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All you need to know about getting hitched on a Caribbean cruise

Many lines offer wedding packages for a day to remember - This content is subject to copyright.
Many lines offer wedding packages for a day to remember - This content is subject to copyright.

Say ‘I do’ on a Caribbean cruise for sunshine, blue skies and the romance of being married by the captain.

There's no shortage of lines who can help you marry at sea...

Couples can either tie the knot on their ship while at sea (the vessel has to be in international waters, at least 12 miles from land) or in port. Cruise lines offering both options include Princess Cruises (princess.com), Royal Caribbean International (royalcaribbean.co.uk), Celebrity Cruises (celebritycruises.co.uk), Carnival Cruise Line (carnival.com), Disney Cruise Line (disneycruise.com), Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) and Holland America Line (hollandamerica.com). P&O Cruises (pocruises.com) and Cunard (cunard.co.uk) offer at-sea weddings only.

You can also swap vows on land mid-cruise...

Cruise lines offering in-port weddings can also arrange for couples to tie the knot ashore, usually on a beach-side gazebo or garden. With Holland America Line, you can say ‘I do’ in a little chapel on Half Moon Island, its private island in the Bahamas, and follow up with a beach party. Cost is from $2,450 (£1,817) per couple, which includes venue hire, the officiant, a bouquet, boutonniere, small wedding cake and bottle of sparkling wine.

Wedding chapel on Holland America Line's Half Moon Island
Wedding chapel on Holland America Line's Half Moon Island

You'll get a VIP officiant

At-sea weddings are conducted by the captain (if he can’t do it, his deputy will stand in). Ceremonies can be arranged in various venues, including by the FlowRider surf wave on Royal Caribbean ships (if you don't mind getting wet, it makes for great pictures) or in wedding chapels on Princess vessels. If the ceremony is held in port or ashore, the wedding will be led by a non-denominational officiant.

Want to bring the family?

Friends and family will be queuing up for invitations to this wedding as they’ll attend the ceremony and get a Caribbean cruise into the bargain (of course they will have to pay). Cruise lines charge for extra wedding coordinators if the party exceeds 25 people. If combining a wedding and honeymoon, remember guests will share your post-nuptials as well.

Check the paperwork... it might only be symbolic

Weddings at sea are conducted under the laws of the country the ship is registered in. For those marrying on Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises or Cunard ships, that means Bermuda. For Celebrity Cruises, it’s Malta, for Disney Cruises Line and Royal Caribbean International, the Bahamas. These are legally-binding marriages under UK law. Disney only offers symbolic weddings at sea or on Castaway Cay, its private island in the Bahamas. The legal ceremony has to take place in the cruise terminal at Port Canaveral before the ship sails. At-sea weddings on Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line ships, and on four UK-registered Princess Cruises ships (Golden, Sapphire, Diamond and Majestic Princess) are also only symbolic. Couples tying the knot on a ship while in port, or ashore during a port call, will be married according to the local laws of the country. Cruise lines will organise the wedding but couples are responsible for getting the licence and ascertaining whether the wedding will be legally recognised in the UK.

Royal Caribbean International cruise wedding - Credit: Royal Caribbean International
There's not much that's more romantic than a sunset over the sea Credit: Royal Caribbean International

It's a lot cheaper at sea

It costs an average £27,000 to tie the knot in the UK, according to website Hitched.co.uk. In comparison, cruise ship weddings cost from about £12,000. That’s based on a 10-day Caribbean cruise with Princess Cruises in November and includes the wedding package (a decorated venue, ceremony, flowers, recorded music, photographs, cake and champagne), a suite and business-class flights from the UK. Extras such as a reception for guests, a bridal shower, hair and make-up sessions and live music all push the price up. There are many other benefits. The cruise lines’ wedding co-ordinators take the stress out of the occasion, there’s the romance of being married by the captain and if couples plan carefully, they can have their big day near the start of the cruise and honeymoon for the rest of the voyage.

Same-sex weddings permitted... but not everywhere

That is determined by the laws of the country issuing the marriage licence. Malta allows same-sex marriages, Bermuda does not. Certain ports allow same-sex weddings, other don’t, but they might allow a symbolic ceremony. The cruise lines’ wedding coordinators can advise you.

Royal Caribbean's Wonderland venue on board Anthem of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas
For a quirky reception venue, look at Royal Caribbean's Wonderland restaurant

Already married... why not renew your vows?

Most cruise lines allow couples to reaffirm their love in a ceremony presided over by the captain or officer. NCL’s $499 (£369) vow renewal package includes the ceremony, music, a red rose, cake and Champagne toast. Marella Cruises (tui.co.uk/cruise) has Celebration of vows packages from £200 that include the ceremony, a bottle of Champagne, a photograph and dinner at the captain’s table. A marriage blessing by the captain on one of Star Clippers’ (starclippers.co.uk) sailing ships offers the ultimate in romance. The Champagne ceremony is held on deck beneath the canvas sails and is free.

Need any more persuasion?

Blue skies, sunny days and calm seas make the Caribbean the top choice for cruise ship weddings. It’s an easy and good-value way to explore the islands and perfect for an add-on honeymoon. Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises pick Grand Cayman and St Thomas as favourites for shore-side ceremonies. Carnival Cruise Line goes for Cozumel, Grand Turk and Nassau. For Disney Cruise Line it’s Castaway Cay. Fairytale wedding locations indeed.