Weddings at sea can be the ultimate in romance. 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, on a cruise ship that’s taking you to a warm, exotic island for your honeymoon. In addition, a cruise wedding allows you and your guests to visit multiple destinations and easily stay close to one another, plus you can all enjoy the amenities a cruise ship has to offer.
On the other hand, planning a cruise wedding involves some logistical challenges that a land-based wedding in your hometown does not. If you're thinking about a wedding onboard or in port, here are some key things to consider before you take the plunge.
At Port Or On The Sea
Though being married by a captain sounds fun, it seriously limits your choices of cruise lines, since each ship is registered to a different country with its own legal limitations. Getting married on land while the ship is docked at a foreign port can be tricky. Laws vary by country, and some prohibit cruisers from marrying in port by insisting on residency or even that your parents or grandparents married there. Consider getting married while the cruise ship is docked in its home port. Most cruise lines allow you to invite guests to board the ship for the ceremony and then disembark before the ship sails. You just pay for the event, as well as your honeymoon cruise. It’s a nice option, as you have the wedding and then sail away, waving to your loved ones from the deck.
Officiating Minister
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. Regardless of where you choose to get married, you’ll need to register for a marriage license far in advance. Getting married legally while at sea is complicated, so understand all the logistics before signing on, and plan well in advance. Legalizing a wedding in a foreign port can also be tricky, so ask your wedding planner to explain all the details and suggest which cruise port on your itinerary is your best bet for a wedding spot. In some cases, you might need to do the legal paperwork before or after your cruise wedding and have that ceremony be symbolic only.
Most Popular Locations
The Caribbean is most popular, but again, be aware of residency requirements before booking. St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and St. Lucia tend to be popular. But don’t limit yourself to warm-weather locations! Why not try Alaska and have a Snow White wedding And come to think of it, how many people can say they got married on a glacier?
Best Time To Go
This depends on the destination of your cruise. The Caribbean’s hurricane season is from June 1 through November 30, so I would avoid booking during this time period as to not have to deal with any unpredicted storms. The Greek Islands generally close for the off-season. Consider very carefully ports that require ships to tender; Grand Cayman, for instance, can be a highly unpredictable site, as winds often hamper tender operations, causing cruise ships to skip stops at the island. For the same reason, I don't recommend planning a shore side wedding at a Caribbean or Mexican locale during hurricane season (June through November).
Have a back up plan
It’s not unusual for ships to cancel calls at ports due to weather. If you decide to plan a shore side ceremony on a Caribbean island, book the cruise between December and May to avoid hurricane season, and have a “plan B” in case the ship bypasses the port you’ve chosen for your wedding.