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Newly engaged and researching destination weddings......


Tigergenesis
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Hi there! My boyfriend of 5 years just proposed to me while we were on our vacation cruise recently (September 2nd). Yay!!! I am a pretty simple gal and I love the idea of a cruise wedding. I really much prefer the idea of getting married in port versus on the ship. I am interested in doing everything through the ship and am probably going to go with Carnival. Since we visited Half Moon Cay a year ago I have not stopped thinking about how beautiful that island is - and I told myself then that it would make a great wedding spot. I realize HMC (or any port - especially a tender port in the Bahamas...lol) runs the risk of being missed, but I am okay with that possibility. I have talked with Carnival to get some initial questions answered, read through their online site info and PDF, and I have searched through these message boards. As many of you know, it is tough to find info on the destination weddings (versus on board weddings) and a lot of it is old. So I thought I would try posting with some questions.

 

I am having a hard time finding photos of the inside of the chapel, and I didn't check out the inside when we visited. Does anyone have photos? I hear it is darling.

 

Carnival says there is no price difference in a beach versus a chapel wedding (nice), but does anyone know if chairs/seating are included/provided either in the chapel or on the beach?

 

Carnival explained that there is no fee for the photographer or videographer - only if we decide to purchase. Does anyone know the cost of the video? I would also love to see a sample of one of their videos if anyone has one to share.

 

I know the ship photos are normally a little pricey, but what about the wedding photos? I won't spend anywhere near the dollar amount many others seem to spend on wedding photos, so I doubt any of their packages will appeal to me....but I am curious what they start at (and include) as well as the price per photo. On the cruise we just took, we did do one of the free photo sessions and it was $22 for an 8x10. They bargained a little with us as I hear they also do for the wedding photos. I am just curious what the prices are like

 

I also hear (have yet to confirm this with Carnival) that you can bring your own photographer if you pay Carnival a $500 fee. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

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Hi there! My boyfriend of 5 years just proposed to me while we were on our vacation cruise recently (September 2nd). Yay!!! I am a pretty simple gal and I love the idea of a cruise wedding. I really much prefer the idea of getting married in port versus on the ship. I am interested in doing everything through the ship and am probably going to go with Carnival. Since we visited Half Moon Cay a year ago I have not stopped thinking about how beautiful that island is - and I told myself then that it would make a great wedding spot. I realize HMC (or any port - especially a tender port in the Bahamas...lol) runs the risk of being missed, but I am okay with that possibility. I have talked with Carnival to get some initial questions answered, read through their online site info and PDF, and I have searched through these message boards. As many of you know, it is tough to find info on the destination weddings (versus on board weddings) and a lot of it is old. So I thought I would try posting with some questions.

 

I am having a hard time finding photos of the inside of the chapel, and I didn't check out the inside when we visited. Does anyone have photos? I hear it is darling.

 

Carnival says there is no price difference in a beach versus a chapel wedding (nice), but does anyone know if chairs/seating are included/provided either in the chapel or on the beach?

 

Carnival explained that there is no fee for the photographer or videographer - only if we decide to purchase. Does anyone know the cost of the video? I would also love to see a sample of one of their videos if anyone has one to share.

 

I know the ship photos are normally a little pricey, but what about the wedding photos? I won't spend anywhere near the dollar amount many others seem to spend on wedding photos, so I doubt any of their packages will appeal to me....but I am curious what they start at (and include) as well as the price per photo. On the cruise we just took, we did do one of the free photo sessions and it was $22 for an 8x10. They bargained a little with us as I hear they also do for the wedding photos. I am just curious what the prices are like

 

I also hear (have yet to confirm this with Carnival) that you can bring your own photographer if you pay Carnival a $500 fee. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Thanks in advance!!!

 

 

Hi.

 

I am booked on a wedding at sea with Carnival in 2019. I can't answer the questions about HMC but I here is what I know so far...

 

I am going to attach the images for the picture packages and the video if it let's me. As you mentioned, and I have seen as well, they are willing to negotiate the cost a little bit on the picture packages. For the video you can search on Youtube for the video they provide through Carnival Weddings. You should know the video is a generic overview of the day with a generic song playing in the background of all the Carnival wedding videos I have seen. They are all less than 10mins I think. They don't capture any of the ceremony where you could go back and listen to your vows or anything. I was planning to opt out of the video and ask my family members to tape everything so I can edit a video together later myself. I actually want to hear the ceremony and vows and wedding song we dance to etc... To pay $899 or $599 for a short video in slo-mo with a song I don't particularly like in the background doesn't work for me.

 

I have also heard you can pay a few to bring on your own photographer but I have not asked about that option. The wedding department should be able to let you know that for sure if you call back with more questions. Just a forewarning they want you to book first before digging in deep with questions but they did answer all the questions I could think of before booking. I just didn't get the good questions together until I booked and got their wedding package etc...

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Thank you! I like your idea of having guests tape the wedding and making your own video. We are planning on having a dinner/party for all of our friends and family when we return, and I would love to show them a video of the actual ceremony and not just highlights.

 

I also heard that they don't like to answer too many questions until you book, but so far they were great with my initial questions. I plan to call them Monday with my final questions before booking.

 

Thank you for offering to share the photo prices! Much appreciated! :)

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Hi.

 

I am booked on a wedding at sea with Carnival in 2019. I can't answer the questions about HMC but I here is what I know so far...

 

I am going to attach the images for the picture packages and the video if it let's me. As you mentioned, and I have seen as well, they are willing to negotiate the cost a little bit on the picture packages. For the video you can search on Youtube for the video they provide through Carnival Weddings. You should know the video is a generic overview of the day with a generic song playing in the background of all the Carnival wedding videos I have seen. They are all less than 10mins I think. They don't capture any of the ceremony where you could go back and listen to your vows or anything. I was planning to opt out of the video and ask my family members to tape everything so I can edit a video together later myself. I actually want to hear the ceremony and vows and wedding song we dance to etc... To pay $899 or $599 for a short video in slo-mo with a song I don't particularly like in the background doesn't work for me.

 

I have also heard you can pay a few to bring on your own photographer but I have not asked about that option. The wedding department should be able to let you know that for sure if you call back with more questions. Just a forewarning they want you to book first before digging in deep with questions but they did answer all the questions I could think of before booking. I just didn't get the good questions together until I booked and got their wedding package etc...

 

If you are unable (or if it is easier) to upload the images here, feel free to email them: kellyann1972@gmail.com

 

Thanks again for the info! :cool:

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If you are unable (or if it is easier) to upload the images here, feel free to email them: kellyann1972@gmail.com

 

Thanks again for the info! :cool:

 

Hi.

 

I just emailed you. For some reason it won’t let me attach the image. Let me know if you don’t get my email. Did you find the wedding videos on youtube? The link below is one I found for the ship i’m planning to get married on.

 

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Hi.

 

I just emailed you. For some reason it won’t let me attach the image. Let me know if you don’t get my email. Did you find the wedding videos on youtube? The link below is one I found for the ship i’m planning to get married on.

 

I did receive your email, and I found sample videos online as well. Thank you very much for all this information and help!

 

Sent from my SM-G960U using Forums mobile app

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  • 2 months later...
  • 1 month later...

So glad to find this thread.   Going on a cruise October 2020 and the couple cruising with us wants to get married in Aruba.   This will be their first cruise so I told them I would research. We'll be on the Breeze.  

 

So, will the ship provide a minister if you want to get married in port at the beach? They just want the 4 of us and minister. 

 

Thanks! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

6rugrats is right.  The foreign Caribbean ports are impossible to get married off a cruise ship because there are waiting periods of typically 2-3 days depending on the island.  The easiest port to get married is St Thomas or any US owned island.  The courthouse process in the USVI takes 15 minutes to pickup the license you mail in and since it is US you don't have to worry about Apostilles or any international paperwork since it's like getting married in another state.  

 

Going with a local planner will save you money, especially when it comes to photos since they charge you based on the number of photos.  Typical pricing in St Thomas from a local minister $200 minister includes transportation for 2 in SUV - courthouse - beach and back to ship, $275/hr for professional photos with ALL the hi-res pics uploaded, $50 for small bouquet, chairs $10 ea, bamboo arch with fabric $200, steel pan player $250, champagne $30/bottle with flutes.  Just mentioning this to point out the heavy markup the cruise lines give you.  

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