Shipboard Weddings: Nautical & Nice
(BNN)
Over
the past decade, so-called "destination weddings"--that is,
wedding vows exchanged in some exotic or other chosen setting
away from home--have become a favorite alternative for
love-struck couples to plight their troth. Indeed, destination
weddings represent 10 percent of all marriage ceremonies today.
Now, there has emerged an increasingly popular variation on this
nuptial theme: the shipboard wedding--getting married on the
high seas.
In such
ceremonies, the romance of the ocean, heralded in poetry and
literature, serves as the dramatic backdrop to the wedding
ritual. The dreamy setting atop rippling waves, combined with
minimal necessary self-preparations, has increased the demand
for this maritime destination-wedding choice. Couples can enjoy
all of the traditional embellishments and amenities of an
on-land ceremony, while sailing to beautiful ports all over the
world--the ultimate "two-for-one" lifetime adventure.
This
relatively recent trend was inaugurated six years ago by
Princess Cruises (www.princesscruises.com) with the launching of
its seagoing weddings program. It has long been universally
believed that any ship captain is empowered to join couples in
matrimony, but in truth no such blanket authority exists. The
Princess line turned myth into an exclusive reality by becoming
the only cruise company enabled to carry out wedding ceremonies
in international waters. Marriages are performed by the captain
under the legal authority of the ship's Bermuda registry.
Thus, in
1998, the captain of the cruise ship
Grand Princess
conducted the line's first at-sea marriage ceremony, initiating
what the company bills as its "Tie the Knot" wedding program.
Today, hundreds of couples are married each year aboard Princess
Cruises’ 14 ships in international waters, including the
Mediterranean, Caribbean, Gulf of Alaska, and other exotic
high-seas venues around the world.
Candles & Webcam
Says Jan
Swartz, a Princess senior vice president, "Not only can couples
get married by the captain at sea, they can completely customize
their wedding so it's unique to their style." Customizing
choices include pampering pre-ceremony spa treatments for the
bride, a variety of food and beverages, floral arrangements,
video-recording, and post-ceremony onboard reception. Every
detail is taken care of by the ship's wedding planner and
coordinators, from paperwork to the bridal bouquet, photography
to flowers, candles to live music and the wedding cake.
Princess Cruises is the only cruise line to offer to make the
wedding cake of the couple’s dreams; they just need a photo. A
rental tuxedo can even be provided for the bridegroom. The
newlyweds receive a keepsake wedding certificate, souvenir
champagne glass and a photo package.
And in
another "Tie the Knot" exclusive, couples saying their "I do's"
in the ship's floating wedding chapel can take advantage of a
high-tech touch: sharing their special day with family and
friends onshore with the "wedding cam", which beams a live
picture back home via a special internet link.
In
addition to mid-ocean weddings, couples also have the option of
onboard harbor-side nuptials in embarkation ports, or weddings
ashore in 28 of the cruise line's ports of call including
Hawaii, Tahiti, Greece, Mexico, and New York City. These latter
two choices, featuring comparable accoutrements and amenities,
are conducted by a non-denominational officiant, and can also
accommodate family members and friends of the bride and groom
(who of course do not necessarily have to chaperone the happy
newlyweds as they sail away on their honeymoon cruise).
Be it in
the open ocean, harbor-side, or ashore, destination weddings
have gone nautical, with couples vowing to love and honor each
other in seagoing chapels around the globe. "Mr. and Mrs.
Just-Married: Are you ready for your shipboard close-up?!"
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