OPINIONS needed on issues

[MalibuBarbie]

:( I hope this doesn't get too long but right now I am so upset that I can't even think straight. All I wanted for our wedding was to get married while on a cruise and have either a ceremony or pictures taken on a beach. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

 

My fiance and I were planning on getting married in May 2010 on Carnival. Neither of us have any family so to speak of, so it was only going to be about 15 people coming. This is my second marriage and Brent's first. My two kids were going to be the best man and the maid of honor (They are 18 & 19). From the very beginning, we were very limited to the date we could pick because of other people's plans, school schedules, work commitments, etc so we had only two weeks (yes two weeks out of 52) that we could have our wedding. Then no one wanted the added expense to fly so we choose to leave out of Long Beach CA so everyone could drive there (from Arizona and Las Vegas) which meant that we were limited to Mexico and oh yeah, Mexico! We weren't sure of the cruiseline to pick but we chose Carnival because it was the cheapest for everyone. Some people only wanted a 4 day cruise but I drew the line there and chose a 7 day cruise. I have done nothing but try to accomodate EVERYONE and it has come to the point that I am so fed up with all of them that I am seriously thinking of cancelling the whole thing----and booking a 10 day cruise on Princess and getting married while at sea without any of them!

 

For the amount of money we would be spending on the Carnival wedding for 15 people and paying for my two children's cruise, Brent & I could have a mini-suite on Princess and have a longer cruise and have an intimate ceremony at sea. I wouldn't have to deal with the stress of an embarkation day wedding since it would be at sea and I would have the luxury of being able to take my time getting ready.

 

Here's my questions for you:

Has anyone who eloped (or had their wedding just by themselves) regret doing it that way? Will I feel like I missed out on something or will I feel bad that my FH didn't have the wedding that we were planning? FH said that he doesn't care either way---he just wants ME to be happy and he would be happy however we get married. He said he is going to be behind me 100% with whatever I want to do. Do you think I am just over-reacting to everyone else's wishes,opinions, comments, and whims? Should I just unplug the phone for a week or two and keep them all at a distance? Or should I just stick to my guns---this is the way it is staying--you can come with us and have fun or you can stay home? I know I am too mad at them all now to make any kind of decision but what do you all think? (We actually like the itinerary on Princess alot better) So tell me what ya think!

Barbie

[ShedQueen77]

We had a similar scenario. Not my 1st marriage, but it was for my husband. We did marry with just us (HE wanted it like that due to family issues on his side) and I wouldn't have had it any other way!! We had a shore wedding in Barbados.

 

We didn't have to worry about playing referee between warring family members, taking care of everyone else, etc... We had a beautiful, intimate ceremony and celebrated our love and commitment the way we wanted to.

 

JMHO, but plan your day the way you want it. It's the day YOU and your HUSBAND will remember for the rest of your life. Not your parents, his parents, your siblings, etc... It all boils down to how you feel. If it's vitally important for all of your family and friends to be there, you might have to bend some. If you don't really care, then do it YOUR way!

 

HTH :)

[esbie11]

I think the only way you will have regret is if you don't do what YOU want to do, and instead do what everyone else wants. If you want a more private, intimate wedding, than that is what you should do. You could always have a reception when you get home to celebrate with everyone. Or, we are having a Bon Voyage Party ahead of time to celebrate with those who cannot make it on the cruise with us. Honestly, I think that by bending over backwards to please everyone, you will feel the most regret because ultimately you won't have the kind of wedding you wanted.

[harrodsfan]

We were married at Bluebirds Castle in the Virgin Islands just the two of us and a witness (the hotel doorman) and the minister. It was so romantic and personal.

We had two parties when we got back home. Got to enjoy them with out the stress of getting married too.

Do what you want...

Still happily married after 17 years.:)

[sas80]

I really think it's time to draw the line. From here on out make the wedding plans that you and your husband want and let the complainers complain to a wall.

 

Weddings are stressful in themselves. Add to that the idea that you are going to accommodate everyone's desires and you are really headed for a long, bumpy, unhappy road.

 

DH and I did not ditch our original plans for a cruise wedding. We did like you are doing - we sailed out of LA so that everyone could drive to the port and not have the added expense of flying. But we did pick a cruise that we wanted to do, we picked the date, and we picked the length.

 

Anyone whom complained was given a deaf ear and placated with some generic response like "Oh, we're sorry you feel that way" and then DH and I moved on with wedding plans. Lots of people complained that they wanted to attend but couldn't afford it and we simply said 'we are really going to miss you".

 

No matter what you do, or how accommodating you are, you will never be able to please everyone.

 

My advice to you is to stick to your guns from here on out. Make the wedding plans that you want and let the complainers words pass over you without impacting you.

 

If you really want to book a 10 day and get married at sea then why not do that and have a reception at home after the fact?

 

Good Luck!

[dcdiva]

We started out in just the same place you did. We adjusted and re-adjusted the plan to accomodate friends and families. We'd be married in port so people didn't have to cruise, sail from a port close to relatives (though not so close to us) so that people didn't need to fly, sail during school vacatiton for people with kids, plan a shorter itinerary to save money and vacation days, etc.

 

After realizing it was impossible to please everyone, we changed all the plans to meet our own wants and needs. We sailed from Florida -- so everyone but our parents had to fly or drive a long distance. We got married during the school year because that was the time that worked best for us. We got married onboard the ship, and anyone who wanted to attend had to sail with us. Our only concession was that we made it a 6-day cruise instead of 7-days so that the folks who opted to make the long drive didn't have to take more than a week of vacation time.

 

There was lots of grumbling and complaining. And we figured, if nothing else, this would keep the wedding small and intimate. But boy were we wrong. A total of 60 people sailed with us!! In the end, those folks who really wanted to be there found a way to make it work. Those who couldn't come were sorry to miss it, but no one held it against us.

 

So, my advice is about the same as everyone else. Do whatever is going to make you happy...

[Alabama Worley]

I say plan it exactly the way YOU and your Fiance' want it. Make plans for your children and let everyone else know that this is what you have chosen to do for YOUR wedding. Let them know you apologize if they aren't able to attend and maybe plan a gathering when you return. At the end of the day, this your celebration.

 

We had a similar situation. When we through out the idea of a cruise wedding to Alaska, EVERYONE said "wow thats too expensivive, too far, etc" We told them, we of course understood and were prepared for it to be only us if that is how it ended up. I had to endure a couple months of my parents/family constantly suggesting other options and locations but we stuck to our guns. We actually had 30 people that ending up sailing with us. But we knew that if it ended up being just the 2 of us, that was AOK, we had it the way we wanted it :D

[ShedQueen77]

We were married at Bluebirds Castle in the Virgin Islands just the two of us and a witness (the hotel doorman) and the minister. It was so romantic and personal.

We had two parties when we got back home. Got to enjoy them with out the stress of getting married too.

Do what you want...

Still happily married after 17 years.:)

 

Our witnesses were our photographer and videographer! :)

[Karen_and_Andy]

My sister and (now) brother-in-law were planning a wedding but getting a lot of grief and unwelcomed "advice" from his side of the family (particularly from his brother's wife -- a stay at home mom of 4 with apparently nothing else to do but butt-in to other people's plans). It was her second wedding and his first, but they became so fed up with all the unwanted advice (nearly daily calls) that they ran off one weekend and eloped during a long-weekend trip out west. No one knew they were going to do it or that they did it until they fessed up to it a couple months afterwards. She bought a dress on eBay and he got a tux, they booked a minister and a photographer online, and they planned the whole trip in 2 weeks. Although she got the blame from his side of the family for planning the elopement, it was actually my brother-in-laws idea as he was so sick of the interference from his family. Everything was a struggle and no place they chose for the wedding or reception was right in the eyes of his family so the stress pushed them to the elopement.

 

To this day, they say it was the best thing they could've done and they say they had a great time. His mother and sister-in-law threw a big fit that there wasn't a formal wedding that they could attend so they ended up having a vow renewal ceremony on their first anniversary just to appease all the complainers. They say they regret spending all the money on the vow renewal when they were totally satisfied with everything they had and did on their elopement trip, but they knew they would never hear the end of complaining from his side of the family if they didn't do something that involved his mom, brother, and sister-in-law. Funny thing is, our side of the family was totally fine with it. Both my parents were relieved at first because they said they thought my sister and brother-in-law were really smart for saving their money (to put towards a mortgage) instead of a big wedding so they were a little bummed that his side of the family pressured them to spend money on a "second wedding" of sorts.

 

Although each side of the family has their own opinions about what they did, my sister and her husband are really happy and talk so highly about the fun they had running off by themselves and doing things completely their way. They seem to really cherish their elopement trip and ceremony (with a quiet dinner for two in a restaurant afterwards) much more than their full vow renewal ceremony and reception.

 

So if you decide to get married on your own without everyone else and that's going to make you both happy, I say go for it. The marriage and wedding are about the two of you so as long as it's what you want and you're happy, ignore any of the criticism or remarks from other people.

[MalibuBarbie]

Thanks for all your responses----you all made me feel SO much better. I figured I was the only one who just had a messed-up family and in-laws to be but apparently that isn't true! The really sad part of this all is my (not-so)darling 19 yo daughter is one who is making the most stink so it is even more heart breaking to me. :( The only one who is actually sticking up for us is (sit down for this one!LOL) is my ex-hubby who my fiance and I actually get along with very well. And yes, we originially invited him and his new GF and they will be attending if we choose to get married with guests. I know, weird huh!

 

Anyway, I turned my phone off last night and went to bed early and thought about it all...what would REALLY make us happy. Winning the lottery was the first thought in my head but what we really want was : obviously to get married,:D to have the wedding on a relaxing fun cruise, not have to deal with a lot of marriage licensing issues, want some type of beach pictures and want something that we will always look back on and smile. I have done alot of research on Carnival because that was were we were planning on but I know nothing about Princess so I need to do some more researching to see what they are like and what they offer. However, at this point, we are leaning more towards the Princess cruise. The reasons being: past brides have expressed that an embarkation day wedding is very hectic---a wedding at sea would be so much easier and alot less stressful. My fiance was in a car accident and is disabled so 5 days at sea out of 10 would be absolutely wonderful for us and we would still be able to have some pictures done on a beach in Cabo. Yes, the wedding package is alot more expensive than Carnival but we kind of justified that because we don't go out alot at home (I work way too many hours every week) and we figured we would splurge on the wedding/cruise. I highly doubt that anyone could afford (money or time wise) to go with us on Princess so it would kind of get us out of explaining our decision to anyone.

 

You guys made me chuckle when you mentioned who your witnesses were! The doorman, the videographer, the photographer! I kind of forgot about witnesses! I think that they provide them for us with the at sea package---otherwise I will just grab a couple of people lounging in the hot tub on the way to the chapel! LOL

 

Anyways, things may change and we might go ahead with the whole Carnival cruise/wedding but we figured that we have a little bit of time and we will talk about it and make a definite decision at the end of September and put down our deposits then. I have a feeling it is going to be a LONG month!

 

Thanks again everyone!!!

[MarinerBride]

Great that you're figuring out what you want and making it happen! Most of our family was very understanding about our plans, but we did have several that weren't thrilled. It was really hard, but I knew that I couldn't do it any other way - I was NOT going to plan a wedding, and this was the easiest, most fun way I could think to do it. Overall, the people who came had a great time, and the people who didnt' come accepted it. It's your wedding, and the most important thing is that you come out of it married without killing anybody in the process - do whatever you need to do to make that happen. :)

[SayingIDo]

:( I hope this doesn't get too long but right now I am so upset that I can't even think straight. All I wanted for our wedding was to get married while on a cruise and have either a ceremony or pictures taken on a beach. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

 

My fiance and I were planning on getting married in May 2010 on Carnival. Neither of us have any family so to speak of, so it was only going to be about 15 people coming. This is my second marriage and Brent's first. My two kids were going to be the best man and the maid of honor (They are 18 & 19). From the very beginning, we were very limited to the date we could pick because of other people's plans, school schedules, work commitments, etc so we had only two weeks (yes two weeks out of 52) that we could have our wedding. Then no one wanted the added expense to fly so we choose to leave out of Long Beach CA so everyone could drive there (from Arizona and Las Vegas) which meant that we were limited to Mexico and oh yeah, Mexico! We weren't sure of the cruiseline to pick but we chose Carnival because it was the cheapest for everyone. Some people only wanted a 4 day cruise but I drew the line there and chose a 7 day cruise. I have done nothing but try to accomodate EVERYONE and it has come to the point that I am so fed up with all of them that I am seriously thinking of cancelling the whole thing----and booking a 10 day cruise on Princess and getting married while at sea without any of them!

 

For the amount of money we would be spending on the Carnival wedding for 15 people and paying for my two children's cruise, Brent & I could have a mini-suite on Princess and have a longer cruise and have an intimate ceremony at sea. I wouldn't have to deal with the stress of an embarkation day wedding since it would be at sea and I would have the luxury of being able to take my time getting ready.

 

Here's my questions for you:

Has anyone who eloped (or had their wedding just by themselves) regret doing it that way? Will I feel like I missed out on something or will I feel bad that my FH didn't have the wedding that we were planning? FH said that he doesn't care either way---he just wants ME to be happy and he would be happy however we get married. He said he is going to be behind me 100% with whatever I want to do. Do you think I am just over-reacting to everyone else's wishes,opinions, comments, and whims? Should I just unplug the phone for a week or two and keep them all at a distance? Or should I just stick to my guns---this is the way it is staying--you can come with us and have fun or you can stay home? I know I am too mad at them all now to make any kind of decision but what do you all think? (We actually like the itinerary on Princess alot better) So tell me what ya think!

Barbie

 

You need to do what you want... otherwise it will get ugly and more stress than you need. Forget about those people... elope!

[ShedQueen77]

It does sound sort of funny having 'strangers' as witnesses, but these two men were just fabulous! They were so much fun and just made our day! Much more fun than the inlaws would have been, that's for sure! lol :D

[11/23/08wedding]

You don't have to feel bad a lot of people go through the same thing! My fiancee has not been married and I have. I really wanted to elope but he wanted the big wedding so his friends and family could come. So we compromised on the cruise wedding. We live in TX about an hour away from Galveston so all his friends and family could come. My Family all lives in MN and FL so I didn't expect any of them to come. Our wedding is 79 days away I have been planning since January and I almost have more family coming than he does and his family are the ones who don't want to get a hotel but don't want to get up early to make it there by 10!!! His mother hasn't even said she was coming or any other word about the wedding! He was really upset and I just told him that it was about us and our union we only needed us and my son and he is much better now! So just do what YOU want to do. It is for the TWO OF YOU!

 

Congrats and good luck!

[buckanear]

You should do what you want. It's supposed to be a representation of you as a couple and everyone else's imput is irrelevant.

 

As an aside, I'm a minister in a port city and I get all kinds of emails and calls from people who decided to elope before they board the ship because it was the perfect honeymoon and didn't want to deal with a big wedding before hand. So go with your gut about what you want to do.

[cruisecouple09]

My FH and I decided to get married on Carnival and we sent invites out to let our guests have the oppurtunity to come but didn't make any changes to what we wanted to do. We basically told everyone if they can make it great, if not we understand. We heard a few grumbles initially but now all the guests that say they are going are starting to get excited. Hope this helps, remember it's your marriage not theirs.

[PMO]

I do believe you should do what you want to do and NOT try to please others. All of this truly is none of their business. They are invited and they either accept or decline. I am sorry to hear that your daughter is giving you the biggest pain but that is not surprising. Daughters are tough at times.

I just wanted to make a couple points. On the 7 day cruise can you be married in one of the ports you stop in and not on embarkation day? Make it one of the days in the beginning of the cruise and when your in port a long period. You could have a cocktail reception on the ship that day. Get married before hand at the justice of the peace and then you don't have to worry about the courthouse anywhere! That is what my daughter is doing just to make it more relaxing the day of her wedding. That is just a formality and plans on thinking of her actual wedding day when we are all there and she is in her wedding dress. She is thinking of it as getting her marriage license. Remember it is your day not your daughter's day or anyone else's day. But you have other choices too what about Royal Caribbean? I do not know about them in California I am an East Coast girl. Good luck with whatever you choose. Stop discussing it with others and decide what is best for you!!!

[bermuda triangle]

Hi Barbie,

Hope you have had a chance to read over everything in the info I emailed you. I wanted to mention that with Princess they will mail you a copy of your marriage license, if you are married at sea. I don't remember if that is mentioned or not..so since we were between NYC and Bermuda, our license is coming from Bermuda. It is a legal ceremony that is performed and it is recognized by the US.

Are you any closer to making a decision?

Laura

[MalibuBarbie]

Hi Laura!

Brent & I spent all day Sunday reading all the info you sent (thanks again!) and searching the internet for more Princess information. The more we read, the more excited we got! That's saying alot since planning anything about the wedding hasn't been much fun since all this drama started! LOL So, I would say that yes, although we haven't made a definite decision, we are seriously leaning more towards Princess and doing it by ourselves.

 

We absolutely love the itinerary on Princess---5 days at sea -3 in the beginning and 2 at the end. Cabo is still one of our ports so we can still have our beach pictures and trash the dress pictures done while we are there. We are there for a few more hours than we would be on Carnival. We also found ourselves trying to figure out why we WOULDN'T or SHOULDN'T take Princess instead of the other way around. We also decided that we are going all the way with it....we will be getting either a mini-suite or a full suite depending upon what kind of rates we can find.

 

I did know that the marriage license will be mailed but I can't remember whether you told me, or if I read it in one of the brochures or on the web. I think the only thing that I need it for right away is to add Brent onto my insurance. The girl in HR told me that they would accept the keepsake one if the other one didn't come within the 30 days and then I can send a copy of the real one as soon as it arrives.

 

I am assuming that since we are doing the wedding at sea, that we will not have anything to do with TWE, am I correct? It will totally be Princess staff working on it, right?

 

I did have a couple of questions though.....How do you request a deck wedding? I had heard that it has to be approved by the captain. Is it hard to get approved or is it mostly weather issues that might prohibit them sometimes? Also, you had a keyboard at your deck wedding. Were you happy with it? Did you have the same choices for your music?

 

Thanks so much for all that info! While it seemed that Princess was alot more expensive, it really isn't because they add alot more stuff into the package that is all extra with Carnival. The actual photo package prices were definitely alot cheaper too. I don't know if the prices are up to date, but if they are, I will be VERY happy!

 

I'll keep ya posted!

Barbie

[psbtrvlr]

Hi Laura!

Brent & I spent all day Sunday reading all the info you sent (thanks again!) and searching the internet for more Princess information. The more we read, the more excited we got! That's saying alot since planning anything about the wedding hasn't been much fun since all this drama started! LOL So, I would say that yes, although we haven't made a definite decision, we are seriously leaning more towards Princess and doing it by ourselves.

 

We absolutely love the itinerary on Princess---5 days at sea -3 in the beginning and 2 at the end. Cabo is still one of our ports so we can still have our beach pictures and trash the dress pictures done while we are there. We are there for a few more hours than we would be on Carnival. We also found ourselves trying to figure out why we WOULDN'T or SHOULDN'T take Princess instead of the other way around. We also decided that we are going all the way with it....we will be getting either a mini-suite or a full suite depending upon what kind of rates we can find.

 

I did know that the marriage license will be mailed but I can't remember whether you told me, or if I read it in one of the brochures or on the web. I think the only thing that I need it for right away is to add Brent onto my insurance. The girl in HR told me that they would accept the keepsake one if the other one didn't come within the 30 days and then I can send a copy of the real one as soon as it arrives.

 

I am assuming that since we are doing the wedding at sea, that we will not have anything to do with TWE, am I correct? It will totally be Princess staff working on it, right?

 

I did have a couple of questions though.....How do you request a deck wedding? I had heard that it has to be approved by the captain. Is it hard to get approved or is it mostly weather issues that might prohibit them sometimes? Also, you had a keyboard at your deck wedding. Were you happy with it? Did you have the same choices for your music?

 

Thanks so much for all that info! While it seemed that Princess was alot more expensive, it really isn't because they add alot more stuff into the package that is all extra with Carnival. The actual photo package prices were definitely alot cheaper too. I don't know if the prices are up to date, but if they are, I will be VERY happy!

 

I'll keep ya posted!

Barbie

 

The Princess wedding at sea is still handled thru TWE. For the CB in November, there are 3 basic times, and a few different places that are automatically allowed. Any deviation from that, like time or place, has to be approved by the captain. TWE will take care of that for you.

[mandella]

:) I will be getting married on the Crown next month. TWE does a lot of the planning. I was worried after reading all the horror stories, but I have had a great experience!!! I deal with my TWE rep via e-mail so I have proof of everything promised. She usually e-mails back within a few hours. I will be happy to keep you posted about the remainder of my dealing with them.

 

Congrats on your upcoming wedding,

Mandy

[bermuda triangle]

Hi Laura!

Brent & I spent all day Sunday reading all the info you sent (thanks again!) and searching the internet for more Princess information. The more we read, the more excited we got! That's saying alot since planning anything about the wedding hasn't been much fun since all this drama started! LOL So, I would say that yes, although we haven't made a definite decision, we are seriously leaning more towards Princess and doing it by ourselves.

 

We absolutely love the itinerary on Princess---5 days at sea -3 in the beginning and 2 at the end. Cabo is still one of our ports so we can still have our beach pictures and trash the dress pictures done while we are there. We are there for a few more hours than we would be on Carnival. We also found ourselves trying to figure out why we WOULDN'T or SHOULDN'T take Princess instead of the other way around. We also decided that we are going all the way with it....we will be getting either a mini-suite or a full suite depending upon what kind of rates we can find.

 

I did know that the marriage license will be mailed but I can't remember whether you told me, or if I read it in one of the brochures or on the web. I think the only thing that I need it for right away is to add Brent onto my insurance. The girl in HR told me that they would accept the keepsake one if the other one didn't come within the 30 days and then I can send a copy of the real one as soon as it arrives.

 

I am assuming that since we are doing the wedding at sea, that we will not have anything to do with TWE, am I correct? It will totally be Princess staff working on it, right?

 

I did have a couple of questions though.....How do you request a deck wedding? I had heard that it has to be approved by the captain. Is it hard to get approved or is it mostly weather issues that might prohibit them sometimes? Also, you had a keyboard at your deck wedding. Were you happy with it? Did you have the same choices for your music?

 

Thanks so much for all that info! While it seemed that Princess was alot more expensive, it really isn't because they add alot more stuff into the package that is all extra with Carnival. The actual photo package prices were definitely alot cheaper too. I don't know if the prices are up to date, but if they are, I will be VERY happy!

 

I'll keep ya posted!

Barbie

 

Hi Barbie,

If you contact the insurance co and inform them that you have been married, explain it was on a ship, and that you are waiting for the license, but you have copies of other paperwork, if they would like to see it...they shouldn't have a problem (Noah's ins. co. ended up not even asking for a copy).

TWE does the Princess weddings. When you call Princess Weddings you are transferred to TWE. It was fairly easy.

The deck wedding is requested when you book. You find out before your cruise (10-7 days before) if it will be held on deck or not. It may change if the weather is bad.

I will add more in a bit.

Laura

[MalibuBarbie]

Hi Everyone,

Darn! I was truly hoping that I would bypass the TWE experience but it does appear from past brides that they are on the ball with the Princess weddings.

 

Mandy- I would love to hear how your planning goes in the next month and I am looking forward to hearing your review when you return. You must be getting very excited!

 

Today was definitely not a good day, my sister called me and let me know that my mom's doctors have given her only about 3 months to live. Me and the kids are heading up to see her on Saturday in some rehab center that she is in. I don't really know how she is---she went into the hospital two weeks ago because she kept saying she was dizzy but she was able to walk. Right now she doesn't know anyone, can't walk or feed herself and has stopped talking completely. I knew she was in the beginning stages of Alzheimers a couple of months ago but that sure is a drastic change in just two weeks. I don't know too much about the disease but I had no idea that the patient could get that bad so quickly. I always thought it was a long drawn out thing.

 

I haven't seen either my mom or dad in about 8 years because of something my sister did so it is kind of weird for me right now. I guess they (my sister and dad) are hoping that she is stuck in the time period where she might recognize me and have some sense of recognition . I said yes immediately because I don't mind going up there to see if I can help in that way but I am just praying that I don't upset her :confused: and make things worse for her. God knows she is probably suffering enough as it is. I think I will be devastated if I thought I upset her at this time. See...I told you all my family was really messed up.

 

Anyway, I am reading the boards tonight to try and keep my mind occupied until Saturday.

Barbie

[caribbean 2009]

This is definetly MY opinion. My fiance and I are getting married in May 2009. We ran into issues with peoples schedules in our family as well. Finally we just had to say we set the date of our wedding! We sent out save the date announcements. If they can't book something that far in advance then we are sorry to hear they can't make it. Having some family there was the most important thing to us. So we are going to have the wedding at port. and then go our own ways for the cruise. For the people who can't make it for their schedule we are sorry, we definetly tried to give everyone far enough advance notice. We are having a very small reception over labor day at a different location for those who couldn't afford flights. People have to understand that this is YOUR date. They change the schedule for YOU. If not, I'm sorry.

[shetryed]

:( I hope this doesn't get too long but right now I am so upset that I can't even think straight. All I wanted for our wedding was to get married while on a cruise and have either a ceremony or pictures taken on a beach. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

 

My fiance and I were planning on getting married in May 2010 on Carnival. Neither of us have any family so to speak of, so it was only going to be about 15 people coming. This is my second marriage and Brent's first. My two kids were going to be the best man and the maid of honor (They are 18 & 19). From the very beginning, we were very limited to the date we could pick because of other people's plans, school schedules, work commitments, etc so we had only two weeks (yes two weeks out of 52) that we could have our wedding. Then no one wanted the added expense to fly so we choose to leave out of Long Beach CA so everyone could drive there (from Arizona and Las Vegas) which meant that we were limited to Mexico and oh yeah, Mexico! We weren't sure of the cruiseline to pick but we chose Carnival because it was the cheapest for everyone. Some people only wanted a 4 day cruise but I drew the line there and chose a 7 day cruise. I have done nothing but try to accomodate EVERYONE and it has come to the point that I am so fed up with all of them that I am seriously thinking of cancelling the whole thing----and booking a 10 day cruise on Princess and getting married while at sea without any of them!

 

For the amount of money we would be spending on the Carnival wedding for 15 people and paying for my two children's cruise, Brent & I could have a mini-suite on Princess and have a longer cruise and have an intimate ceremony at sea. I wouldn't have to deal with the stress of an embarkation day wedding since it would be at sea and I would have the luxury of being able to take my time getting ready.

 

Here's my questions for you:

Has anyone who eloped (or had their wedding just by themselves) regret doing it that way? Will I feel like I missed out on something or will I feel bad that my FH didn't have the wedding that we were planning? FH said that he doesn't care either way---he just wants ME to be happy and he would be happy however we get married. He said he is going to be behind me 100% with whatever I want to do. Do you think I am just over-reacting to everyone else's wishes,opinions, comments, and whims? Should I just unplug the phone for a week or two and keep them all at a distance? Or should I just stick to my guns---this is the way it is staying--you can come with us and have fun or you can stay home? I know I am too mad at them all now to make any kind of decision but what do you all think? (We actually like the itinerary on Princess alot better) So tell me what ya think!

Barbie

 

Barbie

 

I am so sorry the planning of your wedding has been so stressful already!

 

My FH and I had issues with planning our wedding as well. Both of us had been married once before, we each have 2 teenagers. My entire family is in New York (we live in Florida) and his family does not like me. (Whole other story I won't bore you with!) So we agonized over the wedding.....my family is not well off and I doubt if many of them could make it down here for the wedding anyway. We finally decided to do what WE wanted.....neither of us have ever been to Hawaii and have always wanted to. We are getting married in a little over 3 weeks in Honolulu. We will be there 4 days, then leave on a 12 day Carnival cruise, just the 2 of us. Our WC in Honolulu has arranged to have the entire ceremony taped onto DVD and we have a photographer lined up....so everyone can still experience the ceremony who wishes to. My family in NY has asked if we could visit up there next Spring/Summer and they want to have a BBQ reception/party for all our friends/relatives up there.

 

Sorry to be long-winded. It is YOUR day, for the two of you! Make it what YOU want it to be! No excuses to anyone.....be happy and joyful of commiting to each other. Best of luck to you

 

Linda