A stress-free wedding…yes, that’s right, a stress free wedding. This statement may seem to be an absurd oxymoron, but I witnessed such a phenomenon two weeks ago as my younger sister exchanged wedding vows with her fiancé in front of both friends and family.
How did they manage to pull it off sans the insanity that seems inevitably linked to modern day nuptials? By booking her wedding aboard a cruise ship, that’s how. The bride, groom, and twenty-five of their closest friends and family boarded the Carnival Legend and then proceeded to hold a very quaint and intimate wedding in the ship’s chapel, followed by a plentiful buffet-style wedding reception (which even included an open bar). Following the festivities, the guests disembarked just in time to wave goodbye to the newlyweds, who sailed off on a seven day honeymoon cruise to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya.
To most people, the concept of planning a wedding conjures up a myriad of organizational nightmares: finding the perfect location, choosing the right photographer, planning the menu, ordering the cake, picking the flower arrangements, and booking the ideal honeymoon. Even worse, once all of these components have been determined after an undoubtedly thorough evaluation process, the logistics of getting the pieces to fit and flow together smoothly and seamlessly seem impossible.
However, a cruise ship wedding eliminates virtually all of the legwork of the traditional wedding, making it a very appealing option to anyone wanting a personal, inclusive wedding without all of the pain and suffering that comes with the planning. Working with the cruise line wedding specialist, my sister was able to choose her flowers, menu offerings, music, vows, cake, and wedding decorations in one or two phone calls. Even the photographer was taken care of by the cruise line! All that was left to find was the dress and the rings, and the only worries on the morning of the wedding was making sure that everyone was there on time to board the ship. One other great feature of the cruise wedding was the fact that before the ceremony, my sister was actually able to get dressed and ready in her own stateroom, since she checked in for the honeymoon when boarding the ship that morning. Being able to stretch out on the bed or take a deep breath of ocean air out on the room’s balcony before heading off to the chapel can help reduce even any last minute stress.
After seeing how even the smallest nuptial details were easily arranged, I learned something very valuable from my sister’s big day – a cruise wedding is the perfect solution for those who dream of their wedding day, but dread the wedding planning. Yes, weddings can truly be stress-free!
