Is it worth it - just doing the math

[macgirl]

I'm still trying to decide if it's worth the $$ to get married on the cruise (RCCL). There are only 4 of us in attendance, and in CAD$ it's gonna cost about $1650 before we even get into buying photos, and that doesn't even include any food. Everyone I've talked to said it seems like a lot of money for what you get (Key West - $1345 USD including $200 marriage license).

 

I worked it out, and we could do a church or garden ceremony, dinner at a 5+ star restaurant, with flowers and a professional photography package including about 12 8x10 photos with a beautiful leather album all for about $1000 CAD, and then have more spending money for the cruise afterwards.

 

How did you guys justify the cost? I guess it's different when you don't have the exchange rate. And I guess if I was having more people, but $1600 for us and 2 friends with no pictures and no food seems like a lot of money.

 

What exactly are you getting for that - the 15-20 minute ceremony, a cake, a bottle of champage, a bridal bouquet and one 8x10 photo? If you do the math, that just doesn't add up to anything close to $1145. I know there is the photography time and the wedding consultant, but still - at the end of the day what are you seeing for that?

 

Just wondering - what do you guys think?

[dcdiva]

It can seem like quite a bit of money, but you do get something for it. In addition to the flowers for the bride and groom, there will also be some decoroative flowers for the ceremony. And the cost of the officiant is included in the figure as well. (In my hometown, that could run $500-600 alone.) And, of course, having some else handle the details is also a big part of it.

 

But I do see your point about the cost for such a small ceremony. I suppose in the end you are paying for the luxury of being married in a "special" location. But only you can decide how important it is where you exchange your vows, and what price that is is worth it to you personally.

 

For us, it was an easy choice. But our situation was very different than yours. We had a large group sailing with us, so the extras were easier to justify.

[macgirl]

Hi dcdiva - you've been a wealth of information for me by the way, and thank you so much for that. Any chance I can email you off the boards? I can't give out my work email (days), but my at home email is mimurphy@rogers.com. I check that email nights and weekends. If you are free to post your email address here, I could email you from work.

 

What about photos? It seems near impossible to get pricing on that up front - but I have a feeling it's megabucks - do you know the pricing for packages? We certainly aren't looking for much, maybe 6 or 7 8x10's. I'd love a bigger one to frame and put on the wall, but I have a feeling we'd have to take out a second mortgage for that. :cool:

 

Thanks again for replying to all my posts, and I'd love to speak with you off the boards if possible. :)

[dcdiva]

macgirl -

 

Photography was booked through a company called Image Services -- which provides alot of the ship's photography services for several cruise lines. They offer several packages at various levels. To be honest, I found it incredibly reasonable. My original package was $500 (pearl package). But after the wedding I decided I wanted some additional prints. With all the extras, my photo package cost a grand total of $700 -- for nearly 200 prints, all the negatives, a CD with all photos plus more than a dozen enlargements. They also threw in an album and a couple of nice silver frames. A similar package for a land wedding in my area would in the $3,000 range. So I was delighted. And I also loved the photographs.

 

Here's the detail they gave me when I booked my package last fall. There have probably been some adjustments, so you should call them.

 

And feel free to email me at dcstaunton@yahoo.com with specific questions.

 

Image Photo Services

305-476-3666

305-476-3663 Fax

 

WEDDING PACKAGES

 

WEDDING PACKAGE – DIAMOND $799.95

 

Choice of 72 wedding photographs printed in a 5x7 format.

 

Two special wedding albums.

 

All wedding negatives.

 

Six 8x10 enlargements of your choice.

 

Silver-plated 8x10 frame.

 

Customized 8x10 leatherette portfolio – holds an 8x10 photograph of the ship and an 8x10 photograph.

 

Customized 5x7 leatherette portfolio – holds a 5x7 photograph of the ship and a 5x7 photograph.

 

Royal Caribbean Photo Album – contains 20 pages & can hold up to an 8x10 photograph.

 

Fifty wedding announcements.

 

 

OPTIONS (available on certain ships)

 

Memories on CD: $49.95

 

 

 

WEDDING PACKAGE – RUBY $649.95

 

Choice of 36 wedding photographs printed in a 5x7 format.

 

Special wedding album.

 

All wedding negatives.

 

Five 8x10 enlargements of your choice.

 

Silver-plated 8x10 frame.

 

Customized 8x10 leatherette portfolio – holds an 8x10 photograph of the ship and an 8x10 photograph.

 

Customized 5x7 leatherette portfolio – holds a 5x7 photograph of the ship and a 5x7 photograph.

 

 

OPTIONS (available on certain ships)

 

 

• Memories on CD: $49.95
  
• Wedding Announcements: $24.95
  

WEDDING PACKAGE – PEARL $499.95

 

Choice of 36 wedding photographs printed in a 5x7 format.

 

Special wedding album.

 

All wedding negatives.

 

An 8x10 enlargement of your choice.

 

 

OPTIONS (available on certain ships)

 

 

• Memories on CD: $49.95
  
• Wedding Announcements: $24.95
  

 

 

 

WEDDING PACKAGE – PLATINUM $999.95

 

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