Cruise weddings have increased as much as 60 percent over the last decade, reported Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). The options vary from weddings at sea conducted by the ship's captain to destination weddings while the ship is in port. But, are these cruise ship weddings even legal?
Are Cruise Ship Weddings Legal?
The short answer is yes. Practically all the major cruise lines offer options for wedding ceremonies. Depending on the cruise ship will determine what options are available to the wedding couple. Cruise ships that are registered in Bermuda (Princess Cruises) or Malta (Celebrity Cruises) have the unique option of the ship's Captain being authorized to perform the wedding ceremony while the ship is at sea.
Most other cruise lines rely on wedding coordinators to hire a local officiate to perform the wedding ceremony while the ship is in port. While in port, the ship and its passengers are subject to the rules of that particular country, including laws pertaining to civil marriages. The local officiate may perform a wedding ceremony while the ship is in port, but the couple must have already met the legal requirements.
It is the responsibility of the wedding couple to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate of the country that they will be getting married in, have necessary blood tests completed and meet any required residency period. Note that some countries have restrictions on age as well as rules against same sex marriage. For example Bermuda civil marriage laws do not allow same sex marriage, so those ceremonies would only be symbolic.
Cruise Weddings at Sea
Princess Cruises pioneered the trend of wedding cruises when it launched its cruise weddings program in 1998. The Grand Princess featured the first wedding chapel at sea and today hundreds of couples are married each year at sea by Princess' captains around the world. Princess Cruises' ships are registered in Bermuda.
P&O Cruises recently changed the registration of most of their cruise ships from British to Bermuda, too. This gives authorization to their ship's captains to also perform wedding ceremonies at sea.
Following the trend of re-registering, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises have changed the registration country of their ships to Malta (except the Celebrity Expedition). This means that guests on Celebrity and Azamara cruises will be able to have a legal captain-led wedding ceremony while at sea.
Cruise Ship Destination Weddings
In addition to weddings at sea, cruise lines give the option to passengers to have their cruise wedding while the ship is in port. Wedding packages include a ceremony conducted by a local officiate that can take place onboard, at a beach or some other designated location.
For example, Royal Caribbean cruise weddings offer adventurous onboard ceremonies such as on the FlowRider surfing simulator, rock wall, or skating rink (select ships). On the other hand they also offer destination weddings such as a rooftop garden ceremony in Rome or a beach wedding package in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
After understanding the legalities of a cruise ship wedding, planning a cruise wedding is the next step. There are many options to consider such as destinations, cruise lines, and cruise ships along with the traditional decisions such as how many to invite and how much to spend.
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
