cheap and simple port wedding?

[angel41]

For those of you that have checked into these types of things, which ports seem to have the best price with the least amount of hassle? We are looking into Feb-May of next year to avoid hurricane season. We would like to do something a bit different than just a beach wedding but aren't sure what yet. Maybe at the top of a mountain??? on a boat??? any ideas are welcome.

[surrocruiser]

Maybe try a simple ceremony at your departure port? I would think as long as you depart from a US port, there should be a few cheaper options (except for New York I'm guessing). I have no idea what the cost would be but maybe a justice of the peace in Florida or something similar. Good luck to you.

[scottishflower]

Key West is a good, reliable port, especially if it's a regular itinerary (ports have a greater tendency to get cancelled or moved around on special / holiday /non-standard sailings). Plus its still a US port, so marriage licensing is easier than non-US island ports.

 

As far as cost / complexity, you can do the smallest ceremony to the biggest event; there's plenty of range in vendors, styles, venues, etc.

 

If you want to find out more, I highly recommend the Yahoo group for Key West weddings - tons of reviews and feedback on vendors there:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keywestdestinationweddings

 

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Proud Papa]

Our daughter was recently married on the ship, while at sea, and by the Captain of the ship. The wedding and the reception were nothing short of fabulous and my daughter and son-in-law loved it.

 

Having the Captain marry them made it such a classy ceremony that we would not change it for anything. It was so much better than worrying about what local yokel would show up to do the ceremony at an Island wedding.

 

Of course, this would limit you to going on a Princess Cruise (we love Princess), because they are the only major cruise line where the Captain can perform legal weddings (It's a myth that any ship's Captain can marry couples legally).

 

Having the wedding onboard while at sea made things much simpler and we didn't have to worry about what the weather would be like on an island on the wedding day.

 

The way we timed everything, we were able to save a lot of money. After the wedding ceremony, we went to our regularly assigned dinner (we had a group of 28 and were all seated together) for no additional cost, had a 2 hour open bar reception, then continued the partying until late at the ship's disco.

 

The ceremony started at 3:30pm and the partying ended after 2:00 am.

 

If this is something you might consider, read my reply to MrsZig2B under the Princess Cruise post for a few more details. I mention there how to get more info from Princess. There is also very good info in the other replies to her post.

 

Good luck!!!

[rainysundays]

We're getting married on the ship but while it's in port. Since we live in Houston and the ship leaves from Galveston this makes perfect sense for us- non-sailing guests can still come to the wedding, and we are able to use our own officiant (actually my finacee's twin sister who is a Presbyterian minister.)

 

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[caviargal]

For those of you that have checked into these types of things, which ports seem to have the best price with the least amount of hassle? We are looking into Feb-May of next year to avoid hurricane season. We would like to do something a bit different than just a beach wedding but aren't sure what yet. Maybe at the top of a mountain??? on a boat??? any ideas are welcome.

 

I am getting married in Key West while on Century. I did it myself as I found their pricing ludicrous :mad: for what they offered.

 

I booked Audubon House for a morning ceremony (175), a really nice notary (150), the flowers I wanted for a small wedding party (325) and decided against a $250 fee for a musician for 30 minutes.

 

We can walk to the site and there are covered areas for rain.

 

I am allowed to bring my flowers onboard with me (in direct contradiction to Celebrity's misinformation) and can enjoy them for the duration of the cruise.

 

The cost from Celebrity was $1795 PLUS I would have an upgrade fee for my flowers.

 

My savings paid for the cruise.

[MandyGirl]

If you are looking for a port wedding other than embarkation port, and easy legalities, I would suggest the US Virgin Islands. You can do wedding packages for under $400 if price is a concern. Some are St Thomas (where ships dock) while others may be a short ferry ride away on St John (but you use the courthouse on St John for the swearing in prior to the ceremony).

 

Examples:

http://www.stjohnweddings.com/beach.htm

http://www.usviwedding.com/wedding_packages.htm

http://www.viweddings.com/packages.html

http://www.theweddingexperience.com/package-stthomas.html

 

You can also book through your cruiseline's wedding coordinator group as opposed to booking directly through a local wedding coordinator at the port. The options they offer may vary.

 

Lots of options other than "just a beach wedding". I know in the USVI you can helicopter to another island, marry on a catamaran, or at a gazebo overlooking the ocean. However, then price increases. The above links show various options. We personally did the beach wedding (we are beach lovers) but incorporated a reception on a chartered catamaran followed by a private group tour of St Thomas since many in our group had never left the US before (it was their first/only trip to St Thomas). St Thomas has several coordinators, ministers, photographers, etc so various options and competitive pricing exist. Great cruise ship dock, so you are not concerned with tendering (such as at Grand Cayman). Legalities were very simple and easily recognized when obtaining a new SS card, drivers license, etc.

 

We also wanted to marry somewhere that we would want to return to in the future (either cruise or land vacation). It is fun returning to "our" wedding beach. We have even shared another identical wedding cake from the same chef on one return, making it extra special upon our return. Now we look forward to sharing our wedding beach with our future daughter. :)

 

Have fun with your research! It's a fun planning process. Lots of options!

[cntrydncr1]

Congratulations! We got married at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan and since it is an American territory it was quite simple. They had a lovely garden with gazebo and even a swan. I used a wedding planner to coordinate everything and it was quite inexpensive. I got a package that included a photographer. He took 2 rolls of film and just turned the film over to us to do whatever we wanted with the pictures. They were really nice too. It was a few years ago but I think they were called "A Wedding for You" and were located in Florida but they coordinate weddings on several islands. I was very pleased with their services. It was just the 2 of us and they really made us feel special and confortable. Good luck to you!