packages are available in a wide range of ports in the U.S. (including Alaska and Hawaii), Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Caribbean and Bermuda. This package adds priority embarkation for the couple and their guests (if the wedding is on embarkation day). The cost of getting married on a cruise ship will vary depending on the port destination where you decide to tie the knot.

While many brides start planning their dream nuptials a year to 18 months in advance, don't jump the gun by planning land-based, post-cruise celebrations too early -- or ordering invitations, keepsakes with the wedding date, etc. Couples have been bumped from their wedding cruises -- because of full-ship charters after they booked -- forcing them to reschedule everything. 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. On the "can officiate" list are Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, whose ships are registered in Malta; Norwegian Cruise Line, through the Bahamas; and Princess Cruises and Cunard, with ships in Bermuda. We provided our own music so we had a sound technician present that played the songs through a speaker system.

getting married on a cruise ship

Carnival cruise weddings appeal to younger couples thanks to the line's famous amenities and spirited, party-friendly atmosphere. It's also one of the least expensive cruise wedding options on this list. A cruise wedding combines one of the most important days of your life with exciting travel destinations, plenty of entertainment and an array of things to eat, do and drink.

IT’S A CELEBRATION!

From what we've seen, most mainstream lines charge less than $6,000 for even the most expensive packages. There are options that cost even less, but there are also infinite extras that can be added to drive up the cost. Deciding where you and your guests are going to sleep and eat is super simple on a cruise.

Coolest Perk of a Cunard Cruise Wedding:

Therefore, it is important to plan travel plans around arriving at the port early. Imagine tying the knot under a palm tree on a Caribbean island or being married by a uniformed captain in the middle of the ocean. And cruise-ship weddings are necessarily small, meaning you don't have to worry who is going to drive Great Aunt Hilda to the wedding or how to get out of inviting all those uncouth second cousins. If you’re hosting a cruise wedding, it’s important to think about how you’ll be transporting your valuable items, such as your rings, attire, and more. When it comes to these items, it’s essential to have them close by at all times—do not check valuable items and do not showcase them out in the open.

Find support, ask questions, swap stories, and follow brides planning real weddings here on Weddingbee. Event Managers help with all the planning required before boarding your cruise. They’ll answer any questions, help narrow down your venue choices, assist with bookings, help secure the proper documentation required for your ceremony, and more. To kick off the process, you can start by familiarizing yourself with the various wedding and event packages that we offer on our Celebrity Weddings and Events page. Once you’ve decided what kind of wedding you want to have, our event managers will help you choose the right location and package tailored to what’s most important to you and your partner, making sure your wedding on a cruise is a stress-free endeavor. Getting married on board offers all the benefits of a destination wedding without any of the inconveniences.

If you’d prefer privacy on your wedding day, either choose a small cruise line or get married on land. You may not be the only bride on the boat, so be prepared to share the spotlight. We got married on land and had our honeymoon on Freedom of the Seas. Since we love cruising so much, we decided to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with a vow renewal on the ship we took our honeymoon on.

Packages include extra amenities when a minimum number of staterooms are booked for guests and you'll find cool in-port wedding offerings, including glacier ceremonies in Juneau. The line caters to a mature clientele, making it attractive to older couples looking to wed. Watch out for a la carte charges that can add up on Royal Caribbean. For instance, couples who want to plan a wedding less than 90 days from sailing pay a fee that varies based on the package chosen. Note, too, that wedding parties of more than 50 guests require an additional wedding coordinator for an additional fee.

The Celebrity Weddings program offers onboard ceremonies and destination weddings and are some of the most reasonably priced on this list for couples who don't necessarily need a huge list of bells and whistles. Shoreside weddings start at $1,895 and in-port weddings are pricier, including all of the same features plus roundtrip taxi transportation to the ceremony site for the couple. A legal marriage can’t be recognized in open seas, which are not under the jurisdiction of any country, unless the ship captain or officiant is also a justice of the peace, minister, or notary public. That means that most legal cruise weddings take place either onboard the ship in port or harborside, docked in a destination. Many cruise ships do have chapels, but some offer more scenic options like a ceremony out on deck. According to our pros, cruise weddings can work for a variety of different couples and styles.

This allows the cruising couple to register for shipside gifts like spa treatments, excursions, and onboard spending money. That being said, part of the fun of having a wedding on a cruise is the opportunity for you and your wedding guests to enjoy all of the perks of traveling with Celebrity Cruises. Not only can you celebrate your wedding together on board or at one of our many port destinations, but family and friends will also be able to enjoy fine dining, fun activities for the kids, and world-class entertainment during their trip. Getting married at sea offers all the romance you could imagine—the backdrop of the open ocean, the exotic port locations, the built-in honeymoon—it’s really no wonder so many couples choose to tie the knot at sea. If photos are your thing, a cruise ship wedding offers some of the world’s best and most creative backdrops, both on the ship and at port. You can hire a full photo team from the cruise ship, complete with edited and printed photos, or do it yourself.

That means if your luggage is lost or you forget your veil or bowtie at home, you won't be able to just run to the store to replace what you're missing. The answer is a resounding "Yes!" Cruise lines make it easy by offering a number of packages at varying price points, but there are still some things you should know. It’s not very common, but occasionally, a port call has to be canceled due to weather or time.

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