Monsoon Wedding

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue are the ingredients of a perfect wedding. And some have taken the ‘blue’ part to all new destinations; literally, with Cruise Ship Weddings. Cruise Ship Weddings are the new and hot foray in theme weddings segment.

A romantic setting with you, your loved one and just a few family and friends at the scenic seas as you tie the knot. And the best part is that you don’t have to run to catch the flight to your honeymoon after the reception, you just retire to your cabin or get off at a new destination.

But before you get hitched and do the ‘I do’s’, let’s just clear the air of certain technicalities of a Cruise Ship Wedding. You can get married at the port or the shore or you can get married at the seas, with the latter being a bit complicated.

If you want to walk down the aisle in international waters, it is important to comprehend that the laws differ in countries as to how they treat a wedding in international waters and whether it will be recognized in the home country. Contrary to common belief, in the USA and UK captains of military and civilian ships do not have the authority to perform a wedding. In Japan, it is possible to be married by the captain at the seas, provided you hold a Japanese passport and the vessel is Japanese.

It is also possible to be married at the sea (in international water only) if the vessel is registered in Bermuda and the captain of the ship has the requisite license. Similar is the case with Malta. Since ships of Princess Cruises are registered in Bermuda, and Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises (except Celebrity Expedition) ships are registered in Malta, their captains can officiate a wedding at the sea.

The other option would be to get married on the cruise ship while it is at the port. However you will have to arrange the clergy/person to officiate the wedding. An ‘in port’ wedding is a good option when the guests won’t be joining the couple for the rest of the cruise. Some cruise lines even offer priority boarding for the couple and their guests and arrange everything for the pre-cruise wedding. Also as the ship is in the home country’s waters, all the laws, especially pertaining to civil marriages are applicable. As such, all you have to do is fulfill the required prior documentation.

Onshore wedding is supposedly the most lucrative of the three Cruise Ship Wedding theme options. Here the couple gets married at the port of debarkation. You can have a beach wedding or a garden wedding depending on where your ship has anchored. Although most lucrative, this type of wedding can be more hassle as, depending on the place of the ceremony, there are many a formalities to be completed and documents to be submitted, sometimes much in advance.
But don’t be deterred by the hassles.

When going for a Cruise Ship Wedding, most of the time you will get a wedding coordinator with the package that will guide you through everything as well as be the person responsible for making all the arrangements on board. All you have to do is work out the details according to your budget. So all you have to do is pack your bags and set sail for your dream wedding and honeymoon.