Cruise Wedding Preparation & Tips for Future Brides
Would you do a wedding cruise again?
YES! If I had a chance I would do it all over again!
Having a cruise wedding with no advice is stressful. You don’t have anyone to ask, there are limited wedding reviews, and brides are pretty much making it up as you go. There are a few Facebook cruise wedding groups, but really everyone is in the same boat and asking questions. Pun intended. This was a true test for a bride to lose control.
Once we decided when we would cruise, what cruise line, and cruise ship, we were ready to plan the actual wedding. We called Princess directly and they sent us the wedding package forms.
The wedding packet is usually one year plus worth of wedding planning answered in one place. It can be stressful and scary, but you be able to breathe once finished. If you need to change anything after you submit, it is an easy fix. Our pre-wedding coordinator was friendly and easy to work with. She answered all of our questions in a timely manner. If you decide to call your wedding coordinator be prepared to be on the line for a while and be aware of the time zone. The coordinators will answer you with stock answers since they are not actually on the ship. So be aware that you will not get specific questions answered until you get on the ship. You will be working with a different person on the cruise.
- Preferred wedding date and location
- Wedding Cake and flowers
- Ceremonial information
- Food and Alcohol
- Photography and Videography
- Etc.
Tips for Future Brides
Symbolic weddings are cheaper than a legal wedding. We chose a symbolic wedding because we were actually married a year before. We saved hundreds of dollars since we didn’t have to submit any legal documents to make our wedding official. If you don’t mind having 2 anniversaries opt for the symbolic option!
Submit your wedding date and time early. Cruises can have 2-3 weddings on the same day. There was an Alison and Wonderland themed wedding the same day as our wedding.
Notify your guests once your cruise date is confirmed. The sooner you tell them, the more time they will have to prepare.
Skip “save the dates” and send invitations. Destination weddings take a lot of planning for the guests. Save time and money and only send out mail to your guest once. Our invitations included our wedding website that included all of our wedding and booking information.
Wedding Website. Use a free wedding website to include all your booking information. If you plan on sending a physical invitation there is limited room for travel information. We used a free wedding website WithJoy, however there are other free sites!
Ignore the gripe. Cruises are expensive and some of the guest that you plan on inviting to your wedding may not want to spend that much money. Remind your guests that this is not only a wedding, but it is a vacation for them as well. We ended up having 46 guest attend our cruise wedding
Buy Travel Insurance. Unforeseen circumstances can occur when you least expect it. If you’re spending all this money on a cruise, make sure you have it insured! I would also tell your guest to buy travel insurance, my MIL had to leave unexpectedly the day before our wedding and it was PRICEY. She did not buy travel insurance because she thought she would never miss her sons wedding.
Bring all wedding package paperwork with you to the cruise to ensure you don’t get double charged!
Bring a copy of the photography and videography pricing sheet with you. The photographer and videographer will plan a meeting with you the last few days of the cruise. Make sure you have the pricing sheet with you and be strong on your budget. You will be starstruck with the proofs and want to buy everything. It is okay to step away and come back to it again. We were late for dinner and came back after dinner and chose the package we planned to get.
Use the free wedding cake. We followed the serving amount on the paperwork and it suggested a two tier cake. Our guests barely made a dent in the first layer. Save your money and don’t upgrade your cake.
Bring limited amount of decorations. You have limited space in your luggage and cabin and you really don’t want to carry the decorations with you onto the ship. We brought a guestbook, cake topper, bridal bouquets, boutonnieres, ribbons, and wedding favors. If you do want to bring something, bring colored ribbon to add a touch of personalization and give it to to your wedding point of contact.
Save money on flowers for your bridal party. With the wedding package the bride and groom receive floral arrangements, but it is expensive to extra bouquets. We made our bridal bouquets and groomsmen boutonnieres and brought them in our carry on. Tight on space? We put them in vacuum sealed bags and fluffed it up on the cruise.
Welcome Letters. We made a welcome letter for our guests with all of their room numbers. It was easy for guests to use the cabin phones having a list of the guest rooms.
Wedding Favors. If you are creating wedding favors remember you need to bring it and your guests will need to bring it home with them.
Bring small bills to tip your staff. Usually gratuity is included with your cruise fare, I tip a few above and beyond cruise staff that I really like in places I know I will usually visit throughout the cruise the first day. They will remember you and will always ask if you need anything throughout the whole cruise.
Be prepared to bring and do your own make up! Cruise lines do not have make up artists on board, however some hairstylists do make up. If a hairstylist is also a make up artist, be prepared to bring your make up to them.
Bring Bride items! I wore a “bride” jacket and hat the first day and the DJ introduced himself to me and was able to set a meeting that day! Plus the cruise staff will congratulate and give you great service!
Good luck with your wedding planning!
