Just starting to plan/research - tons of questions!

[2preschoolers]

I just got engaged this past weekend but we already had discussed getting married on a cruise ship prior to departing for our honeymoon. I've been married before and my parents both have passed. I have 2 little girls. My fiance has never been married and has family in the area. We plan to get married on the Carnival Pride next summer! And it would be a small wedding - maybe 35 maximum. It initially seemed much less stressful than planning a traditional wedding. But now that I'm looking here at the forums...I'm starting to wonder. haha

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question.

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal?

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?

 

That's just the tip of the iceberg with my questions...but those are my first most important ones. ANY advice/tips you have, I'd APPRECIATE greatly!

 

THANKS!:)

[millerp4]

I just got engaged this past weekend but we already had discussed getting married on a cruise ship prior to departing for our honeymoon. I've been married before and my parents both have passed. I have 2 little girls. My fiance has never been married and has family in the area. We plan to get married on the Carnival Pride next summer! And it would be a small wedding - maybe 35 maximum. It initially seemed much less stressful than planning a traditional wedding. But now that I'm looking here at the forums...I'm starting to wonder. haha

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question. Yup form what I understand you have to be ready to go in advance. I've heard of people taking separate cabs and asking to wait in a different room or part, but from what I understand it's all up to the space available when you get there.

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal? you won't get to, but there may be time for the rest to get a quick walk through right before it starts (while you are getting ready?). Ask your wedding planner it its really important. We aren't getting married on embarkation day, so i'm not sure if it's a little different for us. I know we get to sit down and discuss with the on ship co-ordinator as ours is later in the cruise.

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?When we were sent the outline, it was religious (or to me anyway) and they have been pretty flexible in letting us change parts. It's non-denominational not non religious. There is a big difference. It's still a "minister" of sorts.

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?all ours are sailing so I can't really help with that. But I'd say its hit or miss... You could just word it in a way to suggest they don't come, but they are taking their own vacation time.. if they wanted to cruise, ehh I wouldn't say no? mind you we are taking a week after as a honeymoon.

That's just the tip of the iceberg with my questions...but those are my first most important ones. ANY advice/tips you have, I'd APPRECIATE greatly![/color][/font]

 

THANKS!:)

[LilBlackDress]

I was married on RCI, there are some differences but most of the general information is the same...

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question.

 

We were able to get dressed in our suite...

They asked us to have our hair and make-up ready before boarding

They offered us another stateroom for the guys to get dressed in

They have ways for you not to see the groom at all before the ceremony, we opted for him not seeing me in the dress before the ceremony so we could all board together.

 

 

 

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal?

 

We were confused as to how this would happen as well... What we did was had a a beer and pizza party at our hotel the night before we cruised. We asked the wedding party to meet sometime during the night and went over a basic rehearsal. As it turned out...

While I was getting dressed the WC had my husband and the wedding party meet at x time and they did a walk through. As I was being escorted to the wedding the WC explained to me where to stand etc...

 

 

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?

 

We me with the ship officiant and the WC at the pier prior to boarding. They asked us questions as to what we wanted added in what type of ceremony etc (they gave us a few pre-selected options to read through) we selected one of them and added our own vows and poems. to it

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?

 

We invited our friends and family (small wedding of 30) the option to sail with us if they wanted. Most people were traveling over 1k miles to get to the wedding and we didnt want them not to have a vacation... we ended with 12 sailing. We met as a family for dinner each night and they were off on their own the remainder of the day. During the 8 day cruise we only ran into any of them 3 times (other than the planned dinner) and 2 excursions (both on the same day...1 with my sister and 1 with my parents) It worked out great for us...

[Carnival_Brides]

I got married on the Pride in Baltimore, so I can possibly help a bit.

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question.

 

You don't have to be dressed to board the ship--your hair and make-up pretty much have to be ready to go. The "waiting room" in Baltimore is a big rectangular room with no obstructions. Apparently, the staff are able to stagger you so that he might board first and you after or vice versa. That's something you'd want to discuss with A Wedding For You (non-CCL coordinators). It wasn't a big concern for us, so we didn't bother asking.

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal?

They are able to run a small, short rehearsal right before the ceremony, but it's more telling you where to go than actually doing it.

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?

That's something you have to discuss with A Wedding for You. You can hire/bring an officiant, but the vendor also provides one whose licensed to perform ceremonies. I've seen ship weddings done both ways.

 

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?

When we were planning an embarkation, we had a group of 30 that wanted/were interested in coming on the cruise. We actually preferred it that way because it opened up more non-sailing guest spaces. We ended up getting married after the ship left with 15 guests booked on the cruise.

 

Do you want wording that encourages them to just attend the wedding or wording in general? Our first round of invites said something like Ceremony Aboard the Carnival Pride at the Port of Baltimore. I'll have to go back and check

 

TIP: Once you book a wedding, you are allowed to do a Ship Inspection on the Pride if you're in the area. You'll meet CCL's guest services rep and the Wedding For You coordinator(s). If there is a wedding that day (they try to get you on board when there are) you can see the set-up of the different lounges and the ship.

[LoveSetsSail2015]

Ok so I am newly engaged like two weeks! Me & my Fiancée have decided on a Carnival Cruise wedding for several reasons, he's always wanted to cruise, we're a fairly young couple so budget wise its WAYY more realistic then the $16,000 Barn Wedding I originally wanted.. We are looking at doing the Time to Celebrate Big for 20 included guests & will pay $30 a head to get up to 50 guests total, for a June 20,2015 wedding date.. I have looked on carnival's website for a brief overview of whats included..but really i'm finding more information on here! So thank you to everyone for posting tips, reviews, & photos!!! So I still have a few questions I'd LOVE answered.. first.. cake! I have seen the plain jane standard white cake w heart topper, while that's nice.. I want to add something that I LOVE to my wedding cake just to personalize it some.. I plan on not using the white roses for my bouquet & either asking for hydrangeas from carnival (if available-that's my other question) or bringing silk hydrangeas. So my question is- how flexible is carnival with your wedding cake becoming what you want?? And what determines the amount of tiers? I've seen some with 3 and some with 2.. I know we get to choose flavor.. but i'm wondering if they'd decorate it for me..can anyone tell me about flower changes, cake options, and some slight decorations to the cake table??? MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!

[Carnival_Brides]

Ok so I am newly engaged like two weeks! Me & my Fiancée have decided on a Carnival Cruise wedding for several reasons, he's always wanted to cruise, we're a fairly young couple so budget wise its WAYY more realistic then the $16,000 Barn Wedding I originally wanted.. We are looking at doing the Time to Celebrate Big for 20 included guests & will pay $30 a head to get up to 50 guests total, for a June 20,2015 wedding date.. I have looked on carnival's website for a brief overview of whats included..but really i'm finding more information on here! So thank you to everyone for posting tips, reviews, & photos!!! So I still have a few questions I'd LOVE answered.. first.. cake! I have seen the plain jane standard white cake w heart topper, while that's nice.. I want to add something that I LOVE to my wedding cake just to personalize it some.. I plan on not using the white roses for my bouquet & either asking for hydrangeas from carnival (if available-that's my other question) or bringing silk hydrangeas. So my question is- how flexible is carnival with your wedding cake becoming what you want?? And what determines the amount of tiers? I've seen some with 3 and some with 2.. I know we get to choose flavor.. but i'm wondering if they'd decorate it for me..can anyone tell me about flower changes, cake options, and some slight decorations to the cake table??? MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm 99% sure that flower upgrades go through the third-party vendor (Wedding for You, TWE, etc). If you have something very specific in mind you might consider going the silk or real-touch route. That way it is what you want and you don't have to deal with serious upgrade fees for flowers you aren't supposed to take off the ship.

 

The number of wedding guests determines how many tiers of cake you get. You will get 2 tiers at a minimum and if you have over 50-74 guests you get three, and 75-100 guests is a four tier. Someone was recently able to up a fee to get an extra tier of cake because they liked the three tier look. I imagine they went through Carnival Weddings for that. I know that they'll entertain specific cake requests, but the ship and Carnival Weddings ultimately make the final decision.

 

Carnival will allow you to bring your own cake stand, ribbons, gum paste decorations, cake topper, and/or table decoration to personalize. There are a couple of threads on this board about cakes and how they can be decorated.

[Bo59rt]

I think that the pride is heading to Tampa next April. I might be wrong since carnival changes things all the time but I know they are pulling out of the northeast in the near future because of the new fuel regulations on cruise ships. Don't want to rain on anyone parade but I would double check that.

[Carnival_Brides]

I think that the pride is heading to Tampa next April. I might be wrong since carnival changes things all the time but I know they are pulling out of the northeast in the near future because of the new fuel regulations on cruise ships. Don't want to rain on anyone parade but I would double check that.

 

It's leaving in November 2014.

[rxbxcca]

i got married with Norwegian, but a lot of things translate cruise line to cruise line. answers in red below. :)

 

I just got engaged this past weekend but we already had discussed getting married on a cruise ship prior to departing for our honeymoon. I've been married before and my parents both have passed. I have 2 little girls. My fiance has never been married and has family in the area. We plan to get married on the Carnival Pride next summer! And it would be a small wedding - maybe 35 maximum. It initially seemed much less stressful than planning a traditional wedding. But now that I'm looking here at the forums...I'm starting to wonder. haha. so you're off to a good start then, being realistic! :) it was definitely cheaper than a grand 'ole wedding, but it was the intimacy i wanted. we also wanted a destination wedding but with grandparents inching towards 90, they wouldn't be able to travel, so a cruise wedding was our answer. and my husband had never cruised before, he just trusted me! now he's hooked. :)

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question. maybe, not necessarily. the guests, bridal party, parents, groom, etc. come all dressed. i was the only one not dressed. while we moved from one room to another "waiting," we got on board and the guests headed to the ceremony location. still had to wait a little longer until NCL set up the music, mics, little table and flowers at the front. meanwhile, my bridal party and wedding coordinators were at the reception location setting up all my personal touches, decorations, etc. while all of this was going on, i was in my cabin getting dressed! so my now-husband never saw me until i came down the aisle. :)

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal? there is no time, you'll have to have a very loose plan ahead of time. it shouldn't be that hard since you have small party. i had a long processional, and we didn't rehearse, it all went fine. the wedding coordinators lined us up and directed us. and i told them what order i wanted.

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us? we had our own officiant. even if you don't, you tell them what you'd like to have time for. i'm sure you'll have time for readings, etc. as you wish.

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations? we teetered back and forth on this. ultimately we decided we get one honeymoon and it should just be us. all of our guests were non-sailing. since it's a small wedding and most likely the closest people to you then, they'll come for the day. some of my guests turned it into a long weekend and stayed in NYC on their own after the wedding. the cruise line won't give you any tips. we made "ticket" invitations that we turned into a booklet that had ALL the info. so there was all the fun stuff, but i snuck in a page with the traditional wording. it was the ticket, the invite page, then all the info.

 

That's just the tip of the iceberg with my questions...but those are my first most important ones. ANY advice/tips you have, I'd APPRECIATE greatly! ask away. :)

 

THANKS!:)

[rxbxcca]

like i mentioned before, i was married on Norwegian, but a lot of things translate...

 

 

Ok so I am newly engaged like two weeks! :D Me & my Fiancée have decided on a Carnival Cruise wedding for several reasons, he's always wanted to cruise, we're a fairly young couple so budget wise its WAYY more realistic then the $16,000 Barn Wedding I originally wanted.. We are looking at doing the Time to Celebrate Big for 20 included guests & will pay $30 a head to get up to 50 guests total, for a June 20,2015 wedding date.. be VERY clear with them on when your final list is due, there will be people who can't come for whatever reasons, so you may not have to pay for some of the extra heads I have looked on carnival's website for a brief overview of whats included..but really i'm finding more information on here! So thank you to everyone for posting tips, reviews, & photos!!! everything i learned, i learned here! :) So I still have a few questions I'd LOVE answered.. first.. cake! I have seen the plain jane standard white cake w heart topper, while that's nice.. I want to add something that I LOVE to my wedding cake just to personalize it some.. i didn't really care about the cake, so we just had the plain jane white cake, although i did order a sugar rose from etsy and i had a cake topper. that was enough for me, but you can go nuts and add bling, etc. see what they will do and see what you can do yourself to add to the cake, it'll be better and cheaper than theirs for sure. I plan on not using the white roses for my bouquet & either asking for hydrangeas from carnival (if available-that's my other question) or bringing silk hydrangeas. So my question is- how flexible is carnival with your wedding cake becoming what you want?? And what determines the amount of tiers? I've seen some with 3 and some with 2.. I know we get to choose flavor.. but i'm wondering if they'd decorate it for me..can anyone tell me about flower changes, cake options, and some slight decorations to the cake table??? MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!! also, for flowers, you mean on the cake or your bouquet? re-reading it, looks like you meant the cake (so look into the sugar rose on etsy, if you'd like, i'll find the seller i used, i loved her!), but for your bouquet, just wanted to share that i used silk flowers and loved it since i could take it off the ship with me, fresh flowers can't come off the ship due to customs. let me know if you want to know where i got my bouquet, will look up the info for that too. :)

[NL2134]

I just got engaged this past weekend but we already had discussed getting married on a cruise ship prior to departing for our honeymoon. I've been married before and my parents both have passed. I have 2 little girls. My fiance has never been married and has family in the area. We plan to get married on the Carnival Pride next summer! And it would be a small wedding - maybe 35 maximum. It initially seemed much less stressful than planning a traditional wedding. But now that I'm looking here at the forums...I'm starting to wonder. haha

It's still a wedding, which will ultimately entail some level of stress and planning, but it is MUCH less than a traditional wedding. But, it all depends on your attitude too. Cruise wedding is much more suited for a laid back, go-with-the-flow type attitude, since there are a lot of unknowns until the last minute. You can't really plan every single detail on cruise wedding.

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question.

They will make 2 of your cabins available prior to wedding... one for bride to get dressed and one for groom. They do say that hair/makeup should be done prior and everyone else should be dressed and ready to go before boarding.

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal?

 

Everything I've seen says there's no time for rehersal. But, most people say they did small rehersal with groom & wedding party while bride gets dressed then talk bride through it on the way to ceremony location. This again is one of those times where its best to have the go-with-the-flow attitude and enjoy it regardless of whether you stand in the right spot or not.

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?

 

They do provide officiant and I've seen that you could also use your own if you prefer. They do allow religious elements if you want to include them. They will run through all of that with you when you meet officiant prior to wedding. Some of the officiants (depending on ship & port) are ministers, so that may be something to ask about.

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along.

 

We actaully wanted our immediate families to join us on the cruise, since family vacations with them are rare, and got all of them to agree. We invited all guests to go on cruise if they wished, but few others are cruising. We are doing 7-day cruise in June 2014, so I think that was a bit expensive for most of them. But, a lot of them are making the trip into a few days vacation in New Orleans area. We have a total of 18 people cruising (include us... 14 of those are immediate family) and about 25 non-sailing guests. We figure that the ship is big enough, with enough activities that we will have plenty of time to ourselves. And we made sure that nobody else is booked near our cabin, which should help. And they all want to enjoy their vacation too, not follow us around all week.

 

And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?

No, but you will find A LOT of invite examples on forums. Or do google search for destination wedding invites. And if you have trouble, I'm sure you could always put a post on here and you will get a lot of advice or feedback.

 

Ok so I am newly engaged like two weeks! :D Me & my Fiancée have decided on a Carnival Cruise wedding for several reasons, he's always wanted to cruise, we're a fairly young couple so budget wise its WAYY more realistic then the $16,000 Barn Wedding I originally wanted.. We are looking at doing the Time to Celebrate Big for 20 included guests & will pay $30 a head to get up to 50 guests total, for a June 20,2015 wedding date.. I have looked on carnival's website for a brief overview of whats included..but really i'm finding more information on here! So thank you to everyone for posting tips, reviews, & photos!!! So I still have a few questions I'd LOVE answered.. first.. cake! I have seen the plain jane standard white cake w heart topper, while that's nice.. I want to add something that I LOVE to my wedding cake just to personalize it some..

I plan on not using the white roses for my bouquet & either asking for hydrangeas from carnival (if available-that's my other question) or bringing silk hydrangeas. So my question is- how flexible is carnival with your wedding cake becoming what you want??

There are some things that they are willing to do with the cake, mainly changing texture of icing or simple decorations, but I don't think they will do too much on it. But, a lot of people bring their own topper and decorations to add onto it. I plan to add some ribbon around each tier and some flowers to match my bouquets. Things like that shouldn't be difficult to do. I have photos of similar cakes to show what I want and plan to have either wedding coordinator or maybe my sister-in-law put them on.

And what determines the amount of tiers?

Determined by # of guests, but you can have extra tier added for additional cost. Typically, up to 50 guests will have 2 tiers.

I've seen some with 3 and some with 2.. I know we get to choose flavor.. but i'm wondering if they'd decorate it for me..can anyone tell me about flower changes, cake options, and some slight decorations to the cake table??? MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!

Carnival does have flower upgrades or alternate flower types available for additional cost. They will even change to different color flowers. They are also now offering real-touch bouquets as an option. Although, if you do silk or real-touch, its cheaper to get them before hand yourself, instead of purchasing through Carnival. Real flowers cannot be taken off the ship, so if you want to keep bouquet afterward, you will need to do fake flowers. Also, Carnival's flower upgrades or additional flowers are rather expensive, so that's something to keep in mind. I looked at real-touch bouquets, but now I'm looking at the idea of making my own paper rose bouquet, using same blue paper I used for my invitations. I also plan to do some white ones made out of sheet music for our wedding songs. See photo attached for my first play with the idea. So there are many flower options, either through Carnival or finding something on your own.

Hopefully that helps. There is A LOT of info here on the forum and you will find more answers here than what you will probably get from Carnival or the wedding coordinators. Don't be afraid to ask questions, because we've all been in the same spot. We all are either going through it or have already gone through it and learned from others on here. And for every person that asks a question, there are undoubtedly several others wondering the same thing.

[tinkerbell_82]

Just my two cents on a couple of things- we are having an embarkation day wedding on the Paradise in April.

 

1.- the GUESTS have to be ready, not the bride and groom. You can go to the port in your regular clothes and your cabin is guaranteed to be ready so you can change into your dress. At least thats what my coordinator told me.

 

2.- Re: Invitation wording- if you want to discourage guests from sailing, I'd say something like this: "The reception will end at approximately 3pm, at which time our guests will be asked to disembark the ship and the bride and groom will set sail on their honeymoon!" That way people get the idea that they're not really invited or encouraged to cruise with you.

[2preschoolers]

I got married on the Pride in Baltimore, so I can possibly help a bit.

 

So I understand you have to be dressed and ready to go BEFORE boarding the ship. YIKES! How do you avoid the groom seeing you? That's my first question.

 

You don't have to be dressed to board the ship--your hair and make-up pretty much have to be ready to go. The "waiting room" in Baltimore is a big rectangular room with no obstructions. Apparently, the staff are able to stagger you so that he might board first and you after or vice versa. That's something you'd want to discuss with A Wedding For You (non-CCL coordinators). It wasn't a big concern for us, so we didn't bother asking.

 

Next, how do you do a rehearsal? We'll have a small wedding party (best man, matron of honor, 2 flower girls....) Is there time to even DO a rehearsal?

They are able to run a small, short rehearsal right before the ceremony, but it's more telling you where to go than actually doing it.

 

Do you use the ships officiant or hire your own? I understand it's non religious if you use the ships officant. We would like to include a few readings from the Bible if possible, and have the ceremony somewhat personalized. Is that even possible or would we have to find an officiant to do that and bring him with us?

That's something you have to discuss with A Wedding for You. You can hire/bring an officiant, but the vendor also provides one whose licensed to perform ceremonies. I've seen ship weddings done both ways.

 

 

And this is really important - if we invite guests to attend our wedding on the ship before it sails - do you find that people just decide to go ahead and take a vacation on cruise also? We're not too keen on a bunch of family members tagging along. And does Carnival give you tips on how to word your invitations?

When we were planning an embarkation, we had a group of 30 that wanted/were interested in coming on the cruise. We actually preferred it that way because it opened up more non-sailing guest spaces. We ended up getting married after the ship left with 15 guests booked on the cruise.

 

Do you want wording that encourages them to just attend the wedding or wording in general? Our first round of invites said something like Ceremony Aboard the Carnival Pride at the Port of Baltimore. I'll have to go back and check

 

TIP: Once you book a wedding, you are allowed to do a Ship Inspection on the Pride if you're in the area. You'll meet CCL's guest services rep and the Wedding For You coordinator(s). If there is a wedding that day (they try to get you on board when there are) you can see the set-up of the different lounges and the ship.

 

Great Great info! Thank you!

 

No, we actually PREFER to not have anyone else sailing with us. We're probably a bit old fashioned. But we're in the mindset that it's our honeymoon and we don't want to see anyone else that we know aside from each other. So we're not even sure what to do if people start asking if they can sail too. :eek:

[2preschoolers]

Just my two cents on a couple of things- we are having an embarkation day wedding on the Paradise in April.

 

1.- the GUESTS have to be ready, not the bride and groom. You can go to the port in your regular clothes and your cabin is guaranteed to be ready so you can change into your dress. At least thats what my coordinator told me.

 

2.- Re: Invitation wording- if you want to discourage guests from sailing, I'd say something like this: "The reception will end at approximately 3pm, at which time our guests will be asked to disembark the ship and the bride and groom will set sail on their honeymoon!" That way people get the idea that they're not really invited or encouraged to cruise with you.

 

Love that wording! Thanks!

[keltpa]

I agree with the last post. We had everyone sail with us, but we also had a separate honeymoon when we got back, so I see both sides. You are having a smallish wedding, so it shouldn't be too hard to spread the word. The wording is perfect that the previous poster suggested. Just suggest that people can watch you sail away on your honeymoon and most people will get the hint. Or have your maid of honor contact everyone and express your wishes. It's her job ;)

 

Other than that, we didn't have a rehearsal, but didn't need it. It was so well orchestrated by the wedding planner it would have been pointless.

 

We did see each other at the cruise terminal when we boarded, my hair was done etc, but I wasn't dressed. I think they can keep you apart if you request it, but we have a baby together so that wasn't a big deal for us, but they will work with you if that's important to you.

 

You have plenty of opportunity to work with your vows, readings etc, but the only advice I have is to keep it short so it doesn't cut into your reception time. Unlike traditional weddings, they also do the bulk of the photos of you and your groom AFTER the reception, so your guests aren't waiting around forever.

 

Most of all, love every minute, it goes by quick!

[LoveSetsSail2015]

Thank You! Yes I mean I'd like purple,blue & white hydrangeas as my bouquet & on the cake. I HATE roses. so nooo roses on cake or me carrying LOL

 

 

like i mentioned before, i was married on Norwegian, but a lot of things translate...