Getting married on a cruise ship: What to expect

Imagine a beautiful personalised wedding ceremony on the sea: a stress-free event you’ll treasure forever. After sealing your nuptials with a kiss, you and your beloved step out on deck to be greeted by a beautiful expanse of sparkling sea. This is a cruise ship wedding, and it is glorious.

While rising in popularity, wedding cruises are still one of the more unusual ways to tie the knot, throwing up a good few questions about logistics. Thankfully, we are on hand to fill you in on what to expect when getting married on a cruise ship.

A hassle-free ceremony

Cruise ship weddings are perfect for couples who want the planning process to be as simple as possible. After all, there is nothing worse than feeling too stressed out to enjoy such a life-changing event.

Most cruise lines offer full service wedding cruise packages, taking the hassle out of planning. Many ships even have their own on-board chapel! Alternatively, you can get married at one of your ports of call, but either way, your cruise line will arrange everything from musicians and cakes to flowers, confetti and wedding photographs.

Indulgent extras

Getting married on a cruise ship offers the perfect opportunity to cater to your indulgent side. After all, you’ll have a whole range of additional extras to choose from.

Just some of the bonuses can include a reception hosted by the Captain themselves, commemorative formal photographs, cosy bathrobes to take back home, luxurious spa treatments, cabin upgrades and even champagne.

A family affair

Your wedding is as much about spending time with your loved ones as it is about declaring your love for your other half. Cruise ship weddings offer the option of your family and friends joining you on-board, turning your big day into a proper trip away with all of your family and friends. From an intimate gathering to a full-on celebration, the choice is yours.

A honeymoon and wedding in one

One of the best things about wedding cruises is being able to combine your wedding and honeymoon into one blissful journey. Honeymoons at sea are growing in popularity, with many cruise lines offering couples special honeymoon cruise certificates.

What could be more blissful than a wedding day of indulgent celebrations flowing straight into a honeymoon that takes in your dream ports of call? The pristine beaches of the Caribbean and serene atmosphere of Asia are just a few of our favourite honeymoon destinations.

A key regulation

As with any ceremony, cruise ship weddings come complete with a few regulations. The main regulation is that, for the wedding license to be valid, your ship must be either in port or less than three miles from land. Not all cruise lines offer this, but you can rest assured that Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises offer legal, captain-led wedding ceremonies at sea.

A wedding cruise is the experience of a lifetime, embodying all of the luxury and romance you need to create memories you will treasure forever. With excellent facilities, mouth-watering cuisine and unrivalled entertainment, indulgence is a given.

Would you like to find out more about getting married on a cruise ship? Call our dedicated Cruise Concierge on 0808 1234 118 to find out more about on-board nuptials.