Vow renewal cruise or island?

[ctcruisergirl]

Hi!We are celebrating our 10year anniversary in august 2014, we will be on the Jewel the first week of June and plan to celebrate 2 our 10 years of marriage 2 months early! We want to do a vow renewal- the cruise is almost identical to the one we took for our honeymoon (itinerary, though honeymoon was carnival ship)

 

Looking for advice from those who have done vow renewals--- should we use the ship services or do it on an island? We are really really excited about going back to Aruba so I am not sure if we want to spend our only day there doing the vow renewal....we were thinking maybe doing it in St Thomas? or we can do it on a sea day......any advice? The RC package seemed so pricey for what we want....we are looking for someone to do a very quiet ceremony -- no guests as we want it to be intimate, unlike our wedding lol. I would love a small bouqet, music, a very small cake of some sort and someone to take a few pictures. Has anyone done it through RC?

[Raptor2010]

Hi!We are celebrating our 10year anniversary in august 2014, we will be on the Jewel the first week of June and plan to celebrate 2 our 10 years of marriage 2 months early! We want to do a vow renewal- the cruise is almost identical to the one we took for our honeymoon (itinerary, though honeymoon was carnival ship)

 

Looking for advice from those who have done vow renewals--- should we use the ship services or do it on an island? We are really really excited about going back to Aruba so I am not sure if we want to spend our only day there doing the vow renewal....we were thinking maybe doing it in St Thomas? or we can do it on a sea day......any advice? The RC package seemed so pricey for what we want....we are looking for someone to do a very quiet ceremony -- no guests as we want it to be intimate, unlike our wedding lol. I would love a small bouqet, music, a very small cake of some sort and someone to take a few pictures. Has anyone done it through RC?

 

We renewed our 10 year wedding vows on the Freedom in 2007. LOVED IT :D I have, however, seen some changes in the program and price. What we got and only paid $500 for is now something like $1,200 (or somewhere there abouts). We had the ceremony, vows written for us, flowers for me and him, photographer, cake and champagne and the vow renewal certificate. We brought our own music and it was a wonderful ceremony. They performed it on the second formal night and since I had purchased a new wedding gown, I wore it to dinner that night :D

 

E, Raptor's DW

 

[Raptor2010]

I really love the look on Frank's face in this photo :) In my opinion, the package was worth every penny; however, the price has increased and would I do it again at the increased price? YEP :) Oh, it you want your hair and makeup done in the salon for the ceremony, make your appointment first thing :) Happy Anniversary.

 

[TEXASMUNK]

If weather forces the ship to divert, and miss the island, the disappointment would be overwhelming......Safer to plan on the ship.

[cruisegirl1]

Congrats

 

We did a private renewal, the first sea day at the front of the ship (the Jewel). We wrote a passage to read to each other, and enjoyed the solitude. We opened a bottle of champagne and toasted to each other. No one was around for the entire time we were out there, I guess about an hour).

 

We've cruised many times for the past 25 years and have wonderful experiences, but the private Jewel vow renewal remains as one of the best.

 

M

[Truluv]

We did it both ways. We arranged a 15th year anniversary vow renewal in Alaska by contacting a church directly. The church was very helpful, and we were able to arrange for a local photographer too. He took pictures during the ceremony, and had them developed at a 1-hr place for us while we enjoyed the port. He then gave us all of the prints and the negatives. I brought silk flowers, and the cruise line (Celebrity) gave our family priority disembarkation so we could get to the church. At dinner, we ordered champagne and a special cake. That vow renewal was great since a set of parents surprised us and booked the cruise so that they could be present too.

 

The second vow renewal was a few years later when DH was diagnosed with a terminal disease. We arranged that vow renewal with RCL on Mariner. We met in the chapel before dinner, and the Assistant Cruise Director who conducted the "ceremony" brought a CD player so we could play our own music. We purchased flowers through RCL. A ship photographer was present. After we said our vows as a family, the photographer took us around the ship for personal photos (for ex., on the grand staircase before the doors were opened to other passengers for dinner). We were supposed to have a small wedding cake at dinner, but it didn't show up. Later that evening our waiters and a group of other waiters delivered the cake to our stateroom. They filled the hallway, and serenaded us. It was obviously very memorable. We purchased the photos later in the cruise, and received an album with the Vow Renewal Certificate.

 

Personally, I really love the idea of privately toasting each other with champagne and making vows quietly. I think planning an event like that could be a very special option.

[KG1924]

We did it both ways. We once arranged a vow renewal in Alaska by contacting a church directly. The church was very helpful, and we were able to arrange for a local photographer too. He took pictures during the ceremony, and had them developed at a 1-hr place for us while we enjoyed the port. He then gave us all of the prints and the negatives. I brought silk flowers, and the cruise line (Celebrity) gave our family priority disembarkation so we could get to the church. At dinner, we ordered champagne and a special cake. That vow renewal was great since a set of parents surprised us and booked the cruise so that they could be present too.

 

The second vow renewal was when DH was diagnosed with a terminal disease. We arranged that vow renewal with RCL on Mariner. We met in the chapel before dinner, and the Assistant Cruise Director who conducted the "ceremony" brought a CD player so we could play our own music. We purchased flowers through RCL. A ship photographer was present. After we said our vows as a family, the photographer took us around the ship for personal photos (for ex., on the grand staircase before the doors were opened to other passengers for dinner). We were supposed to have a small wedding cake at dinner, but it didn't show up. Later that evening our waiters and a group of other waiters delivered the cake to our stateroom. They filled the hallway, and serenaded us. It was obviously very memorable. We purchased the photos later in the cruise, and received an album with the Vow Renewal Certificate.

 

Personally, I really love the idea of privately toasting each other with champagne and making vows quietly. I think planning an event like that could be a very special option.

 

Not much to add, but that sounded wonderful (both renewals!) and honestly picturing the waitstaff standing in the hallway singing to you had to be amazing :)

[goldgirl2]

We just did a vow renewal on the Indy in February on our 25th anniversary. We did the ships vow renewal package. For us it was well worth the money they treated us royally and everything was perfect! They allowed us to choose the date and time and any place on that ship that we wanted to do our ceremony. We decided to have it in the small chapel. We got a bouquet for me a boutonniere for my husband, we wrote our own vows and sent them ahead of time. We had the champagne and strawberries toast, the certificate and two photographers. The photos were expensive but totally worth it! Our Renewal officiant was the cruise director Joff. He was fabulous. Our wedding planner was Amber and she was really great! We went to dinner at Portofino and they brought out a cake with candles for our anniversary, very nice! Our waiter in the MDR also gave us a cake the next evening when we were in the dining room which we thought was very nice of them they knew that we were doing the ceremony the night before. For us it was well worth every single penny that we paid and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

[goldgirl2]

I'm not sure why my pictures are so small. Sorry.

[ctcruisergirl]

Thanks everyone! All of the pictures look fabulous! It is a valid point about weather being a factor if we try to do it in port...it poured on our real wedding day so I totally know its a possibility:D

 

Lots to think about! We don't have a ton to spend as the trip itself is really a lot of our budget. I am hoping for a great bonus this year :p