Congratulations! You’re engaged! Now begins the exciting time of planning the wedding of your dreams. Imagine sealing your commitment to one another with a romantic sunset sinking into the sea as a back drop. Or maybe your adventurous side wants to tie the knot as you hang ten on a surfboard! From formal to fun, Royal Caribbean weddings make it easy to personalize your ceremony for unforgettable perfection.

Take the Stress Out of Wedding Planning

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, but Royal Caribbean’s inclusive wedding packages take all the stress out of arranging your big day. You’ll have a personal pre-cruise wedding planner to walk you through every possibility. They guide you through all of the legal requirements, such as obtaining the marriage license and also help you customize your special day with personal touches like flowers, music, photography, and a reception. Your wedding planner arranges the officiant, handles all the communication and payments for optional services, and reconfirms everything. On the day of your wedding, all you have to do is show up and your onboard wedding coordinator will be there to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Royal Caribbean Weddings

Royal Caribbean has completely refreshed their wedding packages to offer more features and options. There are essentially three categories of weddings available:

Vows at Sea Package

If you’d like to get married while the ship is at sea, obviously, all of your guests must be sailing on the cruise. The bridal couple enjoys VIP treatment during the cruise with a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, dinner for two in a specialty restaurant, mimosas breakfast in bed and more.

Royal Caribbean ships have an abundance of stunning venues for the ceremony and reception of your dreams. You can get hitched 300 feet above the ocean in the 360°-view NorthStar, among the tropical plants and walkways of Central Park on the Oasis Class ships, or in the lovely onboard wedding chapel.

Your Royal Caribbean wedding package includes a three-tier wedding cake, or you can add a full-blown reception with open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and dinner in one of the ship’s lounges. Don’t forget the entertainment – Royal Caribbean has world-class musicians onboard, so you can make it a party to remember with a DJ or band and a professional lighting technician!

The Captain or Staff Captain may officiate Royal Caribbean weddings once the ship is in international waters (12 nautical miles from shore). Since Royal Caribbean ships are registered in the Bahamas, a maritime marriage on board is legally recognized in the Bahamas. You’ll need to verify with your local government that they also recognize the union.

Travel Maestro tip: Couples who have gotten married at sea routinely report that a bonus was spending more time with family and friends than a traditional wedding allows.

Vows at Sea: from $3,850* for up to 50 guests

Intimately Yours Package: from $1,950* for up to 10 guests

Embark on Romance Package

You can invite up to 150 guests – up to 75 may be non-sailing guests – to share your celebration onboard on the day of embarkation. You and guests receive priority check-in and pier-to-ship escort. Choose from many beautiful shipboard venues for the ceremony where a non-denominational officiant presides. Religious ceremonies are not available. After the nuptials, cut a three-tier wedding cake to share with guests or upgrade your reception with additional food and beverage options.

Non-sailing guests disembark before the ship leaves port. During the cruise, the couple enjoys VIP treatment of a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, dinner in a specialty restaurant, mimosas breakfast in bed and more. Embarkation weddings are legally recognized in the port of call.

Embark on Romance package: from $5,650* for up to 50 guests

Destination I Do Package

For the best of both worlds, choose an onboard or seaside ceremony at one of your cruise destinations during a port day. Some of the most popular ports for Royal Caribbean weddings are Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cozumel, Florida, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and St. Thomas. Royal Caribbean visits over 200 ports worldwide, so there are many additional destinations. Destination weddings are licensed and legally recognized in the port of call.

Portside destination wedding packages include transportation for the bridal couple to the wedding venue, along with a couple’s wedding cake and a bottle of sparkling wine served at the wedding location.

Destination I Do package: from $4,650* for up to 50 guests

Royal Caribbean weddings must be booked at least 90 days in advance to allow the necessary time for processing legal documents, although further in advance is advised. For more information or to start planning your Royal Caribbean wedding, contact the romance specialists at Covington Travel.

* Disclosure: Covington Travel is pleased to recognize Royal Caribbean International as a valued partner and sponsor of this blog post.