Wedding on a cruise?

Jessi312

Anyone planning to have a cruiseship wedding? How far along in plans are you?

rclnd83

Are you planning a cruise wedding on the ship or at one of the stops the ship makes?

sford75

I don't know anyone who personally that has done it, but if you are trying to safe money, it's not a great option. It's more for couples who want to elope

rclnd83

agree with SFord on that.

silverrose

My FI's sister had her wedding on a cruiseship.  It was VERY small and just what they wanted, HOWEVER, everyone was just sitting around at the port just waiting and waiting and waiting some more before they would allow us to board the ship.  I would have gone nuts if my guests had to wait around like 2hrs to board a ship and then wait for everything to begin. Just food for thought!  Other than that, it was nice.

Jessi312

What we were thinking was to have the ceremony before the ship leaves, but have the reception after everyone settles in that same day. Or maybe even have the ceremony somewhere else and make the cruise the reception. Think this is more cost effective because people usually pay their own way in a destination wedding. Right?

silverrose

FI's sis had the wedding before the ship left the port.  That's where the nightmare began with waiting a few hours before the guests could board the ship.  Keep in mind that a lot of people might not be able to attend if you plan on having the wedding while the ship is at sea as they might not be able to afford the cruise itself. 

Jessi312

Thats true... but we were planning on having a small wedding (immediate fam and close friends). If there was someone not going because of $$ I would try to work something out with them. There are just so many great ideas that its overwhelming!!

Anagloria83

My FFIL and his current wife got married on a cruise with stops throughout the Caribbean.  Their ceremony was on the actual ship.  I didn't attend, but FI said some parts were cheesy, but that it was small and personal.  The hall where the ceremony was held in was very small and resembled a sort of conference room.  There was also a big Statue of Liberty head in the room.  When they moved on to eat cake, they went into a room that turned into a club at night.  He said the whole experience was just OK.  In total, there were about ten people at the wedding, including the bride and groom. 

silverrose

I wouldnt count a cruiseship wedding out.  It is very nice if you are planning something small in intimate.  If you dont mind me asking, what is your budget.  I might be able to toss some ideas your way from places I have seen so you can explore all avenues.

Jessi312

At most super stretching it $10 grand.

silverrose

I think there's probably a lot you can do with a $10K budget.  You can have a Friday or Sunday wedding, a lunch instead of dinner.  Most venues give discounts for those things.  I believe the Doubletree Ocean Point has a budget friendly package that should be totally doable with your budget.  Sorry, wasnt sure if you were totally set on a DW.  Just throwing some ideas out there.  )

[Deleted User]

Jessi I think you can do something really nice with your budget. Do you have any friends or family with a nice yard you can use? Or maybe a community clubhouse or clubroom? Using those as a venue can save you lots of $$ and gives you liberty to decorate as much as you want without spending too much, HTH!

Jessi312

Thanks ladies ... not completely set on the DW so all the ideas are more than welcome!!

silverrose

I second what Nane said (lol).  I think you have a lot more options then you think.

Kitty315

Dude you have sooooo many options for 10k it's not even funny. =P Other than the cruise idea have you looked at places? If so, which ones?

sford75

Just remember on a cruise, the cruise line charges for the reception pp just like a hotel. Personally, I think that's shitty because all the food is included.

JillianLL

Jessi, my brother and SIL got married on a cruise ship this past Feb. They paid for everything themselves and they said it was way more cost effective than hiring a venue, dj, caterer etc separately. The wedding was nice, and they had the ceremony on board before they left the port, but as another poster said the guests were waiting in the port to board for a long time. They were able to have a 1.5 hour reception before the ship took off and anyone who wasnt cruising could still come to the wedding without going on the actual cruise. It was nice, but it wasnt fancy at all and it was small. The problem SIL came into was that it was a package and she had no options to choose from. It was either option A or option B, no customizing whatsoever. I really think you can do a lot down here with 10K! And yes everyone who went on the cruise paid their own way. In the end, we had a blast on the cruise.

cinthia122

We went on a cruise in March of this year, and there were like 6 couples that were having their wedding on the boat.  They seem to be having fun along with their guest.

atizon

Hi: I picked a DW for our wedding.  Our guests are going on a week cruise with us. When we stop in St. Thomas I have hired a wedding planner and choose a package ceremony & reception on the beach (Magen's Bay). In my pacakage everything is included cake, toast flutes, chairs, bouquet, boutniere for my FI, limo from the ship to the ceremony and back, appetizers, drinks, photographer, etc. We didn't want to spend to much money and wanted somethign small about 20 people are joining us. Everyone is paying for there trip.Let me know if you need more info. I will be glad to help.But with 10K you can do a lot local or DW. GL

jennej24

I know I am late, but I am doing a brunch/lunch at the rusty pelican. I have a small budget too, but I think you can have something here if you want for that budget. Also, the Maxwell Room is budget friendly too. Email me if you want details on the prices of either of those places.Jenniferl2010 at hotmail dot com