Weddings

Cruises are perfect for couples who want a meaningful event without the complexity of traditional wedding planning. You can keep the wedding small, with just the two of you, a wedding officiant and witnesses supplied by the cruise line. Or, you can invite friends and family to sail along with you or meet you at the wedding site. A group wedding on a cruise will turn your special day into a shared journey with people close to you.

Cruise ships offer some key benefits to the wedding couple:

• Event spaces, catering services, entertainment and photographers are all arranged through one provider.
• For larger celebrations, cruise lines provide dedicated wedding coordinators to handle the details so you can enjoy the moment.
• Cruise lines offer wedding packages that take the hassle out of planning and make it easier to budget for the event. To learn more about the various wedding packages offered, click any cruise line name below.
  
  

  Carnival	Norwegian
  Celestyal	P&O
  Cunard	Princess
  Disney	Royal Caribbean
  Holland America	Virgin
  MSC	Windstar
  Margaritaville at Sea

Here are some considerations that may affect your planning decisions:

Legal Ceremony or Symbolic Ceremony
If you marry legally at home first, you can avoid the hassles and costs of foreign wedding permits and processing fees yet still enjoy the romance of a traditional wedding ceremony. At sea or in port, all cruise lines that offer wedding packages can arrange this type of ceremony.

To marry legally during the trip, the couple is responsible for obtaining a marriage license from the wedding destination. You also will need to be familiar with the regulations for marrying in that destination. Some places require that you apply for a license in person, while others allow you to submit an application remotely. Often the cruise line’s wedding coordinator can assist you in obtaining your license.

Ceremony on Shore or on the Ship, and in Port or at Sea
Having a wedding on shore requires a great deal of planning, so many couples opt to have the ceremony on board the ship before embarkation. Weddings on board are typically held inside, either in the chapel, the ship's library, a reception room or in one of the onboard entertainment areas.

A wedding at sea will be performed by the ship's captain, followed by a reception that can range from an intimate romantic dinner to a full party with guests.

Rules differ based on where the ceremony is held, and a cruise line’s coordinator can help you work through the options. 

Number of Attendees 
The wedding package selected will determine the number of guests you can invite to your ceremony and reception. Guests who are paying passengers on the cruise will be allowed to participate in your wedding. Non-sailing guests are generally permitted to come aboard for weddings and receptions, but you will likely have to provide the cruise line with legal names, birth dates and ID numbers of guests. Your guests will be asked to show proper identification upon boarding.

The strictness of these rules varies by cruise line and port. In some ports, particularly foreign ports, you may not be allowed to bring non-sailing guests on board at all. Sailing and non-sailing guests count toward the maximum allowed number of guests for the wedding package you purchase.

Booking a Wedding Group with Vacations To Go
All cruise lines require couples to book a cabin before a wedding package can be reserved. Also, only a limited number of weddings are allowed per sailing, so it’s important to book early. Our group specialists can secure your cabin and put you in touch with a wedding coordinator who can confirm availability for your ceremony and answer any related questions.

The person planning the wedding will be the group leader and is responsible for inviting family and friends who might be interested in going. Our group specialists assist with everything else, such as communicating booking details to guests, processing payments and more.

One of our group specialists will be a single point of contact for the group leader and for all travelers. We can create a custom webpage for the group where participants can find answers to questions about the cruise, book a cabin and submit payment information, saving the group leader time and energy.

We can also provide online reports so the group leader can track cabin bookings, payments and other details.

Most cruise lines consider a group to be eight or more cabins, though some lines offer group benefits starting at four or five cabins.

To search for a cruise now, use the Find a Bargain box on the left side of this page. If you have found your preferred cruise and plan to book enough cabins to qualify as a group, call our group specialists at 800-514-9986. Our Group Department is open Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm and Sat-Sun 9am to 6pm, U.S. Central Time.

Wedding Policies and Marriage Licenses
Cruise line wedding policies and marriage license requirements are listed in the charts below. In all cases, please confirm policies and rules with the wedding coordinator or the relevant government authority. The charts should be used only as resources and not as definitive lists. Both are subject to change without notice.

Cruise Line Wedding Policies

Marriage Licenses