Have Your Wedding on a Cruise Ship!

There are so many different kinds of weddings to choose from, whether it's a beautiful church wedding, or one held in the back of a large house, or even a wedding at some distant place. Of the three, the latter sorts of weddings are growing in popularity, as couples try to do things a little differently and hold their wedding in exotic vistas. If you're looking to do something a little different with your wedding, give a thought to combining your wedding with a cruise and enjoy your special day in a tropical locale. But in order to make such a wedding work, you'll need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks.

The Good

The best part of a wedding cruise is that you're virtually guaranteed a wedding ceremony. Many cruise ships have chapels that a couple can be married in, and even offer wedding cruise packages for people interested in having their ceremony on the ship. Alternately, you can plan on stopping at the right port-of-call for a wedding on the beach. Either way, the wedding is going to be something memorable. Just as with ships, there are resorts in several Caribbean areas that will help you to plan your wedding to be perfect. If done right, you can combine your wedding and honeymoon, tying the knot underneath some palm trees before enjoying a wonderful, tropical vacation.

The Bad

Of course, not everything is perfect with a wedding cruise. While the wedding itself may be great, it can be difficult to plan the logistics for such a trip. To begin with, unless you or your close friends and family are rich, don't expect there to be a large ceremony. Wedding cruises are expensive, and it's a lot to ask of someone to pay the cost of a cruise to be a guest at your ceremony. Your best bet is to make your wedding as small as possible and to pay the way of the people you simply can't do without having there.

And even if you pay their way, you need to make sure everyone has a passport so they can travel out of the country, can get the time off work for a vacation, and can bring kids along or hire a babysitter. Remember, with a wedding cruise, your best bet is a small ceremony and a reception held sometime after you're home to ensure you have a celebration with everyone who wasn't able to make it. But if you're willing to do the planning and some of the paying, a wedding cruise is a wonderful idea that will create a memorable experience.