Weddings & Honeymoons at Sea

It's the first moment of your new life together or possibly a renewal of your cherished vows. Your celebration of togetherness. With a wedding or honeymoon at sea, you can create a wonderfully memorable event at the destination of your choice. Whether it's a stunning cliff-top wedding in Greece or an elegant affair onboard a ship, love is best served with a perfect experience. It's one magical day you'll love and remember forever.

 
Saying "I do" on a cruise can make it surprisingly easy to stay within a strict budget while customizing the ceremony and reception to the stylish wedding that you have envisioned. A minimum of effort is required on your part, because you’ll have the services of a wedding coordinator to handle the details. Cruise line event planners will work with you to create a day that reflects your taste and style. Depending on the cruise line, they offer onboard and shoreside wedding packages to celebrate the love you share. (Be aware that being married by the ship's captain while on the ship is still somewhat rare due to various restrictions, although some cruise lines do offer this service.) Whichever package you choose, rest assured your personal cruise expert will help you take care of every last, wonderful detail.

 
Ceremony Destinations
Whether you envision a backdrop of swaying palm trees in Barbados or majestic glaciers in Alaska, you'll find just what you've imagined. There are a few different ways to combine a wedding with a cruise, including the following:

 
Get Married, then Sail.
Some couples assemble family and friends for a ceremony at the port from which the cruise ship will depart. The wide variety of departure ports along the East, West and Gulf Coasts of the U.S. can make traveling to such a wedding quite convenient for guests. Your event coordinator can arrange for you and your guests to come on board a few hours early to enjoy the ceremony and a leisurely reception. Then, guests who aren’t coming along on the cruise can depart, while those who have arranged to cruise with the newlyweds can prepare for their adventure.

 
Sail, then Get Married.
Some couples choose to embark on the cruise first, then get married in a port of call along the way. These couples can be married against an exotic backdrop: perhaps a tropical beach, an Alaskan glacier or a Venetian canal. Or, your cruise line can arrange for the perfect land-based chapel, church, beach, resort or restaurant for the nuptials. This approach lets wedding couples relax and enjoy the ship for a day or two before exchanging vows: then, the official honeymoon can begin!

 
After the "I do’s," envision a reception where every guest is welcomed and indulged in style. Select gourmet cuisine from a menu of options and ensure the wedding of your dreams with the devoted and attentive staff. The couple can request special flowers, live music, video recording and formal wear (if they don’t bring their own). While a small cake and some champagne are enough for some couples, the galley staff can provide anything from inventive hors d’oeuvres to a full buffet to an elegant multi-course dinner with special wines for the reception. Today's cruise lines have the special touches that will ensure your guests have a timeless memory of your wedding day.

 
Whether celebrating your 1st Anniversary or your Golden Anniversary, commemorate this loving occasion by renewing your vows at sea. Accent this ceremony with your choice of flowers, photography and a reception as large or as intimate as you desire.

Weddings, honeymoons and renewals of vows at sea can be the event of a lifetime. But don't leave it up to chance. Work with a personal cruise expert at Cruise Holidays to help the planning go smoothly and for the experience to go off without a hitch.