An Ocean Cruise Wedding: Your Best Idea Ever

By Erin Lindholm

Here are a few reasons why getting married at sea makes for a truly memorable wedding experience.

Whether you’re dreaming of exchanging your vows with your toes in the sand on a private island in the Caribbean, in a glass-floored chapel in Bora Bora, or even on the top of a glacier in Alaska, there are few better ways to reach some of the world’s most exotic locales than by cruise ships.

PLANNING YOUR WEDDING DAY COULDN’T BE EASIER.

No need to hire a wedding coordinator, contract with a caterer, search for an officiant or even hire a photographer — wedding packages on major cruise lines ranging from Royal Caribbean to Holland America to Princess Cruises ensure every last detail is covered. They also all have dedicated wedding planning teams who help with the logistics and legalese required to be married abroad.

CRUISE SHIP WEDDINGS ARE SURPRISINGLY AFFORDABLE.

Much like their resort counterparts on shore, cruise lines typically offer an array of wedding packages for couples to explore, with one major catch – weddings at sea are a fraction of what they would cost on land.

Princess Cruises’ Tie the Knot packages start at $3,500 CAD, while Royal Caribbean’s wedding packages start at $5,000 CAD for up to 50 guests and include a ton of perks for the wedding couple. Paul Gauguin Cruises’ Bora Bora Wedding Ceremony is just $950, which includes the bride’s arrival via an outrigger canoe and a Tahitian blessing by a local priest.

GET MARRIED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Spin the globe and let your imagination roam – if you can dream it, there’s likely a cruise that sails there. Holland America stops at more than 425 ports of call in more than 100 countries on all seven continents, while Princess Cruises stops in more than 350 ports around the globe, including ports of call in Alaska, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe and South America. Royal Caribbean, too, stops in more than 250 ports of call around the world. And Paul Gauguin Cruises specializes in cruises in one of the most romantic destinations of the world: The fabled South Pacific.

A CRUISE WEDDING IS A DESTINATION WEDDING AND HONEYMOON ALL ROLLED INTO ONE.

Whether you tie the knot at sea, at some exotic locale on shore, or even before you officially set sail – a popular option that allows non-sailing guests to attend your nuptials, too – with a cruise wedding, you quite literally sail away into your honeymoon, without any further travel plans or logistical details to worry about. One of the joys of cruising is that you unpack only once and the world comes to you. Planning a destination wedding and honeymoon doesn’t get more hassle-free than that!

WHEN IT COMES TO ENTERTAINING YOUR GUESTS, CRUISES OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.

Part of planning a destination wedding is planning various gatherings and activities for your guests throughout the wedding weekend. Getting married on a cruise takes that pressure off the wedding couple to plan and entertain because cruises are designed to cater to guests of all ages, single travellers, couples and families, adventure-seekers and sun-worshipers. Case in point: Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, features everything from a 10-story water slide, acrobatic Aquatheater shows and cooking classes to Wonderland, a prix fixe-style gastronomic feast, and the world’s largest shipboard casino. Whether at sea or in some gorgeous port of call, no doubt your guests will find something that suits their interests.

LARGE GUEST LIST? NO PROBLEM.

If a cruise wedding piques your interest, but you’re concerned about having a larger wedding at sea, rest assured: Cruise lines are well equipped to cater to large groups and can – and readily do coordinate – weddings of 200 guests or more. What about an all-ship buy out? The M.S. Paul Gauguin sails with a maximum of 332 guests and could be all yours for an unforgettable week in the South Pacific.

Our DestinationVows specialists know all about what each cruise line has to offer and are there to help you pick the ocean cruise wedding that’s just right for you.