Starting to plan my wedding in June 2015

[LoveSetsSail2015]

So me & my fiancée are getting married on a Carnival Cruise, after MUCH research on every option for a wedding venue in our area, everything costing $16,000+ which we cannot afford. It will be me & him splitting the cost of our wedding so after my sister looked into carnival & seeing it costs about 6,000 with everything included it seemed like a no brainer.With us having the wedding in June 2015, dates aren't available yet so we haven't booked- so of course I still have tons of concerns/questions..

So after being on here & reading all the experiences really the main thing I'm worried about it is:

1. Personal Touches- since I can't do decorations, can I still do some personal touches like adding silk flowers to the cake, a guest signing table, card box, favors. 2. Cake- how small will it be for estimated 60 guests, what exactly are the flavors/fillings you get to choose? 3. What are the appetizers/ h'orderves that are laid out, are they limited or are the constantly restocked? 4. Photographer- do they take pictures during ceremony & reception & when do we take photos w family that are not sailing? and what are we looking at price wise? 5. Has anyone taken a tour on ship once booked to get a feel for where you want ceremony & reception & photos to be taken? 6. Besides the normal procession of bridesmaids & such what do they allow, like unity candle? any readings by family,like poem? Any advie is sooo greatly appreciated! we don't know what to expect & still want a very special magical day even though its not typical wedding ceremony.

 

Thank You!!!

[HeatherC430]

Congratulations on your engagement! I totally understand the financial aspect of your choice, as we were in the same situation & paying for our own wedding. We were married on embarkation day on the Carnival Dream in April of 2011 (There's a link to my full review in my signature below). We are still very happy with our decision to have a cruise ship wedding. And many of our guests still talk about what a great time everyone had at the wedding/reception!

 

To answer some of your questions: Yes, assuming nothing's changed since my wedding, you can add all the personal touches you mentioned. Depending on the number of confirmed guests will determine the size of cake you are given. I've attached a picture of my cake - this was for approximately 30 people. The cake & icing options are pretty standard, chocolate, vanilla & I believe there was a 3rd option? We chose the 1.5 hour reception with food & drinks. It wasn't really long enough for them to need to restock any of the food. I assume if something went low, they would have refilled it though.

 

Yes, the photographer takes pictures during the ceremony & reception. Immediately following the ceremony, we did take a few family/group shots in the conference room where we got married. After the reception was over and the nonsailing guests left, my husband and I had time to freshen up and then our photographer took pictures of us all over the ship. We did not tour the ship in advance. I'm pretty sure you can have unity candle, readings, etc incorporated into the ceremony if you choose. We wanted to keep it as short & sweet as possible. There was a nautical reading available in the list of standard options that we chose.

 

Let me know if I missed anything or you have any other questions.

[2preschoolers]

Hi and Congratulations!

 

My fiance and I just did a tour of the Carnival Pride yesterday and it was very helpful/informative. It really is nice to be able to see first-hand, how the boarding process, etc will go on your big day. (Assuming your wedding is on sailing day...) Check-in was a breeze. We were able to see each of the venues for receptions and wedding ceremonies. She even pointed our various down sides to some rooms (such as lighting or traffic flow). After the tour we were free to explore the ship on our own. I highly recommend doing the tour if you live nearby!

 

There are several cake flavor options. Red Velvet, Chocolate, Marble, Vanilla, Strawberry, lemon, carrot cake. And several filling options - vanilla, chocolate, chocolate ganache, cheesecake, strawberry, cream cheese. I'm probably missing a few. You can do each layer a different flavor if you want to. We decided to go traditional flavors instead of getting too crazy. Bottom layer will be marble with choc filling and top will be vanilla cake with vanilla filling.

 

The food is constantly replenished. You'll never run out.

 

The plan we chose (Let's Celebrate Big) includes open bar, but the girl who did our tour said that they're changing plans and open bar will be optional at about $18 per person. So if you don't already have a contract, ask carnival for current pricing options because it sounds as if it'll be changing soon.

[NL2134]

So me & my fiancée are getting married on a Carnival Cruise, after MUCH research on every option for a wedding venue in our area, everything costing $16,000+ which we cannot afford. It will be me & him splitting the cost of our wedding so after my sister looked into carnival & seeing it costs about 6,000 with everything included it seemed like a no brainer.With us having the wedding in June 2015, dates aren't available yet so we haven't booked- so of course I still have tons of concerns/questions..

So after being on here & reading all the experiences really the main thing I'm worried about it is:

1. Personal Touches- since I can't do decorations, can I still do some personal touches like adding silk flowers to the cake, a guest signing table, card box, favors. 2. Cake- how small will it be for estimated 60 guests, what exactly are the flavors/fillings you get to choose? 3. What are the appetizers/ h'orderves that are laid out, are they limited or are the constantly restocked? 4. Photographer- do they take pictures during ceremony & reception & when do we take photos w family that are not sailing? and what are we looking at price wise? 5. Has anyone taken a tour on ship once booked to get a feel for where you want ceremony & reception & photos to be taken? 6. Besides the normal procession of bridesmaids & such what do they allow, like unity candle? any readings by family,like poem? Any advie is sooo greatly appreciated! we don't know what to expect & still want a very special magical day even though its not typical wedding ceremony.

 

Thank You!!!

 

I am getting married on the Carnival Dream in June 2014. These wonderful ladies on this site have been super helpful during my research process, so hopefully I can pass on some of that info. Carnival and/or The Wedding Experience will send you all of the information when you book. Timing of that seems to depend on the port though as some send it out right away and some wait until closer to the date. Luckily the coordinator for New Orleans was awesome and sent everything right away. So, here's what I can offer in response to your questions. Keep in mind that most of this is 2013 info and they seem to be making a lot of changes lately, so make sure to confirm all info with the coordinators. But, at least it gives you some idea of what to expect.

 

1. You can do a lot of personal touches to make it your own. I've seen guest book tables, fabric & décor on cake table, favors, etc. For the most part if you want it, it can be done. But, all of your items have to fit in the carry-on baggage and you need to have one of your guests or party set it up and take it down. So, some level of simplicity may be best. For the cake, I've seen people add ribbons, flowers, toppers or other décor. You can request some amount of customization to the cake design also. I've seen people request plain icing, textured, patterned icing, etc. I don't think they will get too extensive, but many people have gotten them to do quite a bit to it. You can send them a photo of what you want and see what they say... just don't get too carried away with it. I plan to add ribbon & flowers to mine when we get there. But, if you look through the reviews on this forum, you will find a lot of photos that show what people did for theirs.

 

2. Cake: Size depends on number of guests. 2-tiers for up to 50 guests, 3-tiers for 51-75 guests, 4-tiers for 76-150 guests. As said in last post, some customization to décor may be available. Cake Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Mixed Tiers of Chocolate & Vanilla, Marble, Lemon, Coconut, Carrot, and Red Velvet. Filling Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Strawberry, Lemon, Coconut. Additional Cost Fillings: Fresh Strawberries, Bavarian, Fudge Ganache.

 

3. Hors D'oeuvres: If you search reviews you can find photos of set up. They offer both hot & cold hors d'oeuvres. The menu they sent me includes: Roast Beer & Brie Cheese Canape, Prosciutto & Melon Canape, Stuffed Egg Canape, California Sushi Roll, Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Canape, Chicken Brochette, Stuffed Mushrooms, Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Sauce, Lamb Empanadas with Cilantro Salsa, Spanakopita (Spinach & Feta Cheese in Filo Pastry), and Spring Rolls. They do have alternate menu option, but its similar. You also can, for additional charge, get carving station with turkey or beef or get a pasta station. If you are interested in the alternate options, you probably need to specifically ask coordinator about these, as they generally don't advertise these options.

 

4. Photographer will take photos of ceremony, reception, and do posed photos afterward. I've seen people do photos with family in ceremony location before reception and I've seen people do family photos at reception location. It really is up to you probably. Then he will take you to do posed photos after reception and all non-sailing guests are off the ship. Photo packages run anywhere from $500-$3000. The cheapest package that allows any digital files of photos is $750, so plan to spend at least that much. From what I've seen, most people spend between $750-$1500 on photos, so I would budget at least $1000-$2000 if possible.

 

5. Unfortunately, I don't live anywhere near my port, so I am not able to tour the ship. But everyone I've seen that has done it has said it was a great experience and very helpful. So if you live near the port, you should definitely do this if possible.

 

6. Ceremony: They allow pretty much any ceremonies that you want. The one exception is that you cannot do a unity candle. Candles are strictly forbidden on the cruise ship. But, the ceremony contract does have options for standard vows or personal vows, sand ceremony, breaking glass, rose ceremony, hand ceremony, readings, prayers, blessings... whatever you want (as long as fire isn't included). So, you can personalize this to be whatever you want. The one thing to remember is that the longer the ceremony, the shorter the reception. You basically get a set time for the whole affair. If you do the bigger package they plan on 1/2 hour ceremony and 1.5 hour reception. If your ceremony runs longer, it eats into your reception time and you may not get the full 1.5 hours. When time is up and its time for non-sailing guests to disembark, that's it. If your ceremony is short, you may actually get longer than 1.5 hour reception (although not much). We don't really have any traditions that are meaningful to us, so we plan to make it short and sweet and move on to the party. :)

 

Hopefully that is super helpful to you and gives you some idea of what to expect. Definitely search the forum because there is a lot of great info here. Especially read past wedding reviews.

[Carnival_Brides]

We did the tour two years ago (9 months before our wedding) and it was eye-opening. If you're able to do it, I'd highly recommend it. The couple that were getting married that day invited us to come to their ceremony (the coordinator cleared it) and it wasn't what we wanted for our guests. It led us to change some stuff around so that we were able to make it more laid back.

 

Some things have changed since we did our tour (apparently, the reception packages are changing--again), but a lot of the information is still the same. Here's the link to our tour review.

 

We did quite a few personal touches (fingerprint guest book, DIY flowers, cake topper, etc). There's a blurb on that in our wedding review. When we were planning you could do a unity candle ceremony, but there's an extra fee for that and it is closely regulated by the cruise line. We didn't.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Carnival_Brides

[Yin&Yang2010]

So me & my fiancée are getting married on a Carnival Cruise, after MUCH research on every option for a wedding venue in our area, everything costing $16,000+ which we cannot afford. It will be me & him splitting the cost of our wedding so after my sister looked into carnival & seeing it costs about 6,000 with everything included it seemed like a no brainer.With us having the wedding in June 2015, dates aren't available yet so we haven't booked- so of course I still have tons of concerns/questions..

So after being on here & reading all the experiences really the main thing I'm worried about it is:

1. Personal Touches- since I can't do decorations, can I still do some personal touches like adding silk flowers to the cake, a guest signing table, card box, favors. 2. Cake- how small will it be for estimated 60 guests, what exactly are the flavors/fillings you get to choose? 3. What are the appetizers/ h'orderves that are laid out, are they limited or are the constantly restocked? 4. Photographer- do they take pictures during ceremony & reception & when do we take photos w family that are not sailing? and what are we looking at price wise? 5. Has anyone taken a tour on ship once booked to get a feel for where you want ceremony & reception & photos to be taken? 6. Besides the normal procession of bridesmaids & such what do they allow, like unity candle? any readings by family,like poem? Any advie is sooo greatly appreciated! we don't know what to expect & still want a very special magical day even though its not typical wedding ceremony.

 

Thank You!!!

 

I am also getting married in March of 2015:) . The ceremony will be on Osprey beach in Grand Turk, followed by the reception onboard. Are you planning on an onboard ceremony or an island setting? I was also informed that you can add your personal touches to the ceremony if you wish. For example, you can bring along your own cake topper and decorations for the table. However, I was told by the coordinator that bubbles and candles were not allowed.

[NL2134]

I am also getting married in March of 2015:) . The ceremony will be on Osprey beach in Grand Turk, followed by the reception onboard. Are you planning on an onboard ceremony or an island setting? I was also informed that you can add your personal touches to the ceremony if you wish. For example, you can bring along your own cake topper and decorations for the table. However, I was told by the coordinator that bubbles and candles were not allowed.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot about bubbles. Those are big no-no's too because they don't want the deck getting slippery and dangerous. So no bubbles. And no rice throwing, because they don't want to attract seagulls or other birds. I've also heard no confetti or anything like that that will be difficult to clean up.

 

I've even heard some people say that there were some objections to flower girl dropping petals in ceremony, but overall it seems that is allowed, but you may need to have someone in your group pick them up afterward. I figure it shouldn't be a problem to convince our flower girl to pick them up after the ceremony.

[jj44cruiser]

Hi Yin&Yang - are you booking the ceremony through the cruise line or directly through the island?! I've heard of brides who choose one or the other and I am trying to decide which to do!

[LoveSetsSail2015]

So can you have your own pastor officiate the ceremony? We want a Christian based ceremony so how could we do this?

[Carnival_Brides]

So can you have your own pastor officiate the ceremony? We want a Christian based ceremony so how could we do this?

 

To the best of my knowledge that is something you'd coordinate between the Miami office and your actual coordinator (TWE, WeddingForYou, etc). My paperwork from Carnival says you have a 15-20 minute window for your ceremony and I imagine they'd have to be registered as an officiant with whatever state your wedding is in. Your pastor would be counted as part of your guest count.

[Yin&Yang2010]

Hi Yin&Yang - are you booking the ceremony through the cruise line or directly through the island?! I've heard of brides who choose one or the other and I am trying to decide which to do!

 

I'm booking the ceremony through the cruise line. I figured that in case the cruise line had to skip the port (hopefully not) that I'll be reimbursed any money that was put out. Also, my plan b is to have the ceremony in the ship if the above occurs :)

[LoveSetsSail2015]

Ok so I spoke with the wedding people to ask a few questions, since they still don't have dates yet for June 2015, all I can do is gather as much info as possible til we can book. Ok so they emailed me info on photo packages they start at $499- to the most was $2,999. So my question is... what package did you think was the best? How much was an albulm? were you able to negotiate w the photographer on pricing, my coworker did & got a hell of a deal! Also how does the videographer work, was the video worth it, did you choose the music on the video? what if you don't like how its turned out? do you get to view before getting off boat? Why do they not offer an option for cd of ALL photos taken??? why just paid photos? its odd... ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!!!

[Carnival_Brides]

Ok so I spoke with the wedding people to ask a few questions, since they still don't have dates yet for June 2015, all I can do is gather as much info as possible til we can book. Ok so they emailed me info on photo packages they start at $499- to the most was $2,999. So my question is... what package did you think was the best? How much was an albulm? were you able to negotiate w the photographer on pricing, my coworker did & got a hell of a deal! Also how does the videographer work, was the video worth it, did you choose the music on the video? what if you don't like how its turned out? do you get to view before getting off boat? Why do they not offer an option for cd of ALL photos taken??? why just paid photos? its odd... ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!!!

 

I can't find the pricelist we got on our tour two years ago. Fancy that. I *think* the album starts at $1000 and you have/had the option to purchase a parent's album for a couple hundred once you purchase the big album.

 

Some photographers will negotiate--some won't. We had a budget of $750 and wanted to stick as close to that as possible. Our photographer tried talking us into a special package that included the big album, digital copies of all the pictures in the album, a slideshow set to music and some other kind of goody for $1,000. It was an excellent deal, but it's not what we wanted so we purchased the $750 package that came with a disc and a couple extra prints--it was more than enough for us.

 

I'm not sure if you're asking about viewing pictures or the video before you get off the ship. I know you get to view your pictures towards the end of the cruise and make your selections.

 

I can't help you with the video other than to say it wasn't our taste and we passed. There are quite a few on youtube and I think a few brides include snippets in their reviews. You are miced throughout your ceremony.

[NL2134]

Ok so I spoke with the wedding people to ask a few questions, since they still don't have dates yet for June 2015, all I can do is gather as much info as possible til we can book. Ok so they emailed me info on photo packages they start at $499- to the most was $2,999. So my question is... what package did you think was the best? How much was an albulm? were you able to negotiate w the photographer on pricing, my coworker did & got a hell of a deal! Also how does the videographer work, was the video worth it, did you choose the music on the video? what if you don't like how its turned out? do you get to view before getting off boat? Why do they not offer an option for cd of ALL photos taken??? why just paid photos? its odd... ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!!!

 

I've seen some people that were able to negotiate and some that weren't. It depends on your photographer, as they are actually independent and not Carnival employee. But, it does sound like pretty much all of them try to push the larger packages, some putting quite a bit of pressure to do so. So, if you know what you want, you just have to be firm and not get sucked into the larger deals. It sounds like the CD has ALL of the photos on it (hopefully someone can confirm that). Honestly, I figure I can print photos when I get back home, so I would be happy with just the CD, but they don't offer that. So, my intention is to get the $750 package, just so I can get the CD.

As far as video, there are several online (cruisecritic or youtube) that you can find. I honestly think they look pretty cheesy, so I'm skipping it, but everyone has different preferences. Some people really like them. So, look online for a few of them and decide for yourself if it's worth the money for you to do.

[boloc3]

Ok so I spoke with the wedding people to ask a few questions, since they still don't have dates yet for June 2015, all I can do is gather as much info as possible til we can book. Ok so they emailed me info on photo packages they start at $499- to the most was $2,999. So my question is... what package did you think was the best? How much was an albulm? were you able to negotiate w the photographer on pricing, my coworker did & got a hell of a deal! Also how does the videographer work, was the video worth it, did you choose the music on the video? what if you don't like how its turned out? do you get to view before getting off boat? Why do they not offer an option for cd of ALL photos taken??? why just paid photos? its odd... ANY GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!!!

 

Congratulations on the upcoming wedding! My wife and I got married almost 11 years ago on Carnival and we're still very happy with that decision. We got the video and yes, it's cheesy, but we love it. If you're not going to have someone follow you around and video, I suggest having them do it to capture moments that you can't necessarily get in the pictures. Our 9 year old has watched our video a couple of times and he thinks it's so neat.

 

Also, we bought the base package of pictures for like $350 at the time and he offered to sell me the negatives/CD for an additional $250. As others have said, I think it's all about which photographer you get.

[Supercoachmom]

I had bubbles for my November 2013 wedding on board the Carnival Miracle. I didn't ask in advance, but there was no problem whatsoever. In fact, our entrance into the reception and first dance were more memorable because our guests were blowing bubbles the entire time.

[greeneyedgirl2015]

I am also getting married in March of 2015:) . The ceremony will be on Osprey beach in Grand Turk, followed by the reception onboard. Are you planning on an onboard ceremony or an island setting? I was also informed that you can add your personal touches to the ceremony if you wish. For example, you can bring along your own cake topper and decorations for the table. However, I was told by the coordinator that bubbles and candles were not allowed.

 

We are also getting married at Osprey Beach but in April 2015 I would love if you could share your experience Yin&Yang 2010.

[Yin&Yang2010]

We are also getting married at Osprey Beach but in April 2015 I would love if you could share your experience Yin&Yang 2010.

I will most certainly do that. What ship are you sailing on?

Edited March 4, 2014 by Yin&Yang2010