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10 Reasons Why You Should Get Married on a Cruise

Here comes the happy couple! Combining your wedding and your cruise vacation is becoming the latest trend in the world of all things romantic, and nowhere is it more ideal than on a Carnival cruise.

Don’t stress yourself out trying to plan a wedding in your hometown or current city of residence; instead, book a cruise wedding and get ready for memorable days of wedded bliss as you head off to your next destination. Your first trip as a married couple will set the stage for a life of love and laughter.

a couple posing on a beach for their wedding

Considering having your wedding on a cruise? Here are 10 reasons why it could be the best way to say “I do.”

1. A Cruise Wedding Could Save You a Ton of Money

Although location and region factor heavily into the overall cost, the average cost of U.S. weddings still comes in at a staggering $35,000. Wow! From renting the venue to lining up caterers and entertainment, you could wind up dishing out some serious cash. Carnival cruise weddings, on the other hand, start as low as $1,450!

2. Cruise Wedding Planners Are Ready to Help

Is the thought of an upcoming wedding giving you the jitters? Put those fears to rest, because Carnival wedding planners are ready to jump in and save the day. When you book your wedding on your cruise, you’ll be assigned a team of expert planners who will work to coordinate your ceremony and reception, bringing in the best vendors to ensure your special day is full of happy moments from start to finish.

3. The Celebration Lasts More Than One Night

When you celebrate your love onboard a cruise, you get the opportunity to stretch it out over the length of the cruise. This way you won’t be kicked out of that city-based venue by 10 p.m. Now you can celebrate while at sea and at each port of call along your journey.

4. Guests Can Enjoy a Vacation, Too

While the honeymoon vacation is wonderful for you, sometimes your guests might feel a bit left out of the excitement. Ordinarily they’d come to your wedding and take part in the experience for a few hours, then depart for hotels or home. While enjoying a cruise, they’ll have the opportunity to pick and choose their own cruise activities and shore excursions, making it the ultimate two-in-one celebration.

family onboard a catamaran

5. You Can Get Married Onboard…

Dreaming of a wedding onboard the ship? Just book your wedding and specify one of the shipboard options. You can choose to get married on embarkation day or at one of the ports. Regardless of the day, your onboard wedding ceremony will always take place before the ship sails, giving you ample time to kick off your reception and then enjoy the sunset and salty sea air. Celebrate your love for one another as you cruise to your next port of call.

wedding couple posing in front of an ocean view

6. …Or at an Island Destination

Perhaps you have your heart set on a tropical destination wedding. That can be arranged, too! Simply ask about Island Breeze options, which vary according to the destination and available openings. From a ceremony on the beach to one in a lush, exotic garden or resort, your wedding options are nearly as endless as the vast blue sky.

7. Non-Sailing Guests Can Attend

You sent out your wedding invitations and heard back that not everyone can fit a cruise into their schedules. That’s okay because you included an alternative: to attend as a non-sailing guest. And they said yes! You are allowed up to 50 non-sailing guests for your ceremony, which is excellent news for those of you who want to share your day with friends and family who cannot travel to the various ports of call.

8. You Can Rent Formalwear

Gentlemen, would you like to arrive in your staterooms and find your suit already there waiting for you? Who wouldn’t? Now, you have the option to preorder your rental suit and receive one in your exact measurements. It’s just one more thing you can leave to the experts.

9. Wedding Packages Keep Your Day Stress-Free

One-stop shopping sounds excellent, don’t you think? In each wedding package, you’ll receive a designated wedding planner and day-of coordinator, a private venue, music and photography services. Not to mention wedding decor, a two-tier cake, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a honeymoon dinner and bottle of wine. Reception hors d’oeuvres and drinks are even included in some of our packages! Of course, you can add in custom upgrades for the ultimate wedding celebration.

a server at a wedding buffet on a cruise

10. Professional Photographers Will Capture It All

Every moment of your special day will be captured on film. Carnival’s professional photographers are experts in lighting and ambiance, and they’ll help you memorialize your wedding with high-quality photos. From your first kiss to your first dance, you’ll be able to relive those magical moments time and again.

groom lifting his bride in the air on a carnival ship deck

Are you planning your upcoming nuptials? Congratulations on such happy news! Whether you’d prefer a smaller gathering or a larger celebration where the party never ends, you can find everything you’re looking for when you book your wedding with Carnival. This is a growing trend, and for good reason. You can enjoy your wedding and a cruise vacation to a gorgeous destination like Mexico, the Caribbean, Hawaii or The Bahamas, all at the same time. What could be grander than that?