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2017 Brides!


BimTheDuck
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Thanks! I'm going to visit the ship in October, we might even cruise. Have been working on hotel reservations, finding a hairstylist/makeup artist, location for dinner the night prior. Happy to share what I have found out if you want any info. Also, our good friend will join the Magic as the Hotel Director in September, so he will be an excellent source of Magic specific info. I think I will get thank you money envelopes and do the best I can to guess and figure out who I need to tip early on. Someone else told me they tipped: officiant, coordinator at terminal, coordinator on ship, bar staff and photographer. Seems strange to me to tip a photographer.

 

 

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I think I will get thank you money envelopes and do the best I can to guess and figure out who I need to tip early on. Someone else told me they tipped: officiant, coordinator at terminal, coordinator on ship, bar staff and photographer. Seems strange to me to tip a photographer.

 

 

We took a tour in April, and will be taking a second at the end of September. The "tour" consists of the group representative showing your the various venues, and thats about it. You can ask some questions, but the actual ceremony and stuff is done by the wedding experience, so if you run into the coordinator or officiant, pick their brains. We defiantly got way more information out of them than the Carnival employee.

 

Also from this tour, it seems that the terminal and ship coordinators are the same person. They will meet your guests at the terminal and then walk you through the whole process once boarding.

 

I also agree that tipping the photographer seems a bit strange as well.

 

If you don't mind me asking, are you booked under the new package where everything is ala carte, or the old packages (time to celebrate, celebrate big, and bigger)? We are under the new pricing scheme, and finding info on that, even from Carnival is a bit of a pain.

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Unfortunately, the new pricing... it seems way more expensive than the old. But I have to say, I'm still happy with the decision to do it this way. I'm into stress free! We picked a seated luncheon, mostly because my dad will be 93 by then and I thought that would be nice for him. What do you have planned?

 

There was a way on here to become "friends" so to speak and chat outside of the forum, but I have no idea how to do that anymore... if you do, feel free to add me or try to chat with me.

 

Nice to know the person who will meet us at the dock, will be the same coordinator to be on the ship with us, that seems to make less room for error.

 

Am I the only one worried about what guest will do between boarding and the ceremony? I'm thinking about getting everyone maps of the ship and make a "Welcome Letter" telling them what they could do before the ceremony starts and what to expect with boarding, ceremony, luncheon, etc.

 

I can probably get most questions about the ship answered by our friend who will be the Hotel Director for both of us. He is in charge of everything not marine/bridge/engine/navigation related.... so rooms, food, restaurants, bars, entertainment, etc. He will also be there for our tour or if we cruise on that sailing. I know the Wedding Department and Wedding Experience handle all the planning, but the execution of most things is done by ship employees... cooks, wait staff, bartenders, etc. I know he is coming to visit before going back on the ship in September, so ask away and I'll make a list of things to ask. If needed asap, I can alway talk to him before then.

 

I have a million questions of my own... what are you doing for flowers? food? cake? any kids?

 

 

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Unfortunately, the new pricing... it seems way more expensive than the old. But I have to say, I'm still happy with the decision to do it this way. I'm into stress free! We picked a seated luncheon, mostly because my dad will be 93 by then and I thought that would be nice for him. What do you have planned?

 

We are also under the new pricing. Yes it is more expensive, but compared to a land wedding, I still believe we are coming out ahead. We are doing just the tier 1 food and drinks, since they reception will only be 90 minutes, and very few guests will be sailing with us, we decided to keep the wedding dry (for safety reasons) and not to splurge on food.

 

There was a way on here to become "friends" so to speak and chat outside of the forum, but I have no idea how to do that anymore... if you do, feel free to add me or try to chat with me.
Honestly, no idea how to do this either lol

 

 

Am I the only one worried about what guest will do between boarding and the ceremony? I'm thinking about getting everyone maps of the ship and make a "Welcome Letter" telling them what they could do before the ceremony starts and what to expect with boarding, ceremony, luncheon, etc.
When we did the tour, we were basically treated as guests of the wedding. You have free reign of the ship. We are going to ask guests to hang out around the atrium bar, or along the 5th deck. (the ceremony is either held on deck 4 in the confrence rooms (there are 3, make sure to make it clear you dont want the one with the pole in the middle) or deck 5 in the spotlight lounge. From what we understood the receptions would be in the spotlight lounge, or the vibe dance club. If you book the DJ you are going to be in either of those places. We requested the dance club, as it is smaller than the lounge, and will keep people closer together.

 

 

I have a million questions of my own... what are you doing for flowers? food? cake? any kids?
Flowers we are going to do it through the wedding experience. However we are keeping it simple, my and my bridesmaids bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages. We felt it would just save the headache of having to bring it on board, and making sure they dont get damaged in that process.

 

Food, as mentioned above we are just doing the tier 1 food and drinks. Wedding guests are able to purchase alcohol prior to the event with their cards if they wish.

 

Cake, we upgraded to the 3 tier cake. It is a bit overkill for our wedding (52ish people total), but the 2 tier just wasnt that impressive. We also opted for it to be red velvet with the cream cheese filling.

 

With children, we are asking our guests to make arrangements to have the kept home. You are only allowed 50 non sailing guests, and we are right near that limit.

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Cake, we upgraded to the 3 tier cake. It is a bit overkill for our wedding (52ish people total), but the 2 tier just wasnt that impressive. We also opted for it to be red velvet with the cream cheese filling.

 

 

I was thinking the same thing, and we may only have 21 people. I'm sure the small 2 tier would be plenty, but for looks, I'm thinking 3 tiers. It just looks nicer. And the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting is on our short list. 122cd392eeb559fffdee906639e9639c.jpgce49fe1b183eb3ba9106c7da60504cda.jpg

 

 

 

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I remember when I was searching for Royal Caribbean Weddings and I got so many bad reviews about it it made my heart sink ( I said to myself I will leave a review for sure once I'm married good or bad) and since I'm a 2017 Bride I'm just going to leave this in this thread. Btw there is a facebook page for -Royal Caribbean Brides- also, so if you are one please join us.

I did it, I got married with Royal Caribbean on Oasis of the Seas. I'm so glad that I did not listened to all the nay sayers one can find in reviews online. I did made it a bit easy on me by doing the symbolic ceremony instead of the real deal, but we decided it in late April or was it May, and I was worried that there would not be enough time for all the paperwork, I'm also German ( living in America) did not know if that would make it even harder. Alright, let's get to the meat, working with Larissa as the wedding coordinator, tell ya'll the truth I let my husband do most of it, at times it was a bit hard to get a hold of her, but all in all it could have been worse. I got the cake I wanted, I send them about 5 different pictures of cakes I liked, so they told me which one they were able to do. I did not picked my own music since I thought that what they offered was lovely. We had a small celebration groom, bride, my two children and my daughters boyfriend. Had to pay extra for the 3 people. We had the ceremony, held by Leo Reyes ( remember it was a symbolic ceremony) and he was awesome, he is such a nice person. A women named Vebelyn ( I probably wrote that wrong, and her last name I was not able to catch) was our photographer and she was also awesome, such a sweet lady. After the ceremony we had champagne, cutting of the cake, ate some strawberries, and after that we whisked through the ship to make pictures, which I paid for an extra hour and that was totally worth it. Then we had a romantic dinner at Izumi, we love sushi, and holy moly that was some good sushi. We felt like Royalty the whole time, this is really something we will be able to treasure for the rest of our lives and thats why we have chosen to get married on Oasis of the Seas, such a beautiful ship. Any questions just ask ......

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We are booked on the Carnival Magic out of Pt. Canaveral on Dec 23, 2017 and getting married prior to sail away.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a Hair Salon in the Pt. Canaveral area?

 

We used electronic Save the Dates (I just can't bring myself to call them by their initials... I guess I've read to many OBGYN medical records.

 

 

 

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We are actually getting married on the Magic on Embarkation day as well! September 16th in Port Canaveral and I am using Tenacious Glam. They came highly recommended and are coming to my hotel the morning of. If you would like contact information, I don't mind sharing. Super professional and very affordable.

 

 

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Unfortunately, the new pricing... it seems way more expensive than the old. But I have to say, I'm still happy with the decision to do it this way. I'm into stress free! We picked a seated luncheon, mostly because my dad will be 93 by then and I thought that would be nice for him. What do you have planned?

 

There was a way on here to become "friends" so to speak and chat outside of the forum, but I have no idea how to do that anymore... if you do, feel free to add me or try to chat with me.

 

Nice to know the person who will meet us at the dock, will be the same coordinator to be on the ship with us, that seems to make less room for error.

 

Am I the only one worried about what guest will do between boarding and the ceremony? I'm thinking about getting everyone maps of the ship and make a "Welcome Letter" telling them what they could do before the ceremony starts and what to expect with boarding, ceremony, luncheon, etc.

 

I can probably get most questions about the ship answered by our friend who will be the Hotel Director for both of us. He is in charge of everything not marine/bridge/engine/navigation related.... so rooms, food, restaurants, bars, entertainment, etc. He will also be there for our tour or if we cruise on that sailing. I know the Wedding Department and Wedding Experience handle all the planning, but the execution of most things is done by ship employees... cooks, wait staff, bartenders, etc. I know he is coming to visit before going back on the ship in September, so ask away and I'll make a list of things to ask. If needed asap, I can alway talk to him before then.

 

I have a million questions of my own... what are you doing for flowers? food? cake? any kids?

 

 

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We are doing the seated luncheon too! Seems like many people don't go this route, but this is a second marriage for both of us, and we only have 16 people (all sailing!) coming with us. We have the whole week to party. We booked under the old package and now that I see the prices, I'm glad we did.

 

 

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Seems we have a few things in common! I'd love the name and contact info for your hair and make up person. A seated luncheon just seemed nicer for me, for our small group. You don't have long to go. Congratulations. I'd love to hear your report after your cruise.

 

 

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Seems we have a few things in common! I'd love the name and contact info for your hair and make up person. A seated luncheon just seemed nicer for me, for our small group. You don't have long to go. Congratulations. I'd love to hear your report after your cruise.

 

 

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Here is the information for the hair/makeup. The managers name is Jennifer, she's AMAZING!

 

https://www.tenaciousglam.com/

 

 

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Hi All!!!

 

I'm a 2016 bride just popping in, and am so excited for all of you as you plan your weddings! I got married on the Carnival Inspiration, and we had an amazing experience. I just wanted to be of help on a few things that I saw mentioned. I know some of this will be duplicative, but these are the touches that really made me happy.

 

I did an embarkation day wedding, so that some of my older family members could attend without sailing. Even though I have a large family, we did a small (for us) wedding. It wasn't easy, but we ended up with the decisions that made us happiest in the end. I prioritized having my parents, their parents, and siblings, and a handful of friends from different stages of my life. I didn't have a bridal party, and ended up being very happy with my decision. Instead, I walked down the staircase alone, met my Dad at the base of the stairs, and my Mom met us at the front. It was a wonderful moment for us.

 

We made simple snack bags for our guests. We purchased bags from Michaels, and filled them with snacks and from Smart N Final. I even made a few diabetic friendly. People were so excited to get them when they arrived at the ship! Of course, once they were onboard they roamed freely, but had maps of the ship and a slip from the cruise line letting them know the when/where/how of the wedding. No one was late (they really know me!) :)

 

We made invitations that included every detail people needed to know about the wedding. They received specific information about what to submit, and what time to arrive that day, as well as parking,etc. They were multiple pages, but I found a great website that let me develop a customized booklet. It turned out cheaper than standard invitations. I kept two excel spreadsheets, one for my budget, and one for my the info on my cruise guests. Really helped me stay organized.

 

Tips are really up to you. I planned tips for our wedding coordinators and officiant. I had them in an envelope, and one of my husband's best friends was in charge of it. I figured I would change the amounts if needed, but did not in the end. I did not tip the photographer, I figured that the incentive there was to get us to purchase as many pictures as possible. I would recommend sitting through all of the pictures before stating what you want to buy. One thing I'm glad I did was book the videographer. At the time, only one wedding onboard could have it (I ended up being the only wedding). We didn't have to pay in advance, and only decided to get it once we saw it and loved it. They used different music, but darn it if one of them isn't one of our favorite songs that reminds us of our special day now.

 

If you have a sizeable group, look into using the hosted cocktail reception as one of your booking amenities. We had a large group, so we did this as well as give everyone a room credit. We also did meals, a wine tour, and karaoke together, and they clubbed together without us our first night. I did a ladies tea on the second to last day of our voyage (tea is often on your itinerary, but rarely is it well-publicized).

 

If you can find a picture of a cake you like online, and send it to the coordinators. I thought my cruise cake designer did a great job based on the design. I also provided red rose petals and faux diamonds for decoration around the cake, and explained to the coordinators how I would like them scattered. They hit the nail on the head.

 

I used a few photos of us as a couple to create a shutterfly book, then made that our guest photo book. I still have it on display.

 

We purchased a very real looking artificial red rose bouquet and boutonnieres from etsy. I still kept my Carnival bouquet for decoration while on the ship. But this bouquet was customized with crystals and it sits in my livingroom right now, looking every bit as beautiful as they day I bought it!! The boutonniere has a few crystals too. We also bought matching ones for my dad and mom.

 

We customized our ceremony by combining the provided language, and some that my officiant had. We used our own officiant, but the provided one was on hand and very helpful.

 

One of my coordinators got very sick the day of the wedding. When they told me they sent her home during the reception, I had not even noticed. They did that great of a job. I literally handed them a box with a sheet that explained everything I needed done with reception decoration, and they did it.

 

I washed my hair the night before, and had a stylist do my hair at my home the morning of my wedding. I had a natural style that lasted for days. A friend attending the wedding used to do makeup for Mac. I had done a trial with her, and gone to Mac to purchase items and find out what I liked. She did my makeup at the house that morning, and touched it up before the wedding.

 

When I first arrived to my suite, I had time alone. I used it to stage a few items just the way I liked them. I found a place on the balcony door to hang my dress on my Mrs. hanger. I had a few friends tasked to get me food so I could eat. Then, I had a few friends help me get ready, and spent a minute or two with my Mom, who had been trying to work on decorations :) Before I knew it, I was ready to go.

 

My mom insisted on decorating our head table with some little elements that incorporated our colors and said Mr. and Mrs. She reserved a few tables for both sets of parents at the front of the nightclub, which I thought was really smart. She also brought some bows that she wrapped around the aisles of the theater. It ended up looking great.

 

I loved having our reception in the nightclub. It was an intimate space that encouraged dancing (all I cared about). We gave one speech as a couple, did a father-daughter dance, a toast, cut the cake, and danced. I didn't miss anything else. We found the 90 minute time frame perfect. Those who had to leave immediately after the wedding were able to do so, but other non-sailing guests stayed and partied until the last possible moment! The crew service was exceptional. They were on point with our specialty drink, and any other drink that people ordered.

 

The coconut cake was ridiculously amazing. I liked the ice sculpture, other people raved about the food, but I'm telling you all I remember now is that top layer that had coconut cake.

 

What didn't go right: I made four copies of my music. NONE worked. My friend had to download my song online so that I could walk down the aisle!! It also interfered with our first dance, but we finally got the song right and did the dance. Oh, and my reserved towncar forgot to show up...so I drove to the ship! We were one of the last of our party to arrive! We were supposed to pack my dress in a box to leave outside the night before leaving the ship. I wasn't happy about that, but decided to carry it out just to make sure it made it off safely. In retrospect, I would have let them carry it off!

 

In the end, it was a really special day. I lost two grandparents since that day, and I'm so glad they were able to be there and share in our joy.

 

Of course, now that I've written this, I forgot I wrote a blog with pictures from that day. It might give you some staging ideas: http://www.portiajackson.com/2016/07/our-cruise-wedding/

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Hey all! Quick question, what is everyone doing about a rehearsal dinner? With how our weddings being held the way they are a traditional rehearsal dinner is kind of out of the question.

 

 

 

We are doing a casual dinner the night before we board the ship at the Port.

 

 

 

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Yes, I was able to. I'd recommend just looking at everything they offer, and think really hard about what you actually want in that moment. Then, start to build a package based on those prices.

 

Did you ladies purchase a photo collection? I've read you can negotiate prices with them? Any truth to this?

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good Morning Ladies,

 

I'm in a bit of a panic mode and hope some of you can help calm me! I was to get married on Grand Turk on Oct 11th. Reality is looking like that won't happen. I'm sad, but I know my situation is hopefully easily fixed while all these islanders are dealing with way worse. Loss of homes, electricity and water is well more than what I need to rearrange.

However, I am curious if anyone has had to come up with a Plan B and what that may entail? Would the Captain be able to marry us at whatever port we now may be sent too? How did you go about licensing in that situation or would it just be a symbolic one? If that is the case do we need to be officially married ahead of time?

I would also be out over $1700 and wonder if I would get a reimbursement for any of it.

So many thoughts going thru my mind. I just want this to be a good trip for all of our friends, family and our children that so looked forward to our wedding on a tropical beach and have it go smoothly with our alternative.

Thanks for any thoughts and prayers to any of you in Irma's path.

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