Celebrity wedding bride here....I NEED HELP PLEASE!

[mandz20]

Hello Everyone,

 

We are getting married on the Celebrity Summit this summer. We are booked on the Ship and our guests are starting to book. I am hoping for advice on things I should be doing.

 

We are getting married on the ship while docked in Bermuda. Where we are stumped is dinner. We want to have dinner with all of our guests (probably 40) but we think the regular dinning room isn't very special. I wanted to do Qsine but we don't want to rent out the whole restaurant and I don't know if I can make a reservation for that many people. If anyone has input on this that would be great.

 

Also how did people do speeches or their first dance? Any ideas for this would also be amazing.

 

I have been on more cruises than I can probably count but I have no idea how this whole wedding on a cruise thing works and the wedding planners don't seem aware of what is possible from what I have found.

 

Any help would be amazing!

 

Thanks!

[mrstriceasnice]

I'm not familiar with Celebrity. That being said, can you call your cruise rep and ask them about the specialty restaurant and number of reservations? With a group that size i am going to guess you'll have to rent the place but I could be very wrong.

[dancinman66]

Also look into group bookings for all the reservations as this gives you lots of extras you can choose from

Cheaper fares or obc or hall hire etc

 

 

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[aprill121]

Call your cruise rep and ask about on board receptions. Not familiar with Celebrity, but I know Carnival has onboard reception options that include dinner, a dj, and drinks. I just googled and found this brochure, if you look through the have a dinner package for 50.00 a person, they have other options as well. Hope this helps.

http://www.celebritycruises.com/media/en_US/pdf/brochure/CELBrochure08_email.pdf

[canesgirl]

Hello! My husband and I got married on the Celebrity Constellation in February. We rented out the Tuscan Grille for the night, and worked with the maitre'd to create a table plan with a small space for a dance floor. We paid to have the DJ... So we could have our first dance and dancing after dinner. It worked out perfectly for us! It was really nice to have the restaurant to ourselves. Our travel agent worked with the groups department to get us a discount on the buy-out and they also included passed canapés during the cocktail hour since we had to pay for more seats than we had guests.

 

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have!

[mittchelandsophie]

Hello! My husband and I got married on the Celebrity Constellation in February. We rented out the Tuscan Grille for the night, and worked with the maitre'd to create a table plan with a small space for a dance floor. We paid to have the DJ... So we could have our first dance and dancing after dinner. It worked out perfectly for us! It was really nice to have the restaurant to ourselves. Our travel agent worked with the groups department to get us a discount on the buy-out and they also included passed canapés during the cocktail hour since we had to pay for more seats than we had guests.

 

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have!

 

I am getting married on the silhouette in November. What time were you married and what space were you married in? It is only 9 of us traveling and we are going to Tuscan grill as well (not renting it). I'd love to hear all of your details.

[SuiteTraveler]

Hi, I'm a wedding planner with 25+ years experience. I'll be glad to help you. Here are how the toasts are typically done in the USA:

 

1. The first toast is given by the best man. Following his toast, the maid of honor (or matron of honor) may offer a toast but is not required to.

 

2. Next, the bride and groom may offer a toast together, or you can each make individual toasts. Stand side-by-side and take turns speaking—toast each other, then raise a glass to the wedding party, family members, and guests to thank them for sharing this special day with you.

 

3. The newlyweds' toasts are followed by their parents. If the bride's parents are hosting the wedding, they should speak first, toasting the couple as well as the groom's parents, and then welcoming and thanking guests.

 

These toasts are given immediately after the bride and groom are seated at the table for their reception and champagne has been given to everyone. Then the meal is served or buffet is opened depending on the format of the reception. If it is a buffet, the bride and groom lead the buffet line so they may get their food first. After the meal, there are several things you can do such as visit the other tables to thank your guests for coming personally. Then you cut the cake so everyone can have dessert and begin dancing. Once the cake is cut, some guests may choose to leave. The first dance is the bride and groom. Sometimes at the end of this dance, the rest of the wedding party may join in. After the first song is over, the second song is for the bride and her father. Then there is a third song for the groom and his mother. After that, everyone dances.

 

In some weddings, the bride and groom and wedding party will choose to make a grand entrance and the bride and groom will dance their first dance BEFORE the meal. Technically there is no right or wrong way to do this nowadays, you just need to decide how you want to organize your reception BEFORE your reception so the DJ will know what to do when. Put the music that you want used for your wedding on one CD and the music for the reception on another CD and label which is which for the DJ. It is best to give your DJ a written list of activities and timeframes. Share this list with the maitre'd or head waiter for your event and wedding planner, if you have one, as well as parents, best man, maid or matron of honor and your groom so everyone knows what should be going on at any given time.

 

As to Qsine - the restaurant seats 72 but doesn't have a dance floor. It is $35 per person, so for dinner, you would pay around $2520 to buy the restaurant out for 2 hours and double that for 4 hours - honestly - considering what a land based restaurant would cost, this a great deal! But, probably, if you really want to have dancing, you are going to need to have your reception in a different room such as a lounge with a dance floor such as the Sky Observation Lounge or even Quasar.

 

Some weddings in the USA follow the custom for toasts for weddings in Canada, Australia and the UK.

 

In weddings in Canada, Australia and the UK, it is not unusual for the toasts to be given after the meal is served and before the cake is cut, and often even the guests join in on the toasts. In these weddings, it is the host of the event who speaks first (often the father of the bride) followed by the groom at which point you give out the gifts to your wedding party, followed by the bride's toast, then the best man, then anyone else who wants to make a toast. (Trying to cover every possibility here.)

 

In regards to toasts or speeches: Ask everyone to limit them to 1000 words or less - no more than 7 minutes each as these can get tiresome for the guests. IMO, I like wedding receptions where the speeches are done first - primarily because no one is inebriated enough to make a total fool of themselves, as typically happens when there is a cocktail hour, then the dinner, then the speeches.

 

To be on the safe side, you may want to ask your parents when they want to do the toasts. There are cultures in the US that do things differently than I have described.

 

One other tip is to surprise your parents and inlaws by including photographs from your parents and inlaws weddings such as on the table with your guest book IF they are still married. It is almost always a huge surprise for the parents and they feel very honored to have their wedding photo included in this way in their children's wedding. Only do this if both sets of parents are still married. Otherwise, it brings up bad feelings between the former spouses on what should be a happy day.

[canesgirl]

We got married at 7pm on the first night of the cruise. We had to get special permission from Celebrity to do that... And it was great because we could relax for the rest of the cruise! We had our ceremony in Reflections Lounge (the room at the very top of the ship), and had the cocktail hour and reception in Tuscan Grille.

[mittchelandsophie]

We got married at 7pm on the first night of the cruise. We had to get special permission from Celebrity to do that... And it was great because we could relax for the rest of the cruise! We had our ceremony in Reflections Lounge (the room at the very top of the ship), and had the cocktail hour and reception in Tuscan Grille.

 

We are having our reception dinner at Tuscan as well. We are only sailing with 9, including us so I think it's pretty easy for the ship. I would have loved to have been married on the first night just to get it out of the way but I never even thought to ask. I have requested the ceremony to be at the lawn club (new venue for weddings for them), outside I love it!! Did you do anything special for your ceremony (sand, rope ceremony?)? What type of music did you have them play (piano, guitar?)? Thanks for getting back to me, totally appreciate it!!

[canesgirl]

I'm sure it'll be beautiful at the lawn club! Do you have a back up room in case of weather?

 

We went through TWE to get a wedding canopy, a white aisle runner, rose petals down the side of the aisle, and flower arrangements in front of the canopy. We actually had a rabbi sail with us so we could have a Jewish wedding ceremony.

 

I also ordered flameless candles online to use to decorate the ceremony area. TWE said we could rent the candles but they were so expensive! It was much cheaper to buy them online myself. The coordinator set them up for us.

 

We had the keyboardist for the ceremony. We selected songs for our processional (we didn't have a wedding party - just our families), for me to walk in with my dad, and a song for my husband and I to walk back down the aisle. TWE confirmed with the ship that the keyboardist would be able to play the songs we selected. He also played music while the guests were being seated. We requested that he play islandy type music!

 

We also made gift bags for all of our guests - and the wedding coordinator delivered them to the staterooms during the ceremony.

 

TWE and the ship really worked with us to do absolutely everything we asked of them.

 

I'm happy to help... So ask whatever you want!

[mandz20]

I'm sure it'll be beautiful at the lawn club! Do you have a back up room in case of weather?

 

We went through TWE to get a wedding canopy, a white aisle runner, rose petals down the side of the aisle, and flower arrangements in front of the canopy. We actually had a rabbi sail with us so we could have a Jewish wedding ceremony.

 

I also ordered flameless candles online to use to decorate the ceremony area. TWE said we could rent the candles but they were so expensive! It was much cheaper to buy them online myself. The coordinator set them up for us.

 

We had the keyboardist for the ceremony. We selected songs for our processional (we didn't have a wedding party - just our families), for me to walk in with my dad, and a song for my husband and I to walk back down the aisle. TWE confirmed with the ship that the keyboardist would be able to play the songs we selected. He also played music while the guests were being seated. We requested that he play islandy type music!

 

We also made gift bags for all of our guests - and the wedding coordinator delivered them to the staterooms during the ceremony.

 

TWE and the ship really worked with us to do absolutely everything we asked of them.

 

I'm happy to help... So ask whatever you want!

 

Hello!

 

How far in advance did you book the keyboard player and did you have musician options or did you just ask specifically for the Keyboardist?

 

Thanks,

Amanda

[canesgirl]

TWE reached out to the ship a month or so before the wedding date to find out which musicians would be available. They gave us a few options and we picked the keyboardist. Then we sent our TWE coordinator the list of songs we wanted for our professional/recessional, and what type of music to play as the guests walk in. She sent our requests to the ship and got confirmation that the keyboardist could play the songs.

 

I highly recommend creating a detailed list of things you want and what's been discussed with TWE.. Including the times and songs for the musician. That way you can confirm absolutely everything.

 

Best of luck!

[mandz20]

TWE reached out to the ship a month or so before the wedding date to find out which musicians would be available. They gave us a few options and we picked the keyboardist. Then we sent our TWE coordinator the list of songs we wanted for our professional/recessional, and what type of music to play as the guests walk in. She sent our requests to the ship and got confirmation that the keyboardist could play the songs.

 

I highly recommend creating a detailed list of things you want and what's been discussed with TWE.. Including the times and songs for the musician. That way you can confirm absolutely everything.

 

Best of luck!

 

Thank you!!!

[mandz20]

Hello! My husband and I got married on the Celebrity Constellation in February. We rented out the Tuscan Grille for the night, and worked with the maitre'd to create a table plan with a small space for a dance floor. We paid to have the DJ... So we could have our first dance and dancing after dinner. It worked out perfectly for us! It was really nice to have the restaurant to ourselves. Our travel agent worked with the groups department to get us a discount on the buy-out and they also included passed canapés during the cocktail hour since we had to pay for more seats than we had guests.

 

I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have!

 

Hello,

 

How many people did you have on the cruise with you?

 

Thanks for you help.

Edited January 11, 2015 by mandz20

[canesgirl]

We had 43 people including us