Carnival Dream Wedding in NOLA - Dec 2015

[MKEN2015]

Hi! My name is Erica. I am new to the Cruise Critic, but I have read so many other wedding posts that I thought I would share what I have learned so far. I will try to write as I go, but I am always bad at keeping up with journals and such.

 

My fiancé and I have booked our wedding cruise for December 6, 2015. We are leaving from New Orleans on the Carnival Dream, LA to the Wester Caribbean (Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan; Belize; Cozumel, Mexico).

 

We are getting married on embarkation day. Our friends and family mostly live in the Midwest and some our guests will only be there for the weekend/wedding. Only a few are cruising. We found out after we booked our cabin and wedding package, about the New Orleans 36 hour rule for marriage licenses. We decided it was not a problem because then we can enjoy NOLA.

 

We have booked the “Time to Celebrate” package, which includes: 15-20 minute ceremony, one-hour reception, sparkling wine, champagne flutes, bridal bouquets with matching boutonniere for the groom, one-hour open bar with hot & cold hors d’oeuvres, champagne toast, tiered wedding cake, cake server, coffee and tea service, reordered wedding march music, and photography services (wedding photos available for purchase), and a bottle of sparkling wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries for the wedding couple’s stateroom after the celebration.

 

We decided against Save the Dates since we felt like we needed to give our guests more information. We designed our own wedding invitations based of inspiration offline. I will attach a picture here. I have also included the link to the document if anyone wants to use our template. Just make your self a copy and then you can download it.

 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ywH-oiG0B475WQ5XMzUpNxan81i3-SgBBS8-ijEvpTY/edit?usp=sharing

 

I also have a wedding Pinterest obsession. I have the invites posted there.

 

https://www.pinterest.com/anne0325/our-wedding-12062015/

 

Picking a bridal party wasn’t easy since no one knew for sure if they could go yet. So we decided to have a small wedding party for now. So far it’s just our sisters and we are still waiting to find out what male friends/family members are coming. Otherwise, we will each just have our sisters standing up with us. I have attached a picture of my “Will you be bridesmaid?” cards, too.

 

That’s all I can think of for now. But if I think of more or anyone has questions, I will post again. And if people seem interested, I will continue to post on this page. I will try to continue to the end…after the big day! Since it seems to be a trend…future brides (and even grooms) not creating final reviews.

[Creole Girl]

Congratulations! I am a Dream bride also. We are getting married 2/14/16 going to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. I like what you have done so far. We are doing save the dates. We made a wedding website through Carnival and are putting that link on them. I believe our site is thorough. I just want our guests who want more info to be able to get it or book. I'd post a pic, but I don't want to hijack your thread.

 

All the best!

[MKEN2015]

Congrats! No worries :) I only started to share information. Feel free to post whatever you would like! I like seeing everyone's ideas.

[dbrown13]

It sounds like you're doing a great job so far! We also decided against Save the Dates. We are farther out from the wedding though... April 30, 2016 - Western Caribbean to Honduras, Belize & Cozumel.

 

I created our wedding website through The Knot and included a ton of information on it since I wanted my guests to have all of the information as soon as possible so that they can plan for booking. This was sent out to our guests last week. I recommend the option of a website because you can always update it and add information to it.

 

I will be sending out our invites in about 2 months. I did have someone recommend sending out reminder post cards later down the road since the invites are going out so soon. I haven't decided on that yet so we shall see.

 

I love your DIY invites! I'm going to be designing my own invites through Vanessa's Destination Wedding templates and am having them printed so that I don't mess anything up but I plan to put them together myself once printed.

[MKEN2015]

Congrats! I agree on a wedding website for updates. I had made one too: http://mitch-and-erica-2015.weebly.com/. Some of our family is just technically challenged. haha

 

We are sending out RSVP reminders two months before the RSVP are due since the invitations are sent out so early. I made them on Vistaprint and with coupons it only cost about $15.

[NL2134]

Congratulations! I was a Dream bride in June 2014. I was thrilled with how my wedding turned out.

 

I wrote a review afterward: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2065051

 

Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

 

I did send Save the Dates about 10 months before my wedding, but I also wanted to include all the info, so they really ended up resembling invites more than save the dates. But, I wanted to include all the booking info and stuff like that. I sent out the real invites about 2 months before my wedding and instead of including booking info, I included more details about hotel, travel, excursion option on cruise, and specific wedding details, since anyone who was cruising had already booked by then.

[Creole Girl]

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has family members that are technically challenged. We are going to have to include a separate insert about booking with our save the dates.

[MKEN2015]

Congratulations! I was a Dream bride in June 2014. I was thrilled with how my wedding turned out.

 

I wrote a review afterward: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2065051

 

Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

 

I did send Save the Dates about 10 months before my wedding, but I also wanted to include all the info, so they really ended up resembling invites more than save the dates. But, I wanted to include all the booking info and stuff like that. I sent out the real invites about 2 months before my wedding and instead of including booking info, I included more details about hotel, travel, excursion option on cruise, and specific wedding details, since anyone who was cruising had already booked by then.

 

I have bookmarked your review already :) Thanks! I'm sure I will think of questions.

[Creole Girl]

Hi Erica! I'm not sure if you've been in contact with anyone at TWE yet. I have been waiting for almost a month for a price quote for flower centerpieces. When I inquired about when I would be receiving the quote, I was told that the vendor was not sure if they would be providing flowers at some of the ports. I don't know if any flower upgrades are a part of your plans, but I am just passing that info along.

 

I asked what other options I would have, as a non decorated table isn't an option for me. I'm still waiting on a response.

[Creole Girl]

FYI- The floral upgrades for New Orleans has gone up.

[spazzy216]

I love your invitations and I also share your pinterest obsession..already following you board haahaa! We have decided on sending save the dates within the next month or so with both our wedding website as well as the website to book through our travel agent although I am sure we will still receive tons of questions!

 

So excited to continue to share and to hear everyone else's experiences!

 

Congrats ladies!!!

[MKEN2015]

Hi Erica! I'm not sure if you've been in contact with anyone at TWE yet. I have been waiting for almost a month for a price quote for flower centerpieces. When I inquired about when I would be receiving the quote, I was told that the vendor was not sure if they would be providing flowers at some of the ports. I don't know if any flower upgrades are a part of your plans, but I am just passing that info along.

 

I asked what other options I would have, as a non decorated table isn't an option for me. I'm still waiting on a response.

I haven't talked to the TWE yet. How has it been working with them?

 

Flowers went up? :( I was just thinking about upgrading tonight. Good to know! Thanks! Let me know if you hear about other decorating options. Please :)

[MKEN2015]

I love your invitations and I also share your pinterest obsession..already following you board haahaa! We have decided on sending save the dates within the next month or so with both our wedding website as well as the website to book through our travel agent although I am sure we will still receive tons of questions!

 

So excited to continue to share and to hear everyone else's experiences!

 

Congrats ladies!!!

Thanks for the follow! :) Congratulations, too! Can't wait to hear about your experience.

[Creole Girl]

How is your planning going? I officially ordered save the dates and I'm waiting on them to arrive. I booked makeup and hair. I'm waiting on more time to pass so that I can reserve hotel rooms.

 

I switched to the Time to Celebrate Big reception. I'm going to use red mercury votives I found and use the battery operated lights on the tables along with some damask luminaries I found on Etsy. I just love that site!

[MKEN2015]

I feel like waiting is the hardest part! :) Just finished setting up our wedding block. We decided on Hotel St. Pierre. We were going with a different hotel, but they took too long to finalize the price (2+ months). May I ask who you booked for makeup and hair?

 

I love Etsy too! I keep wondering how much I want or need to decorate. I was thinking of asking either Carnival or TWE.

 

I am also stuck on flowers. I can't decide on tropical bouquet or DIY white clutch. I'm almost done making one clutch...Hopefully then I can decide.

 

Tropical: http://www.wedideas.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BQMXN031

White Clutches: http://gallery.weddingbee.com/photo/purse-for-the-bridesmaids

[JustWonderfulMe]

Hi!!

I'm so excited to meet another Dream bride! Our wedding date is August 23, 2015 out of NOLA as well. I will post photos etc. after ours so you have some to see - I know I've scoured the internet looking for photos for mine! I was so grateful to the girls who have already posted their reviews!

 

Have you read about requesting a specialty drink, having extra rooms ready and alternate menus yet? These are things I picked up from these forums that Carnival doesn't advertise but that are available if you ask them about it. Let me know if I can answer any questions!

[MKEN2015]

Hi!!

I'm so excited to meet another Dream bride! Our wedding date is August 23, 2015 out of NOLA as well. I will post photos etc. after ours so you have some to see - I know I've scoured the internet looking for photos for mine! I was so grateful to the girls who have already posted their reviews!

 

Have you read about requesting a specialty drink, having extra rooms ready and alternate menus yet? These are things I picked up from these forums that Carnival doesn't advertise but that are available if you ask them about it. Let me know if I can answer any questions!

 

Can't wait to see them! There isn't a lot of the Dream Brides out of NOLA. I found it to be a challenge to find them, but I did find some. I have requested an extra room and alternate menu already thanks to these forums :) Are you going with a specialty drink? I haven't found information about that yet.

[MKEN2015]

I spent many nights reading reviews of Carnival Weddings during my planning process, so I knew I wanted to do a review. I had my wedding on the Carnival Dream on December 6, 2015. There were some major issues that happened that made me too upset to write my review. Not to mention we found out we got pregnant during our cruise, so first trimester morning sickness and fatigue won out. Now six months later, I feel like I can give a better review. I did take detailed notes during our wedding (before and after), so I would remember the details.

 

AIRLINE CHOICE: Southwest

 

When choosing a airline, I wanted to have one that had a closet to possible store my dress. I looked before booking and found that some had luck with Southwest. However, this was not the case with our experience. When we checked in at the airport, they also suggested to us if the crew could find space for the dress. I asked the Southwest clerk and she was very rude in a response of no. It was also the most unfriend crew that I have ever experienced. The next flights were a little friendlier. SUMMARY: Southwest does not have a closet space and my dress had to be put in the overhead storage.

 

LOCATION CHOICE: New Orleans

 

Transportation from the airport to the hotel. We debate using the airport shuttle vs. taxi service since hotels in the French Quarter can’t have their own shuttles. We were the first of our wedding party/guests to arrive, so we decided to try the airport shuttle. It was $24/person and we waited until the shuttle was full. There wasn’t a lot of room, but the drivers were very nice and friendly. I did have to lay my dress on my lap. Lots of our guests used a taxi and it was about the same in cost and was less crowded. SUMMARY: We would probably use the taxi service next time, but there was nothing wrong with the airport shuttle.

 

HOTEL CHOICE: Hotel St Pierre

 

This hotel has a lot of character! You can take that has you wish. It is an old building, so it isn’t perfect. However, it has the character of the French Quarter. Our rooms were not your standard, typical hotel rooms. Many “normal” hotel amenities were not present (ie - hooks in the bathroom, lighting was poor). Our main light in the room was broken, but the awesome staff brought us extra lamps and mirrors, so we could still get our hair and make up done. The staff were also very helpful with recommendations for dinner and activities. SUMMARY: We would definitely choose this hotel again. It was within great walking distance from the French Quarter, which was great because we didn’t want to rent cars or use taxis.

 

MARRIAGE LICENSE: Second City Court - Orleans Parish Civil District Court

 

We took the ferry to the Second City Courthouse. The ferry ride was $2/person for an one way trip. The ferry leaves every 15 minutes. The ferry lands within walking distance to the courthouse.

 

We had to fill out an application when we got there. They made it seem like there was an online application; however, I didn’t see one when I looked beforehand. Make sure you bring your drivers licenses and birth certificates. You must also know your parents’ birth cities. There is no way to change your name with this license. Make sure you read over the license before the final submission…there was a lot of typos and errors. This process took longer than we thought it would (Took over two hours at the courthouse). Make sure you bring cash for the license; they don’t accept other forms of payments. You can’t order certified copies right away and it takes 4-6 weeks before you can order copies.

 

You have to go through VitalChek.com to order the certified copies. We were married 12/6/15 and I placed the order 1/3/16. I spent extra money to get a tracking number, and I am glad I did. My credit card was charged 1/5/16. By 2/12/16, I received no updates or certified copies, so I emailed VitalChek. By 2/22/16, I had no response to my email and tried again. On 2/26/16, I called VitalCheck and they said they need to submit a status request to see way they didn’t get the license yet. Unsure of their answer, I eventually called the Second City Court on 2/26/16 and found out that my license was ready and delivered to VitalChek on 1/6/16. They reported that they deliver the license and get a signature accepting them by VitalChek. I called and told VitalChek this and they denied it, but within just a couple days my certified copies arrived.

 

HAIR AND MAKE CHOICE: Fairytales & Brides

 

The ladies with Fairytales & Brides were great to work with. They arrived on time bright and early. They luckily brought extra lights since the lighting in my hotel room was poor. All our hair and make up was done with time to spare. They did a great job and there were no complaints. The staff was very upbeat and friendly! SUMMARY: Fairytales & Brides was very affordable and great to work with. I would recommend this service.

 

PORT CHOICE: New Orleans

 

Before this trip, I have only be to the Port Canaveral. The difference between the ports is dramatic! I found Port Canaveral very organized. I found the opposite in New Orleans. There was no organization and just yelling. The traffic line was very long; I wish I had planned even more travel time. We were rushed to check in. Guest were forced to board without us which caused more confusion. Here we meet our minister and wedding planner. Our minister (Rev. Bob) was very professional and nice.

 

Our wedding planner from the Wedding Experience (Wanda) was very unprofessional and did a very poor job. If she is your planner - Run! See detailed problems in the wedding section.

 

Not thinking due to all the confusion. I gave my mom my phone and keycard…thinking of it as a hotel key not my boarding pass…to help bring some of the wedding supplies to the cabin. The wedding planner saw this and did not stop it. This was very, very dumb of me! I thought we were all checked in…but we weren’t. The staff would not let me board since I didn’t have my card. I later found out they had taken my card away from my mom and forced her to leave all my stuff in the halls of the boarding area. Security had my card the whole time, but acted like they didn’t have it and told me I need to call my mom back. They even went so far to say that the lady that had my belongs did not know why she had them and left them. This “lady” was my mother who would never do that. When they finally gave me my card back, I found all my wedding belongs (including dress) in the middle of the walkway. My groom and I tried carrying it all on, but was unable to carry it all. They was one bag left and our wedding planner refused to help us. She said we had to wait for a cart that never came. We waited for awhile wasting precious time. Luckily, one of our guest were still checking in with a new employee (so it took longer) and were able to help us.

 

WEDDING

 

Music - During many of the phone calls from Carnival and The Wedding Experience I was told that they had all of my music choices and I did not have to bring a CD. I almost brought one despite what they said, but I trusted what they said. I shouldn’t have trusted in that. When we talked to the wedding planner, she told us they had none of our music and they could use whatever random selection they had. They was very upsetting since I was promised they had my music selection. The wedding planner then again approached us after the ceremony to tell me they did not have our first dance song. I snapped back at her that they didn’t have the very popular song - “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis. She stated she would check and returned to say that they did indeed have it. This made me wonder if they really did have my other music choices…but it was too late. To top it off, the DJ did not introduce us correctly. Our names are Mitch & Erica and he introduced us as Michael & Eric. At this point I was so upset with everything, I refused to walk in until he said the right names. Our first names are not difficult names. Not to mention my sister-in-law told him how to say our names right before he introduced us. When you fill out your music paperwork, you choice what type of music you want played. Our DJ did not play any of the genres we had selected instead he played mainly disco.

 

The Wedding Coordinator from the Wedding Experience - Wanda was not organized, confused everyone, was not helpful, complained, blamed everyone else, did not help, and contradicted herself. She just came to me with all the issues and no solutions. I believe the role of a wedding planner is to be the one to not stress out the bride and help her…not the other way around. This wedding planner even had the nerve to come up to the groom and myself (during our very short reception) to tell us how we need God in our marriage. At this point, I could not put up with anymore and just walked away. I didn’t find this appropriate for many reasons, but most importantly we wanted to spend this precious time with our friends and family. SUMMARY: Our wedding planner was the worse part of our wedding and experience. The other wedding coordinator of the other wedding every recognized this and tried to help, but our coordinator pushed her aside and didn’t accept her help. The help the other coordinator was trying to give her would have fixed everything.

 

Ceremony - Our ceremony was in the Burgundy Room on the Carnival Dream. It was not my top choice, but I didn’t get an option. The setting was nice and Rev. Bob did a great job. Sadly we did not get us use the music I had choose for our ceremony. After the ceremony, we took some group pictures before heading to the reception space.

 

Reception - Our reception was in the Caliente Night Club. The setting was beautiful and the food and drink were was amazing. Again, the music was not great as mentioned above. We got the unlimited drink package for the reception. Our bartenders (Carnival staff) were great with making sure every person had a drink in their hand (usually two!). We highly recommend the Reception with food. Our contact for food was Marketa - she was excellent!

 

SHIP CHOICE: Carnival Dream

 

We had no complaints about the Dream! We had a great experience and would recommend getting married on the Carnival Dream. Carnival left us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne (they were delicious!) in our room after the wedding. We also got wedding flutes to keep and a cake topper. Our bed spread was beautifully decorated with flower pedals and a towel swan. Additionally, the captain of the ship wrote us a letter of congratulations. This was a nice touch!

 

PHOTOGRAPHY: Our photographer was great to work with! The photo package didn’t cost as much as we had thought. I had read that the cost of some of the photo packages were very high. The only difference between a regular, non-cruise wedding and a carnival one is that they don’t do the common “wedding” photo editing. I do wish we could have gotten more pictures but the timing of a cruise wedding before embarkation doesn’t really allow for a lot of time. We still got some excellent pictures and we were very happy with how they turned out.

 

Click here for pictures

 

IN CONCLUSION: Overall our wedding was a success, but the major issues or changes I would make for next time…our wedding planner from The Wedding Experience, our DJ, the Port of New Orleans, and music. But the fun reception, cruise, and Carnival staff made for a great experience.