Wedding Cruises
Your ceremony, your honeymoon and your favorite people, all on one ship.
Get Wedding Cruise QuotesWedding Cruises: The Ceremony, the Honeymoon and the Guests on One Ship
Wedding cruises turn a single wedding day into several days with the people you love most. You choose a ship and a date, the cruise line or a port arranges the ceremony, and your guests book cabins on the same sailing so the celebration keeps going long after the cake is cut.
Group Cruise Planners is written for the couple who is planning a wedding cruise with guests. Planning one cabin for two is easy; planning a ceremony plus twenty, forty or eighty people who all have different budgets, flights and questions is where help pays off. This site walks you through the wedding cruise packages the lines publish, vow renewal cruise packages for couples who are already married, the logistics of a destination wedding cruise, where the best destination wedding cruises sail, and how to run the guest block so nobody is left out.
Three Ways to Say I Do on a Cruise
On board in your departure port
The ceremony happens on the ship on embarkation day, before the ship sails. Because the ship is in port, local marriage rules usually apply, and some packages let non-sailing guests come aboard for the ceremony. It is the easiest choice when grandparents or friends cannot take the whole trip.
On board at sea
A few lines offer ceremonies at sea, sometimes performed by the captain. Whether the marriage is legal depends on the ship’s country of registry and its rules, so confirm the legal standing of your exact ship before you send invitations.
Ashore at a port of call
A beach, garden or chapel in a port can be booked through the line or a local planner. The marriage follows that destination’s rules, which can include paperwork filed weeks ahead. Your guests come ashore with you and sail on together afterwards.
Each choice changes the paperwork, the guest list and the photos, which is why our destination wedding cruise page compares them in detail.
What the Cruise Lines Publish
Several major lines run their own wedding programs and describe them on their websites. On its Princess wedding page, Princess presents Princess Perfect Weddings with three at-sea packages, each available as a legal or a symbolic ceremony performed by the ship’s captain. The Royal Caribbean cruise weddings page lists packages including Love Sets Sail, which places the ceremony on boarding day and welcomes sailing and non-sailing guests. Celebrity’s Celebrity groups and events page lists legal-at-sea, symbolic and vow renewal ceremonies.
Packages change, and each has guest limits, venue options and ships where it is offered. Our wedding cruise packages page explains what is usually included and what is not.
Who Wedding Cruises Suit Best
- Couples with family in several cities, because everyone travels once to a single port and then has days together instead of one evening.
- Couples who want a small ceremony and a big celebration: a short, simple ceremony, followed by a week of shared dinners and shore days.
- Second weddings and blended families, where children of different ages each find something on a big ship.
- Couples who want the honeymoon to start right away; you can stay on and let the guests fly home.
- Married couples marking a milestone, who choose one of the vow renewal cruise packages instead.
Planning Your Wedding Cruise Step by Step
| When | What to settle |
|---|---|
| 12 months or more | Pick the region and season, choose two or three ships, ask which ceremony types each offers and hold a block of cabins for guests. |
| 9 to 12 months | Book the ceremony with the line’s wedding team, send save-the-dates with the ship, the dates and the booking link or advisor contact. |
| 6 to 9 months | Collect guest deposits through the block, start any legal paperwork the port or registry requires, choose add-ons such as a reception or photographer. |
| 3 to 6 months | Confirm the guest list for the ceremony, plan one group dinner and one shared shore day, and check every passport. |
| Final 90 days | Final payments, guest name checks, dining arrangements and the run-of-show for the day itself. |
Timing varies by line and sailing, so treat this as a sensible order of decisions rather than fixed dates. The guest side of the plan has its own page: the wedding guest cabin block.
Where Wedding Groups Sail
Caribbean and Bahamas
Short sailings from Florida, Texas and other US ports, beach ports and warm weather most of the year. See the ports on Caribbean Cruise Ports.
Best destinations →
Alaska and Europe
Glaciers in summer, or Mediterranean harbors for couples who want history and longer trips. Shore ideas: Alaska Port Excursions and Europe Port Excursions.
Compare regions →Why Plan Through Mister Cruise
Group Cruise Planners is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
When you ask for a wedding cruise quote, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise check which ships offer the ceremony you want on your dates, hold the guest block and answer your guests’ questions so you do not have to. Meet Mister Cruise →
Prefer the quick overview first? Our sister site Wedding at Sea has a one-page summary of weddings and vow renewals at sea, and Group Cruise Planner covers group planning for any occasion. For live offers on the sailings you are considering, join the Mister Cruise cruise newsletter or browse current promotions on Wave Season.
Wedding Cruise Questions
Can you legally get married on a cruise?
Often, yes, but how depends on the ship and the place. Some lines offer legal ceremonies at sea performed by the captain, because the ship’s country of registry allows it; Princess, for example, offers its at-sea packages as legal or symbolic ceremonies. Other weddings are legal because they take place in a port under that port’s marriage rules. Many couples marry at home and hold a symbolic ceremony on board.
Do wedding guests have to book the same cruise?
To celebrate with you at sea, yes. Guests book cabins on the same sailing, ideally inside a group block so they share one rate and one set of deadlines. Some packages that take place on boarding day let a limited number of non-sailing guests come aboard for the ceremony.
How far ahead should we plan a wedding cruise?
As early as you can. Ceremony slots on a given ship and day are limited, and guests need time to save, take leave and arrange passports. Many couples start around a year out and hold the guest block at the same time.
Is a wedding cruise cheaper than a wedding on land?
It can be simpler, because meals, venues and entertainment are part of the cruise, but every couple’s numbers are different. We will not quote a figure here; ask for a quote that shows the package, the cabins and what guests will pay, and compare it honestly with your land plan.
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Plan Your Wedding Cruise
Tell us your wedding date or season, how many guests might sail and the kind of ceremony you want. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will match ships and packages and send free quotes for you and your guests.
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