Want to get married aboard a cruise?

Royal Ocean Events can help co-ordinate your big day in a big way

Did you know you can tie the knot on a cruise - and that there is an interesting Canadian connection to it all?

Located just south of Vancouver in Delta, B.C., Royal Ocean Events has been co-ordinating and managing wedding services for five major cruise lines for more than 20 years now. With clients that include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Princess and Holland America Line, prospective newlyweds can get married aboard some of the greatest cruise ships in the world, in some of the most exotic destinations.

How does it work? Royal Ocean Events provides clients with a wedding co-ordinator that assists with planning every step of the way. Guests can build upon a basic package to customize the day as they see fit, and best of all, weddings can take place while the ship is docked in port, or ashore in an exotic locale, like the cruise line's private island in the Caribbean.

Getting married on a cruise is actually one of the more economical ways to celebrate with family and friends while still having that magical day that most of us envision when we think of tying the knot. I should know: I'm planning on getting married this summer aboard a cruise to Alaska. And despite what you might think, it actually wasn't my first choice. But after seeing how much the local restaurant my fiancee and I love to frequent was going to charge us (the equivalent of a mortgage deposit on a small home), we started looking into other options. And that led us to Royal Ocean Events.

What I found was that getting married on a ship eliminated a huge amount of extra hassle for us. There's no need to seek out a food and beverage team; the ship does everything for you, in conjunction with your wedding co-ordinator. A photographer is provided. A selection of add-on reception options, from wines to champagnes to canapes, can be customized to suit every budget.

Even better, from my point of view, is the ability to invite friends and family to come along with you and experience a cruise together, as a group. But it's not essential; if you choose to tie the knot in the port of embarkation, you can have non-sailing guests come onboard for the day to be a part of the ceremony and reception, so long as they disembark before the vessel sails. We have a nice split: about half of our guests are sailing with us, while the other half are attending our wedding and lunch reception in the ship's specialty restaurant.

Another plus about getting married on a ship: if the weather is inclement, our wedding co-ordinator has already planned a backup venue in one of the ship's public spaces. There is no need to secure alternate venues here.

If this all sounds interesting, there are a few things worth knowing. The couple getting married has to actually book the cruise they want to take before Royal Ocean Events can take charge and book the wedding, so make sure you put a deposit down on the voyage of your choice well in advance. The company also needs at least 60 days of advance notice, so it's a good idea to plan ahead.

From my perspective, having a wedding on a cruise ship has freed us up to spend more time concentrating on the other details than worrying about venues and caterers and such. If the hardest part about planning your wedding is trying to figure out which tables to place your guests at, you're on the right track.

Happy cruising.

Visit Portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-410-4744, www.cruise.center, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at [email protected]

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