Harbor side wedding with Princess Cruises?

Has anyone gotten married harborside with princess cruises? If so, how was it? My fiance and I are looking at doing a harbor side wedding out of Houston, Texas. Hopefully in the Fall of 2016!! I have a lot of questions about the experience.

I don't really like the wedding chapels on the boat, do they let you get married outside somewhere, on a deck? The lounges don't seem very romantic either, but they would be better than the chapel. Also, what kind of decorating are you allowed to do? I know there isn't a lot of time between when you get on the boat and when your wedding ceremony starts. How do you decorate?

I'm mostly wondering how much time we will have on embarkation day as well. Is the reception going to feel rushed? I suspect we will have anywhere from 25-50 people. (Guest list has't been made yet). And most of our guests will be driving from Dallas, which is 4 hours away. Is it worth the trip down for only a few hours of wedding time? They will probably have to stay the night in houston.

Overall I just want to know if anyone has had a good experience doing the embarkation day wedding with Princess Cruises. I don't want my wedding to feel tacky or cheap (or rushed) and I'm worried that is what its going to be like! Does anyone have pictures to share as well?

Thanks in advance!!!:)

In Jan 2016, my daughter did a harborside wedding with Princess – Caribbean Princess, out of Houston. It was the most stress-free event we have ever hosted. The wedding and the reception were fabulous; both were held up in the Skywalkers Bar. Princess did an outstanding job. We boarded the ship first, around 11:30 AM. We were allowed in our cabins to change. Did a quick rehearsal at noon, without the bride, the ceremony was at 12:30 PM, and then an hour & half reception. All guests that were not sailing left the ship at 2:30 PM. About an hour more for photos with the ship’s photographer and then the muster drill. We did not feel rushed. We did not use the chapel on board – don’t use it – it is very small and claustrophobic feeling. The only downside - you are limited to 50 guests.