Second Weddings

Cruise Ship Wedding?

So...
It'll be be my second wedding, his first. I really want it to be special for both of us, but hassle free. We're Colorado residents, and we still have common-law marriage here, as well as the ability to have a legal marriage certificate without an officiant or witnesses and he is a commercial airline pilot, so we can pretty much go anywhere, anytime, and be married. 
I'd really like to elope, or have a little simple ceremony and jet off somewhere.
Last night he brought up the idea of going on a cruise and getting married onboard. I think it sounds kind of cool, and because it's on the ship, there's not so many details to consider- they'll do it. However, I've never been on a cruise and I don't know what'd be like...And I wonder if we'd be forced into a one-size-fits-all ceremony, non-denominational officiant, unity candles, etc. My main concern is the photography...I really care more about having great pictures than anything else.
Has anyone ever seen one of these weddings? Any thoughts? Advice?

Re: Cruise Ship Wedding?

  • MikesAngieMikesAngie member
    Name Dropper 5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Also bear in mind that they may not always be able to have the proper officiants and documentation - my xSD was to have gotten married on a private island owned by the cruise line, and well the officiants decided not to come and so her wedding day did not happen as arranged.  There was a minster that heard the issue and did a ceremony for her but it was not legal or binding they ended up having to get married 7 days after their original wedding date back at their home state.  So have a back up plan as well.
  • edited December 2011
    Luckily the legality/officiant/witnesses etc are a non-issue because we live in CO-According to state laws here, we are common law married as soon as we say we're married. And if we want it official (which we do) we can sign our own marriage license without witnesses, or an officiant of any kind. So the legality of the ceremony doesn't matter, we just want a personal ceremony.

  • edited December 2011
    We honeymooned on Princess Cruises, and they bombarded us with "get married on the ship" info.  From what I recall, it was not cheap.  I agree that the wedding has to take place at shore. 
    I do remember they had the ability to live video stream it so that people who didn't travel with the B & G could view it live. 
    I agree, check with the cruiseline or if you know a travel agent, with them. ~Donna
  • edited December 2011
    There are other problems also with your ability to be married in CO.  There are a couple things that go along with common law marriages.  One thing if you go to a state that is community property state they may or may not acknowledge you marriage.   Also most officiates will not do the ceremony without the licence and witnesses.  With pp, I would get a wedding cord to help you with the ceremony part.  Good luck.
  • staceyd100staceyd100 member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011

    My first marriage was a 'cruise ship' wedding. We were married in the Cayman Islands, it was cheaper to go through a private company than the cruise line itself. From what I remember,  you can do it on the ship the day you leave. Everything is legit and they will customize it to whatever you want. Check out cruisecritic.com and look around in the honeymoon/wedding cruise section. I am also happy to answer any other questions you might have, too. I think prices range from 600 and up depending on what you want.

  • edited December 2011
    I do want us to have a legal marriage, but how and when the papers are done isn't important to me. I called Carnival this am, and the coordinator basically insisted we either get it legal beforehand & bring documentation or do it at whichever port. 
    But she really answered a lot of my questions and so now I'm starting to get kind of excited. 
    I didn't realize that we could have guests for the ceremony that weren't able to join us for the whole cruise. Which is great, because we'll be able to have a lot of good friends with us that day that can't get the days off for the whole thing. Our friends are pretty much all pilots & flight attendant, so they will have no problem getting to port of staying for the afternoon then jetting back to work etc. 
    I'm in particular excited about having all the details handled by someone else. I planned a wedding the first time around, and although it was tiny, it was stressful. I just want to show up and enjoy myself instead of coordinating an event.
    And then there's the cost....For Carnival -I ran the numbers vs. what I had tentatively planned locally and it's essentially the same as getting the honeymoon for free. Including the best room, some extras, a generous bar tab, boarding of our dog, etc. we are looking at a total cost of about $5,500 vs about $8,000 (the only thing I left out of the budget is rings)

     It looks like Princess & Celebrity are significantly more, and offer lots more options, which I guess is cool if you want more control, but still not very much compared to the total cost of a modest wedding here.
  • AbbeyS2011AbbeyS2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_cruise-ship-wedding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:35Discussion:e417db14-af1b-4308-8765-d4b15d0573e0Post:f5e965ab-f4bd-4251-8ac4-048b2cb26702">Re: Cruise Ship Wedding?</a>:
    [QUOTE]<strong>There are other problems also with your ability to be married in CO.  There are a couple things that go along with common law marriages.  One thing if you go to a state that is community property state they may or may not acknowledge you marriage.  </strong> Also most officiates will not do the ceremony without the licence and witnesses.  With pp, I would get a wedding cord to help you with the ceremony part.  Good luck.
    Posted by ClassySnow[/QUOTE]

    This is also true if you move out of CO to another state.  My exH and I moved to Idaho, where they do not recognize common-law any longer, so we had to get married, legally, even though we had been common-law for many years.  Plus, the states change laws all the time without regard to the public's knowledge or consent, so it is wise to check.

    While getting married/having a ceremony on a cruise sounds very romantic, be prepared to shell out some $$$$.  Many ships will charge alot for very little.  
    Anniversary
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