Our Cruise Wedding Aboard the Carnival Miracle
It’s hard to believe that almost 3 months ago, Frank and I got married on the Carnival Miracle Cruise Ship in the Port of Long Beach! I remember searching high and low for information about cruise weddings on blogs and wedding sites and really didn’t find all that much that was current. I hope that the blog posts I publish on The Mommy-Files about our Cruise Wedding will not only serve as a history for our family, but will also benefit someone who may be looking into the possibility of doing a cruise wedding.
I loved how easy and hassle-free it was to plan our wedding with Carnival Cruises! It was a little different from other weddings in that you had to pay for the wedding and a portion of the honeymoon up front, but I loved that I didn’t have to plan EVERYTHING!!! We chose the TIME TO CELEBRATE…BIG package for our wedding. The package price of $1,975 was for up to 20 people (including the bride and groom) and included the Wedding Ceremony, a 1½ Hour Celebration, Bouquet & Boutonniere, Open Bar, Hot & Cold Canapes, Tiered Wedding Cake, Champagne Toast, Ice Carving (way awesome!!!) and Expert Photography Service. I would say to definitely pay for the Lido Lunch. In our case, our guests didn’t have a chance to eat because we were rushed to our wedding once boarding, but otherwise, they would have been waiting for a few hours for the wedding to start and food while waiting is a great idea. I believe it was only $7.50 per non-sailing person for the Lido Buffet.
You’ll want to book your date as soon as possible because Carnival only has 2 weddings a day (basically per cruise). The first one to book has the choice to have a DJ (I believe we paid $55 for that service) or the Piano Bar. With the DJ, your wedding reception will be in Frankenstein‘s Lounge. It was different, but definitely a memorable place to have our reception! There was a big Frankenstein in the background!
When planning your wedding, keep in mind that you can have up to 50 non-sailing guests (this is with the biggest package), but you’ll need to pay for any guests over the 18 + groom and bride. You won’t need to pay for the guests until they are confirmed closer to the wedding date. While you can only have 50 non-sailing guests, you can have as many sailing guests as you’d like. We only had 6 other guests sailing with us, while another wedding party that day had all 20 of their guests sailing with them. It varies.
On our wedding day, we were told to be there before 10:30, as we would start boarding at 10:30 a.m. and anyone not present may not be able to board the ship for the wedding. Frank and I headed straight for the Captain’s Lounge, which is where we met our Wedding Coordinator and the Wedding Officiant. They walked us through the itinerary of the day and then said we could hang out in the Captain’s Lounge, but since all of our family and friends were outside, we decided not to hang out there. Unfortunately, there was quite a delay and we didn’t board until about 1:30 p.m. Fortunately, there was a food truck nearby and we were able to buy the kids some snacks to hold them over until we got on the ship. Everyone in the wedding party (except for the bride and groom) had to be dressed and ready in their wedding clothes. I would be getting dressed in our cabin.
Once we had clearance to board, we were the first ones on the ship. In fact, the Wedding Coordinator took me to our state room and I basically had 15 minutes to get dressed. They tell you to have your hair and makeup done prior to boarding and I’m glad I did! All I had to do was slip into my dress and touch up my hair and makeup. Well and have my bridesmaids tie up the back of the dress (I didn’t even realize it tied until they were doing it in the state room – ha ha)! I had no idea what our state room would look like, but it was gorgeous! It had a balcony, a couch, a big bed, a big bathroom and had swans and a heart made of towel figures waiting for us. We hung up my wedding dress and snapped a few pictures on the cute hanger I bought on etsy that said “Mrs. Gurnee.” I totally recommend this as a bridesmaid gift or even a gift for the bride to give herself (hee hee)!
The Wedding Photographer who was also in charge of wedding videography met us in our cabin and took a few pictures of the end process of getting ready. He followed us to the Wedding Ceremony site and took more pictures and videos. He was really nice and great to work with! Unfortunately, it was his last cruise to be working on because he wanted to spend more time at home with his girlfriend and family. I’m so glad I had two of my closest friends (Colleen and Tanya) there to help me get ready!
Before it was time to leave the room, my mom and stepmom came in to help with the veil. I had forgotten to ask my hairstylist to put the veil in my hair before we left the hotel. Thankfully, these two amazing women added the finishing touch. I was so glad to have them both in my room before it was time to head to our wedding. They went with me to the ceremony site.
When I got to the doors leading to the Phantom Lounge (where are ceremony was going to be held), my Dad and the Wedding Coordinator were waiting for me. I was both nervous and excited at the same time! Frank hadn’t seen my dress yet, so I really wanted to know he thought I looked beautiful that day…and he sure did! I was amazed at how quickly the whole ceremony went! I wasn’t at all nervous once I was up with Frank and we held hands. I could tell how happy he was to be getting married and how much he truly loved me! I couldn’t wait to start our lives together as husband and wife – Mr. and Mrs. Gurnee!
After we were officially married, it was time to take a few pictures with our wedding party and family. I loved how the pictures turned out!
After pictures, we headed to Frankenstein‘s Lounge for our reception. We entered Frankenstein‘s Lounge to our wedding song – “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri – and proceeded into our First Dance as husband and wife. Following our First Dance, my dad and I had our Father Daughter Dance.
After the traditional dances, it was time for the champagne toast and cutting our cake. Let me tell you – the cake was amazing! The package we paid for included a three-tiered cake and a pretty heart topper. Those who want a personalized cake may get in touch with a bakeshop that specializes in custom wedding cakes.
After we cut the cake and enjoyed our champagne toast, we mingled with some of our guests. The staff had a table set up for us and my Maid of Honor got us some appetizers while my husband‘s Best Man got us some drinks. I wish I would have eaten more, but know that I really enjoyed what I did eat!
After the reception, everyone who was not sailing had to disembark from the ship. The rest of us had to head to our muster stations for safety briefing. Frank and I were still in our wedding attire because we were going to take pictures around the ship afterwards (another blog post to come). Our Wedding Day was amazing and more than I ever imagined it would be and it was a very affordable way to get married! You can find the most recent prices and price list here. I am the luckiest mom and wife in the whole world!
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Beautiful wedding! Congrats!! =)
You guys look great! Beautiful wedding
My SIL also got married on a cruise (I didn’t go), but it really seems like a fun way to get married. Almost as fun as getting married in Vegas, which is what I did 😉
Very cool…. I think a cruise wedding is a great idea – Congrats and all the best!
What a beautiful wedding! It sounds like a great way to combine your wedding and your honeymoon as well! I love your wedding dress. You were a beautiful bride and you look so happy! Congratulations!
It sounds like you had an amazing time. Getting married on a cruise is genius! You’ve got the wedding, the family, and the honeymoon all wrapped up into one!
That is super amazing wedding. I have never seen a wedding with black dresses before I love it. I have always wanted one like that. The price wasn’t bad at all that you quoted either. Congratulations.
What a gorgeous venue – on a cruise no less! Your dress is absolutely breathtaking and the colour of your bridesmaid dresses are gorgeous too!!
Oh my goodness!!!! Congratulations!!! And how incredible was THAT wedding. I love all the photos, you make a beautiful bride!
These are such beautiful pictures. You both look really happy and in love. May you have a lifetime of more wonderful memories like these together. Congrats.
Happy married life. Looks like the entire day went well.
Congrats! It looks like a fairytale wedding. You definitely did something different but it’s a beautiful setup.
You were such a beautiful bride! I had no idea a cruise ship had options for weddings how amazing is this!
Aw, gorgeous wedding! I didn’t get married on a cruise, but I did have my belated honeymoon on one last spring. 🙂
Omg a cruise wedding would be awesome!! I’m all about destination kinda weddings! My own wedding was a planned Vegas wedding with my family and besties!
This is the first time that I’ve seen a wedding on a cruise. What a unique and fabulous wedding. And I love your cake. Cheers to the newlyweds! 🙂
What a great way to celebrate a wedding. I should have done this instead of what we did!
A cruise wedding is such a fun idea! It looks like a great time was had by all! Congratulations! 🙂
You really couldn’t have had a more lovely wedding venue. It’s all so incredibly gorgeous, Shannon!
What a beautiful wedding. I have never met someone who got their wedding on a cruise. Beautiful
Congratulations on your marriage! I’ve had a few friends choose cruise weddings and they’ve always had a great experience. Looks like you had a wonderful time. Love the pictures.
Congrats! Your wedding was absolutely beautiful! Love the idea of getting married on a cruise!
Looks like you guys had a blast, I’m so happy for you. Congratulations!
Time flies! Seems like we were just counting down to your wedding! Everything is so gorgeous. You, my dear, are radiant! 🙂
Wow!!! such a beautiful wedding, and such a stunning bride, all the pictures were great!!! What a great place to have a wedding so beautiful.
Hi,
I loved reading your post & Congratulations on the Wedding! I am also getting married on a Carnival Cruise Ship ( Jan 2016 ) and i would love to pick your brain with some questions about the wedding and photography if you have some time available. alexisjew@gmail.com
Thanks So much!!!!
Alexis
Thank you so very much for writing this review! I was torn between two ships for my wedding day, but your story and pics confirmed it for me! CONGRATULATIONS!
Beautiful! I’m considering a Carnival wedding. I “googled” and found your blog and also another blog that complained about the price of the wedding pictures that were purchased from the Carnival photographer. Did you feel any pressure to purchase the pictures? And not to be so intrusive, but, if you were to estimate, about how much would you say you spent overall on your cruise wedding?
I am getting married on Sept 9th with Carnival and the price of the photographer ranges from $500 TO $3000 for the packages. I am going with the $900 package so I then get the digital images. You can get hit with the flowers though, I am paying $900 for all the upgrades. It is still a cheaper route to go depending on how many people you invite. The overall price for my wedding for 57 people with upgrades, etc. is $5800 and that does not include my cabin. Once you book with Carnival, they will send you a lot more of the information on upgrades and how it all works. I love the blog!
Thank you soooooo much for writing this blog! I’m also a carnival bride getting married May 11th, 2017. (yay) and it’s so hard to find information and resources about cruise wedding. So again thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and all the information. I’m even more excited now thanks to you!
Thank you for this blog. You are a life savior. I was very unsure where to start. Thank You Thank You 🙂
My daughter is getting married on a carnival cruise leaving out of Jacksonville fl. I’ve been trying to find a salon that opens early enough but no such luck yet. Where did you get your hair done?
Oh my god! Thank you! My fiancé (as of 2 days ago, still can’t believe it)are huge cruisers! And I really don’t want a stuffy boring wedding! Thank you for at giving me some great info.
[…] shared it on my blog and it’s actually seen some really good traffic! You can check it out HERE if you’d like to read about it and see pictures from our Cruise […]
This has to be the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen. It was so romantic and you two make such a perfect couple!
Hello Shannon I really enjoyed reading your story, congratulation on your beautiful wedding! The pictures are amazing! Thanks for sharing!
[…] Update: Check out our post on the wedding with lots of pics here: Our Cruise Wedding Aboard The Carnival Miracle […]