Wedding Cruises: How to Plan Cruise Weddings

If you’re looking for an easy way to plan a wedding that’s fabulous, fun, and affordable - consider booking your wedding on a cruise ship. Wedding cruises are all inclusive, so it’s easy to set your budget and stick to it.

To plan cruise weddings, all you need to do is choose your destination, a location for your wedding and book your cruise. Every wedding package comes with a dedicated planner to help make sure your wedding day is perfect. Get started by deciding how much you want to spend.

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Are Cruise Weddings Cheap?

A cruise ship wedding isn’t cheap. But it can be affordable, especially when you compare it to the cost of a traditional, at home wedding. And when you see everything you get for the price - a cruise ship wedding is a great deal.

How Much Does a Cruise Ship Wedding Cost?

You’ll need to pay for the cruise, transportation to the port, plus your wedding package. Even after you add in some extras, like a wedding dress and invitations, you can have a fantastic wedding for less than $10,000.

Sample Budget For a Cruise Ship Wedding

Price will vary, depending on where you’re traveling from, where your cruise ship departs from, and the time of year you’re traveling. Be sure to check the prices for your flights and cruise before you finalize your budget.

At Home Costs:

$100 Marriage License
$300 - $1,200 Wedding rings
$300 - $1,400 Wedding outfits
$100 - $200 Invitations
Grand Total: $800 - $2,900

Cruise Ship Costs:

$650 Transportation to the cruise ship port ($325 x 2 people)
$300 Fuel Cost (If driving)
$8 - $16 Port parking fee (Charged per day)
$150 Travel insurance ($75 x 2 people)
$938-$3,912 7 day Caribbean cruise ($750 x 2 people)
$400 Excursions
$400 Drink package ($65 per day x 2 people)
$2,500 Wedding package
Grand Total: $5,306 - $5,712

Working With a Wedding Planner

One of the best things about a cruise wedding is that every package comes with a dedicated wedding planner. That means you can do as little, or as much planning as you’d like. If you want an easy, no stress wedding, just choose your package and let your planner take care of the details. If you’d rather have hand touches or special details, they’ll help you get everything just right.

Is a Cruise Ship Wedding Legal?

Some cruise ship weddings are legal ceremonies, while others are not. It depends on which cruise ship you book and where you plan to have your ceremony.:

Most cruise lines offer a wedding package that includes a ceremony and reception at the port, before you leave on the cruise. If the location is in the US and the officiant is recognized in the state, then the ceremony will be legally recognized.
Another option is to have your ceremony and reception while the ship is at sea. Some cruise ships are registered in the Bahamas or Bermuda. If the captain performs a ceremony while at sea, your marriage will be recognized in those locations, as well as Canada and the US.
A third option is to have your wedding at a port of call. If you’d like a beach wedding, most cruise lines offer weddings in popular locations, like Jamaica, Mexico, Bahamas and more. Typically, the ceremony is symbolic. But if you’d like to plan a legal ceremony your wedding planner can help you get the right paperwork and licenses. As long as local requirements are met, your marriage will be considered legal back home.

What’s Included in Cruise Wedding Packages

Most cruise lines offer wedding packages at different price levels. The least expensive will be a basic package, with everything you’ll need for your wedding ceremony and a short celebration.

Some wedding packages are priced according to the number of guests. Typically, packages will include 10 guests, 25 guests or 50 guests. Double check the package you’re interested in to make sure it covers enough people.

Other cruise lines price the packages based on their location: harbor side, at sea or at a destination.

Most basic wedding packages include:

A wedding planner, before the cruise
A day of wedding coordinator
Priority check in and tenders
Wedding ceremony location
Ceremony officiant
Recorded music
Bouquet and boutonnière
Wedding cake and sparkling wine
Keepsake wedding certificate

Most cruise lines also offer an upgraded package that might include:

Aisle runners
Upgraded decorations
Premium bouquet and boutonniere
Chocolate covered strawberries
Honeymoon dinner for the couple

They might also offer a luxury package, with premium items like:

Private specialty dinner for the couple
Breakfast in bed the day after
Complimentary spa treatments
Keepsake champagne glasses or cake toppers

Extras and Add-Ons For Wedding Packages

Some couples choose the basic package and enjoy dinner with their guests later, in the dining room. If you’ve got a bigger budget, you can book a private reception, including a cocktail hour and dinner. Most reception packages will charge per person, starting at $50 and up.

You can also add on a DJ, dance floor and lighting packages to complete your reception.

Some wedding packages include wedding photography. But with others, you’ll need to book and pay for your photographer, on top of the package price. Be sure to ask your planner for the price list.

Fees For a Legal Wedding Ceremony

If you decide to have your legal ceremony during your cruise, make sure to find out about extra fees. Most wedding packages include a symbolic ceremony. If you want to book a legal one, there’ll be extra fees for the licenses and paperwork.

The fee depends on the cruise line and where you’re getting married. The cost can range from $250 to $900. Check with your wedding planner for prices and add it to your budget.

How to Save Money and Stick to Your Budget

The trick to sticking to any budget is figuring out all your costs ahead of time. There’s nothing wrong with adding extras and upgrades, as long as you account for them when you’re setting your budget:

Make sure to get a current price list from the cruise line you’re interested in. Find out the prices for your wedding package, plus any extras you want to add on. Check for any extra costs, like taxes, gratuities or surcharges.
If a 7 day cruise is out of budget, lots of cruise lines offer trips that are 3, 4 or 5 nights long. Consider booking one of the shorter cruises, if you need to save some money.
Think about traveling in the off season, or shoulder season. The high season for most destinations includes perfect weather. Off season or shoulder season will have a chance of rainy or cloudy days. But most often, there’s lots of good weather.
If you’re on a tight budget, stick with the basic wedding package. It includes everything you need for your ceremony, and a small celebration with cake and sparkling wine.
Instead of booking a private reception, you can enjoy dinner in the regular dining rooms with your guests for free. Then meet in one of the lounges or clubs for your afterparty.
If you’re bringing guests, look for a cruise line that offers group rates. Depending on how many people book as part of your group, you can all get perks like discounts, onboard credits, free specialty dinners or cocktail parties.
The best way to get a group rate is by talking to a travel agent. Most of them get paid by commission, so there shouldn’t be any extra fees to use a travel agent.

When Should You Book Your Cruises?

There’s lots of cruises available, and you can even find last minute deals. But if you want to book your wedding onboard, make sure to check if your wedding date is available first. Because of recent restrictions for weddings and for traveling, several cruise lines are already fully booked for 2022 weddings.

Some cruise lines still have dates available - just make sure you can get yours before you book your cruise. If you’re planning ahead for 2023, it’s not too early to contact your cruise line and find out about available dates.

If you can’t find an onboard wedding date, another idea is to go ahead and book your cruise, then organize your wedding with a local planner, instead of the cruise ship planner. For example, if your cruise is spending a day in port at Nassau, you could make arrangements with a local wedding planner. They could set up a ceremony and reception for you, on a nearby beach in the Bahamas.

There’s a lot of options for your wedding cruise, so take your time going through the different packages. Once you’ve made your decision, all you’ll need to do is book your cruise and your wedding package. Then start inviting your guests.

Before you know it, you’ll be hopping on the ship and setting off on the trip of a lifetime - your wedding cruise!