Our Wedding onboard the Carnival Imagination!

[Shatima]

Oh this is somethign like the thing they do for a Meet & Greet.. How much does this run (see me not doing that extra 30 mins I can do other things like this, lol)

 

Nassau

We took family and friends to the Junkanoo Museum that morning. If you’ve never been, it’s definitely worth a visit! It’s a very small museum that showcases the history, music, and costumes of Junkanoo Festival. It’s interactive and fun – as well as educational. The couple who run it are just so – nice!

 

Later that afternoon, a smaller group of us went on a private cab tour with Jermaine. It was a great tour, very informative, and didn’t just go to the touristy areas.

 

Since I was in charge of the Grandmas on this day, I was very happy that they both enjoyed these events.

 

That evening, us young folks went out partying in Nassau! :D We had SUCH an awesome time with our friends. I'm not a night owl by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm so glad I didn't say "no" that night. Rick and I had been to Nassau maybe 5 or 6 times, but never at night. Fun times!

 

Fun Day at Sea

More on that in the next post.

 

Thank You Reception

To thank our sailing guests for traveling with us, we booked a private, one-hour reception with open bar for Sunday, our Fun Day at Sea. The prices are VERY reasonable if this is something you’re on the fence about. They piped in some music, offered dry snacks, and had drinks flowing the whole hour. We had the option of purchasing noshes, but that seemed so silly with all that free food on the boat!

[lightskinedgyal]

Heeeeeey lightskinedgyal,

 

BC thats the package we did.. I think its call the Welcome aboard Package.. And it cost less.. I asked them could i just pay for 30 more mins and they said I would have to bump it up to the same one TwinA had.. But after she added it up she was over $550 and I said for 30 MINS?? IM Good!!!!!!!!!! lol to be honest thats all i need anyway.. we will be parting from Friday when we step off that plane through 3:00pm when they leave until the 6 day Cruise is overrrr. lolol I know its kinda a long answer but U knwo I have o break things down.. lol

 

 

Well that honestly makes me feel better to tell you the truth mine is an hour as well and was worried guest might feel that it was not long but if other people even on carinval are doing an hour for some reason makes me feel better! lol.....Royal charges insane prices for the 2nd hour! INSANE! lol like in the thousands LOL.....

[Shatima]

Please dont beat US TWINA... But yeah Honey Im all for helping people but im ALSO all about keeping it real... Its awful,and ROyal should be ashame of there self.... But DONT feel Bad for NOT doing it.. U and UR Hubby would be the ones paying that extra G+, not the Guest.. SO We all shall make the WHOLE weekend Special, and we WILL party on board the Ship And when 3 strikes we will say Bye Bye tear Tear Love you see u in a week.,. It will be Ok trust me lolol

Ok TWINA As you were, lolol

 

Well that honestly makes me feel better to tell you the truth mine is an hour as well and was worried guest might feel that it was not long but if other people even on carinval are doing an hour for some reason makes me feel better! lol.....Royal charges insane prices for the 2nd hour! INSANE! lol like in the thousands LOL.....

[lightskinedgyal]

My apologies twin A LOL.....BACK TO YOU!! LOL

[lightskinedgyal]

Twin A i have a question do you have three cakes? Cup Cake, One tier Cake, and a 3rd 4 tier cake????? All so pretty!

[Shatima]

I 2nd that they ALL were beautiful...

 

Twin A i have a question do you have three cakes? Cup Cake, One tier Cake, and a 3rd 4 tier cake????? All so pretty!

[Twin A]

Yvette...I wish you and your husband nothing but love, peace and happiness FOREVER. I'm a newlywed myself at the age of 54, going on 5 years of marriage in October. I waited all my life for a special love like this, and I have been blessed. Sounds like you have been too.

 

Be as happy as you are today...forever :)

 

p.s. You were absolutely beautiful my sister on your wedding day and you are both blessed to have each other!

 

Thank you so much for those kind words! I did wait for my special love. When my twin got married 9 years ago, everyone kept asking when my turn was going to be. Haha! But the wait was totally worth it!

 

And congrats yourself, Mrs. Newlywed! Any plans for a cruise-ship vow renewal? ;)

 

O twin A you are such a sweet person! Loved your review I can understand ur closer after my wedding I will need a new project too as I like to be busy! I think though you might have something to look forward too! (Baby?) lol have a wonderful marriage and a blessed honey moon year. Come back to read my review in oct I will try to do half of what you did lol!

 

Awww...you're so sweet! I'm glad you enjoyed my review. I'll be waiting to read all about your special day! I actually am keeping busy with some post-wedding projects (scrapbook, photo books for the Moms, thank-you cards!). As far as babies go, we've got plans to foster or adopt in a few years!

[Twin A]

Yvette,

 

Great review and beautiful pictures!!! Project?? LOL, you'll find yourself here!! Reading about all the other "cruise weddings" that were being planned during the same time frame as yours!!

 

What did you think if Enchantment? I saw her sail into the harbor and knew you were on her.

 

Brenda

 

Thank you, Brenda!

 

And yes, I'm sure I'll continue to stalk this thread! I can live precariously through other brides. I'm trying to convince the hubby that we need a 1-year vow renewal at sea. Lol!

 

We were most recently on the Grandeur. We like smaller ships - haven't made the jump to the megaships yet - and really liked the Grandeur. She's large enough that you feel like you're on a cruise ship, and small enough that you don't get too lost that often; and the layout is easy to figure out. The crew was great!

 

My only complaint is Park Cafe. When the Windjammer is closed, there's room service and Park Cafe. Park Cafe never had everything available that was on the menu, and the hot food was often cold. They've definitely got an opportunity for improvement there. But other than that, we loved the ship! I'm actually traveling on her again in November on a Girls Cruise to the Bahamas.

 

Hi Twin A

 

Oh man you had me almost tearing up. That review was really beautiful. I wish you and your husband all the blessings for a long and healthy life together.

 

Quick question I wondered what that tasteful and professional photo album was all about?;)

 

And the cake looked wonderful with the hello kitty topper along with the cup cakes.

 

Thank you! I wanted to include every single detail! And I LOVED my Hello Kitty cake toppers. I'm so glad I found them and that Rick was onboard with using them (I got them on Amazon if anyone's interested - lol!).

 

So, that tasteful photo album was from a boudoir shoot :eek: that I did with a friend. Waaay outside my comfort zone but a lot of fun!

[Twin A]

oh ok med... Lol I sure will.. and Kool thanks boo. that will give me an idea:D. I dont have Ur email or its down MANY of pages. lol but here is mine and I will hit u back ... allaboutthis04 at yahoo dot com

 

I'll shoot you an email before the weekend's out! If you don't have anything that's exceedingly large or heavy, I think they'd do. But I just had to have them when I saw them!

 

Love the review! Thank you so much. I have 6 weeks! So grateful to know your day went well. One question, did all of your sailing guests have passports or passport cards? I know that they are recommended, but not required so I wanted to know if you had any problems if some guests didnt have either and just a DL.

 

We had 3 or 4 guests who did not have passports or passport cards, and they were just fine. My Grandmother was one of them. I was hovering when she checked in and all was well! No delays or glitches or anything.

 

But do emphasize that it needs to be an original with the raised seal.

[Twin A]

Aaaww! Thank you for sharing! You looked so beautiful. Just radiant! So happy for you! Awesome that the in laws gave you the extra so you can have more beautiful memories.

 

Thank you! And I felt beautiful! Every bride deserves to feel that way on their big day!

 

When is/was your wedding? I see that your honeymoon cruise is creeping up!

[Twin A]

Okay...I've read and re-read your review numerous times now...and I have to say it again, you two were gorgeous!!! I'm so glad to hear everything was amazing awesomeness :)

 

Now...I know the questions I'm about to ask have been covered elsewhere on the boards from time to time, but it's been a while...and as I'm getting closer and closer to my date, these are the ones weighing on my mind, so I hope you have a chance to answer some of them.

 

I am trying SOOO hard to post my reply! It's all typed up and everything. For whatever reason, the system is telling me that my response isn't long enough and that I need 3 more characters - as if that could be the case. Lol! I'll try it again in few minutes.

 

P.S. Of course this posted! Lol!

[Twin A]

Dear Twin A, Thank for sharing your wonderful day with us. Your dress is gorgeous. You look so elegant and so beautiful. It was fun to share part of your honeymoon with on the tour of Antigua. Best wishes for a lifetime of happiness.

 

Thank you so much! I was just looking through our honeymoon pictures the other day - loved Devil's Bay!

 

 

Awww Twin, your wedding was beautiful and your dress was gorgeous! I hope we can make that "Cruise Bride" cruise happen.

 

This is amazing. You were able to verbalize/write all of the feelings that my wife and I had the day we had to pick pictures. We had a friends and family fly in from all over and were concerned we weren't spending enough time with them on top of the hours we spent sorting through pictures--and ours was a seven day cruise, so KUDOS to you and your

husband for pulling it off in three days.

 

Same here about that cruise! I think it would be loads of fun!

 

Picking photos really was quite the task. We were sitting just outside the casino in a high traffic area. We felt so bad telling family and friends who stopped by that we had no time to chat. I'm sure they understood, but you're right. We felt like we weren't spending enough time with them.

[Twin A]

Okay...I've read and re-read your review numerous times now...and I have to say it again, you two were gorgeous!!! I'm so glad to hear everything was amazing awesomeness :)

 

Now...I know the questions I'm about to ask have been covered elsewhere on the boards from time to time, but it's been a while...and as I'm getting closer and closer to my date, these are the ones weighing on my mind, so I hope you have a chance to answer some of them.

 

- For the reception, did you bring your own CD for your entrance and exit songs, put them on your phone/ipod, or check with them in advance if they had them already. (same question for your ceremony, if you please :))

 

We didn't bring any music for the entrance, and I honestly don't remember if they played anyway! Lol! No exit music either. After the DJ played the last dance song, people were talking and mingling, and we started saying our goodbyes to the non-sailing guests.

 

As for the ceremony, I had originally planned to bring our own music for the processional and recessional, then decided that that was too much of a hassle and that I really do like Pachelbel's Canon in D. :)

 

My sister did bring our First Dance song on CD as a backup (there are so many versions of Beyond the Sea and we wanted Bobby Darin's), but they got it right so we didn't need it!

 

We also brought a CD of Handel's Water Music (get it?) to play in the Library so that there was some music for the guests to listen to before the ceremony started.

 

- Your dress - how did you pack it? any issues with wrinkles? steam it?

I packed my dress with the help of a video I found that shows how to pack a a gown that's going into a suitcase. You basically place tissue paper at each fold so that the dress is always touching tissue paper and not the dress. I'll see if I can find it again.

 

When we got to the hotel, I had planned to steam out the wrinkles with my travel steamer. But after my sister looked at it, she determined that I had Bride Brain, that what few wrinkles were there were barely noticeable, and that my dress was in fact ok as-is. Lol![/color]

 

- If there was one lesson learned, what would that be (advice for us future brides)?

Stay calm and smile. When our shuttle was late, when people kept asking how much longer they'd have to wait for Customs to clear the ship, when I was rushing like a speed demon to get dressed, I reminded myself to stay calm and smile. 'Cuz I'm marrying the man I love today! I didn't want to mar the day with breakdowns, temper tantrums, or arguments. It's a happy day!

 

- you had your groom meet you half way up the aisle - did you two rehearse that? What was his cue to come and get you?

We actually did rehearse this ourselves a week or so before the wedding. We also rehearsed the day of with Peter, our officiant. I walked to a certain point in the aisle and stopped and waited. That was Rick's cue to walk towards me. When we met up, we looped arms, did a quick 1-2-3 count, and walked down the aisle together.

 

- Would you mind sharing your photography list of 'must have' pictures?t

My list has family names in it, but it went something like:

Groom, Bride, Groom's Parents, Bride's Parents

Groom and Mother

Groom and Mother with Bride

Bride and Grandmother

Bride and Grandmother and Groom

Bride and Sister

Bride and Friend X, X, X (this was a shot with the girls, one of my favorites!)

 

You get the picture (See what I did there? Lol!)

 

- Did anybody gift you off of either a Carnival registry or the Fun Shops? Did you have anybody bring gifts (even if you asked them not to) or cards? How did you handle that, if so?

We didn't have a registry with Carnival, but we did get a gift from the Fun Shops - champagne and strawberries - that was delivered to our room that night.

 

We did receive a few cards, which we stashed in a suitcase. We got the bulk of gifts during my bridal shower and in the mail.

 

- For your non-sailing guests....how did they feel about the wedding/reception? Did anybody feel 'robbed' they had to leave or were they all pretty happy with the day?

 

Not at all! I even flat-out asked a friend for her honest opinion and she loved the entire event. She said she didn't feel rushed at all and that the reception was a good amount of time.

 

I think it helped that we also had the Welcome Dinner the night before; and even waiting to board becomes a social event!

 

- Did your husband rent his suit or bring his own?

He took his own tux. He bought one from JC Penney for about $115. It only included the jacket and pants, though. He wore a white shirt that he already had, and a tie and pocket square from Dessy.

 

- Did you feel like the night club was a good venue for a reception? too empty and too much space? just enough space? I only have 20 guests, so I'm worried it'll feel empty.

 

The nightclub was great! It didn't feel too large at all. I think it was one of their smaller venues on board, but was just the right size for our party of 27.

 

- you might have said this in your review and I missed it...I saw where you said how long it took you to pick out your pictures (hours and hours oh my!), but how long did it take you guys to get your pictures taken? Did he take you around the ship before AND after the muster drill, or just before? Were you totally exhausted afterwards and enough was enough, or did it feel just right?

We spent maybe 10-15 minutes taking family photos between the wedding and reception. We took our bridal portraits after the life boat drill, and that took 1.5 to 2 hours. When Ram, our photographer, said that he was done, I was happy with that. But then my new husband had one more idea for a photo, which made me a twinge bit grumpy because I was getting hungry by that point. But that took less than 5 minutes, and finished at 6:00 on the dot, right in time for our dinner seating.

 

I'm sorry, those are more questions than I thought I'd have :) And I'm sure I can dig up more! HAHAHAHA....I'm sure you understand I'm in the final countdown now and am desperate for info, even if it is a different ship (nobody seems to get married on the Victory!).

 

Thanks so much and CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!

 

No worries! That's what I'm here for! :)

[Twin A]

Go Rick!!!!! Netflix!!!!! Thats what Im talking about.. Saved soem $$$$$ and it still look great.. And I WISH Dee would mess up MY Makeup, I think I would knock her head off INFRONT of the Video person... lol She knows better.. I dont play with my MAC or any other Makeup I wear....

YEssssssssss Your Cupcakes Look SO good.. I remember we we both found out that we LOVE them alot... U got me wanting to oder them now!!!! Did U say how much extra they were I haven't read down that far yet...

Glad UR time felt long.. My butt is only doing 1 hour.. and I will party the rest of the time each day and night for the follwing 6 days lolol

Ok Im going to read some more... This is GOOOOOOOOOOOD and the pix are Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Don't mess with the MAC. Lol!

 

I believe we paid a little under $45 for 52 cupcakes (two per person). The price was so minimal that I went for it! I <3 my cupcakes! In hindsight, we didn't need that many cupcakes. Lol! They suggested two per person, but I think we would have been fine with far less than that. Minor price to pay, though.

 

Even with one hour, I think guests will enjoy themselves. Wedding +cake + free food + open bar = plenty of happy people.

 

 

And where is this video.. I would love to see the Reception part... but I do understand U holding that back :) Kiss her Kiss her, lolololol Funny... and Your ring is TIGHT boo!!!!!!!!!!! :D

 

Lol! We can only watch the video in the DVD player right now. My netbook has no CD drive, and Rick's CD drive isn't working.

 

And thanks - Rick's so very proud of picking out that ring for me. I love it!

And I don't think the smaller photos that I uploaded show this very well, but my wedding band has one row of white diamonds and one row of black diamonds. :D We liked the symbolism in that and how the band just seemed to mess with my engagement ring.

[Twin A]

Please dont beat US TWINA... But yeah Honey Im all for helping people but im ALSO all about keeping it real... Its awful,and ROyal should be ashame of there self.... But DONT feel Bad for NOT doing it.. U and UR Hubby would be the ones paying that extra G+, not the Guest.. SO We all shall make the WHOLE weekend Special, and we WILL party on board the Ship And when 3 strikes we will say Bye Bye tear Tear Love you see u in a week.,. It will be Ok trust me lolol

Ok TWINA As you were, lolol

 

My apologies twin A LOL.....BACK TO YOU!! LOL

 

Lol! You two are too funny! Hey! This thread is also to help out other brides, so go right ahead!

[Twin A]

Oh this is somethign like the thing they do for a Meet & Greet.. How much does this run (see me not doing that extra 30 mins I can do other things like this, lol)

 

 

There are a bunch of different options available through the Groups department. We went with the 1-hour open bar, which came to $11.95 per person, or very close to that, after taxes and gratuity. The base price was $9.95 per person. And this included included ALL drinks - bourbon and coke, margarita, sprite, whatever people wanted.

 

Twin A i have a question do you have three cakes? Cup Cake, One tier Cake, and a 3rd 4 tier cake????? All so pretty!

 

We had a 1-tier cake and the cupcakes. That 3-tier cake was the photo I gave them so that they knew how to decorate our 1-tier. They did a great job!

[Shatima]

WOOOOW Thank Ya for not getting mad at us. lol... And Im Digging that Cupcake Idea Now ALOT....

YOUR RING.. I love it and I KNOW I cant even see it really close.. So given a Close up I know I would love it even more... Gurl RICK did that!!!!!! Im soo happy for yall...

Happy Hour~ That's not bad.. TwinA U are helping sooo many Brides Right now... THANK YOU :p

[ree1009]

Thank you! And I felt beautiful! Every bride deserves to feel that way on their big day!

 

When is/was your wedding? I see that your honeymoon cruise is creeping up!

 

The wedding is on 5/25. We fly to Puerto Rico early the next morning:)

[Twin A]

The wedding is on 5/25. We fly to Puerto Rico early the next morning:)

 

How exciting!

 

We loooved Puerto Rico and can't wait for an excuse to go back!

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[ree1009]

How exciting!

 

We loooved Puerto Rico and can't wait for an excuse to go back!

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

We enjoyed it too, can't wait to spend some time there post cruise.

[Shatima]

Oh Man Im ready to see it.. lol

 

Don't mess with the MAC. Lol!

 

I believe we paid a little under $45 for 52 cupcakes (two per person). The price was so minimal that I went for it! I <3 my cupcakes! In hindsight, we didn't need that many cupcakes. Lol! They suggested two per person, but I think we would have been fine with far less than that. Minor price to pay, though.

 

Even with one hour, I think guests will enjoy themselves. Wedding +cake + free food + open bar = plenty of happy people.

 

 

 

 

Lol! We can only watch the video in the DVD player right now. My netbook has no CD drive, and Rick's CD drive isn't working.

 

And thanks - Rick's so very proud of picking out that ring for me. I love it!

And I don't think the smaller photos that I uploaded show this very well, but my wedding band has one row of white diamonds and one row of black diamonds. :D We liked the symbolism in that and how the band just seemed to mess with my engagement ring.

[tranquilreign]

This review was very helpful. Thank you for being so honest about your feelings and congrats!

 

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