Getting married on a cruise makes perfect sense, your guests have no travelling and you’re already on honeymoon – with your guests too.
But tying the knot on the high seas is booming business, whether you want a small intimate wedding or a huge affair, more and more cruise line companies are offering wedding cruise packages and legal marriage ceremonies performed by ships' captains.
It’s an area which has grown by 60 per cent in the last ten years according to the 21 members of Cruise Lines International Association. The main reason seems to be that cruises are thought of as far more romantic than even a beach wedding.
Exchanging vows on the high seas or in port is a carefree option with everything taken care of, the hardest decision may well be the destination of the cruise.
Each cruise line company offers different wedding packages from a paradise island to exchanging vows on a climbing wall. The world is open for weddings and honeymoons cruise ship style and it's an ideal option for those couples who can't decide or prefer a range of countries to visit.
Wedding Cruise Destination
The Caribbean and The Bahamas are two of the top wedding destinations, and since 1998 over6,000 couples have taken their vows at sea with Princess Cruises, also known as "the Love Boat" line, launched weddings at sea.
Many cruise lines offer honeymoon packages, bachelor and bachelorette parties, renewal of marriage vows packages and even engagement parties at sea. Marry onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship and you can choose to exchange vows on the ship or on the company’s private island Castaway Cay.
Cruise Lines to Marry On
Carnival have a Bride & Groom package that starts at $1,195 including the official civil ceremony, a champagne toast, flowers, a wedding cake and photographic services, while Celebrity Cruises Line offer Nautical Nuptials with a wedding ceremony at sea and all the usual trimmings.
Costa cruises offer weddings in the port, either on ship or on land, with wedding planners to take care of everything. This might be a good option for honeymooning without all the guests or what about Norwegian who have a wide range of options from a basic wedding to a full-blown fiesta. Two packages are available - Onboard Aisles and On Shore Aisles.
Royal Caribbean ships offer the ceremony while on the ships' rock climbing walls or ice skating. The Royal Romance package offers the hour wedding ceremony onboard the ship or onshore in venues including hot-air balloons, the glaciers in Alaska, medieval castles in Europe or an Italian vineyard.
Rachel L. Webb - Rachel L Webb lives in and writes mainly about Andalucia. She enjoys exploring the region and shares her explorations through her website ...
