Nautical nuptials: tying the knot onboard is easier than ever - wedding services offered by Royal Caribbean International - Brief Article

Cruise Travel, March-April, 2002 by Erica Levy Klein

To be honest, our adventure began with dramatically differing points of view, not uncommon for a couple about to be married. My one true love, John Crotty, had always wanted a wedding day that was simple, understated, and full of meaning. And although John was raised an Irish Catholic, he envisioned a modest civil ceremony at City Hall. While I, true to form, wanted something a little more high maintenance, elegant, and practically overflowing with romance. Plus, as a Reform Jew, I wanted both a rabbi and priest to officiate so that the marriage would be truly "kosher" in the eyes of God.

Which means the fact that Royal Caribbean International made both of our wedding fantasies come true aboard the Voyager of the Seas--and did it at significant savings over a traditional land-based wedding--was nothing short of a miracle.

In hindsight, virtually the only fantasy RCI wasn't able to honor was a marriage performed by the captain on the high seas. Weddings aboard the Voyager--as well as on her sister ships, Explorer of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas--take place in an intimate onboard wedding chapel before the cruise departs, as long as the guest list stays under 45. (Currently, only Princess Cruises' Grand Princess class vessels offer legal weddings performed at sea.) On the Voyager of the Seas, however, ceremonies are performed by either an officiant from the embarkation port state, generally a notary public, or a religious officiant arranged by the guest.

In our case, John decided he was enough of a "lapsed" Catholic to feel comfortable being married by a rabbi, so Royal Romance, the official wedding coordinators for RCI, recommended Rabbi Larry Winer from Congregation Amchah of Ft. Lauderdale. Together with Becky, his wife, Rabbi Winer drove to the Port of Miami to perform the nuptials, and the longtime couple's warmth and caring enveloped us throughout our 20-minute ceremony, personalized by the rabbi to include beautiful prayers honoring our late parents. Supporting us all the way, Becky not only held up one of the poles of the chuppa, the Jewish wedding canopy she and her husband had brought along, but also served as a witness for the signing of our ketubah, the traditional marriage contract.

One of the unexpected bonuses of deciding on a cruiseship ceremony is that it's a virtually hassle-free wedding where every detail has been carefully planned by professional coordinators so that the bride, groom, and guests can relax and share the experience, rather than worrying about any last-minute loose ends.

Beginning several months in advance of your wedding date, Royal Romance mails out a thick information packet that lets you choose everything from flowers and musical selection for the bride's entrance and couple's recessional, to the types of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres you prefer if requesting a full reception.

Most Voyager weddings under 45 guests can be held in the Skylight Chapel, a peaceful, cream-colored space highlighted by an oversized stained-glass window in various shades of blue. A nice high-tech touch is a special switch on the wall that permits different colored-lighting effects to be used before or during the ceremony to enhance the bride's choice of colors.

Keeping John's desire for simplicity in mind, and the fact we had only five guests, we opted for just the already-included bottle of personalized champagne and a delicious heart-shaped wedding cake embellished with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting as our "reception." But a more elaborate, formal reception could also have been arranged. Although a commemorative photo and silver-toned frame are included in the cost of even the lowest priced wedding package ($895), John and I splurged on lots of photos as well as videography ($345-$695 depending on whether or not you want extensive coverage of the ship in addition to your wedding day).

In retrospect, I would have done three things differently to enhance the overall experience: requested one of the two early salon appointments available per sailing day so I didn't have to create a hairstyle on my own; purchased a package that featured a limousine transfer rather than arriving and departing by taxi (it was felt too much like Cinderella arriving at the ball by pumpkin); and tried to steer clear of the first of the three-per-sailing ceremony slots, something that may be unavoidable depending on your reception size and salon appointments. In the scant 45 minutes between the time we were able to priority-board with our helpful wedding coordinator Marianne in tow, to the time we actually were walking down the aisle, we had to deal with everything from a rented tux that was too loose around the waist to unexpected plates of hors d'oeuvres and chocolate-covered strawberries delivered courtesy of our cabin attendant, to introductory phone calls from both the photographer and videographer asking for more input, to all of our wedding guests knocking on our door all at once.

The sum effect was a combination of high-stress bedlam and no small amount of hilarity. But at last, laughing and happy, we were looking into each other's eyes and saying "I do." Just about everything about our onboard wedding went so smoothly we could have also been referring to our new favorite ship--the Voyager of the Seas.