2015 Brides!

[SCWS&Dolphins]

How did your wedding experience go? I getting married November 23, 2015 and I'm having a horrible time with the wedding experience

[SCWS&Dolphins]

Getting married November 23, 2015 on a Caribbean cruise- Equinox and I'm having a hard time with The Wedding Experience. My fiancé and I were both in the Navy soinitially we were going to have an at sea (married by the Skipper) however thanks to Apostilles from Montana getting lost in the mail, we did not make the deadline for submitting all the license documents. Thank goodness we were able to swap our deposit to a shoreside wedding in St. Thomas. However, we were out $400 in fees from all the certified paperwork needed to get married under the Maltese flag. DO NOT GO THIS ROUTE! The fee is $750 when a license in Malta is roughly $120. Now that we've swapped over to a shoreside wedding and the wedding is under 2 weeks away, we still don't have a timeline. I get emails from the Wedding Experience telling me of additional fees "oh, I forgot to mention that the Minister requires a $75 waiting fee) but no time line. I told them exactly what I wanted- go to courthouse get license, go back to ship and get ready, then travel in separate vehicles (me and BM and my Fiancé and his BM) to the ceremony location so there's some element of surprise but my planner can't seem to make that work or give me a timeline. We also asked if we could go to a more private location (as offered in their wedding brochure) and we were told we'd have to call the locations directly and schedule the ceremony and pay their fees. Sure I understand there was going to be an additional fee but for us to call and coordinate directly - isn't that what we are paying the Wedding Exoerience to do? My "experience" with them has not been good. They overcharge for EVERYTHING! On a side note, if you compare the NauticAl nuptials to the Renewal of vows by the Captain, the renewal is much cheaper and you get more!!! One example - get a signed photo with the Captian in addition to the 1 hour photographer. You don't get this with the NauticAl nuptials. Is anyone else having the same issues? I'm not the first to complain about the WE and I really wish Celebrity would not use them anymore!

[MsFox]

It's getting closer to my day and I feel a bit on edge about if the day will go smoothly once on board. It seems like many brides have small snags (which we're pretty cool with), but I am hoping nothing goes majorly bananas.

 

I'm wondering at what point the wedding coordinator will contact me. I'm worried about decorations. I'm worried about tons of things I know other people, loved ones and staff, will take care of for us.

 

Tick Tock, It's coming up Monday! Excited!

[Miss Kellybean]

Oh weird! Our officiant told us she needed to put it in the mail because in Florida once she signs it has to be received within 10 days or else it's voided!

 

That is true. I am a notary in Florida and it is part of our duties as the officiant to make sure the paperwork gets to the Clerk of Courts. When I officiate, I typically drop it off personally because it is just too important.

[CruiseBride926]

I ended up calling her and she said she sends it out and what we got was just a copy.

 

 

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[FutureMrsDiaz]

I must say that my day was absolutely perfect!! Besides the prices of the pictures ( which we knew them before hand but tried "negotiating" like some of these boards say and they weren't budging. ) I loved every picture. The coordinator (Carol) was awesome.. The officiant (Mary) was the best!! I mean everyone from bar staff to the DJ there are no complaints!! The hour and half does go by super fast though.

I only have a few pics saved on my phone to give you a little look

I had some extra petals I asked them to put along the isle runner. They also added a heart near the top.

 

The cake table set up

 

The guest book/ gift set up

 

Me and my girls.. Just to give a look at my beautiful but very HEAVY dress lol

 

My all time fav pic that actually took a lot of work!! We are Standing on lounge chairs with heavy wind gusts lol but we pulled it off

 

All in all I was a completely happy bride and danced my butt off most of the time!!

 

[Jd2005]

I must say that my day was absolutely perfect!! Besides the prices of the pictures ( which we knew them before hand but tried "negotiating" like some of these boards say and they weren't budging. ) I loved every picture. The coordinator (Carol) was awesome.. The officiant (Mary) was the best!! I mean everyone from bar staff to the DJ there are no complaints!! The hour and half does go by super fast though.

I only have a few pics saved on my phone to give you a little look

I had some extra petals I asked them to put along the isle runner. They also added a heart near the top.

[ATTACH]368543[/ATTACH]

 

The cake table set up

[ATTACH]368544[/ATTACH]

 

The guest book/ gift set up

[ATTACH]368545[/ATTACH]

 

Me and my girls.. Just to give a look at my beautiful but very HEAVY dress lol

[ATTACH]368546[/ATTACH]

 

My all time fav pic that actually took a lot of work!! We are Standing on lounge chairs with heavy wind gusts lol but we pulled it off

[ATTACH]368547[/ATTACH]

 

All in all I was a completely happy bride and danced my butt off most of the time!!

 

[ATTACH]368548[/ATTACH]

 

 

Awesome! The pics look great! Thank you for sharing. I love the idea of the flower petals, I'll have to steal that from you. Anything you would have done differently? Were you happy with the locations of your ceremony and reception? I'm a little afraid if the picture prices, I'm sure I will want them all too. Did the pictures the photographer take inside come out any lighter? I'm concerned at how dark most of the pics I've seen came out. Sorry for all the questions, I'm just so excited to have found someone that got married on the sunshine. Congrats, you made a beautiful bride Mrs Diaz!

 

 

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[FutureMrsDiaz]

Awesome! The pics look great! Thank you for sharing. I love the idea of the flower petals, I'll have to steal that from you. Anything you would have done differently? Were you happy with the locations of your ceremony and reception? I'm a little afraid if the picture prices, I'm sure I will want them all too. Did the pictures the photographer take inside come out any lighter? I'm concerned at how dark most of the pics I've seen came out. Sorry for all the questions, I'm just so excited to have found someone that got married on the sunshine. Congrats, you made a beautiful bride Mrs Diaz!

 

 

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Any questions I'll be glad to answer. I couldn't find anyone who was married on the sunshine to ask questions. Lol. I was very happy with the location. I wanted them both in the liquid lounge. I did two tours and was very unhappy with the set up of the lime light lounge it was just too small as was the piano bar. And since I had one of the bigger packages (and the only wedding) I was able to have both in the same location.

 

The pictures aren't the best quality on here but they turned out much better in person. The pic of me and my dad dancing and of the guest book were taken on cell phones so you can kind of tell the difference in quality and lighting. The photographer also took us into the piano bar to take pics and they turned out beautifully as well and he brought a light with us for those pics.

 

I really wouldn't do anything different except really plan for a good budget for pics. We were really hoping to talk a deal with them. He eventually worked with us a little but I still left a little disappointed in what I got for what I spent.

 

Advice I have.. If you haven't been on the ship before that you plan to marry on take the tour!! It helps so much with the planning.

Edited November 14, 2015 by FutureMrsDiaz

[Jd2005]

Any questions I'll be glad to answer. I couldn't find anyone who was married on the sunshine to ask questions. Lol. I was very happy with the location. I wanted them both in the liquid lounge. I did two tours and was very unhappy with the set up of the lime light lounge it was just too small as was the piano bar. And since I had one of the bigger packages (and the only wedding) I was able to have both in the same location.

 

The pictures aren't the best quality on here but they turned out much better in person. The pic of me and my dad dancing and of the guest book were taken on cell phones so you can kind of tell the difference in quality and lighting. The photographer also took us into the piano bar to take pics and they turned out beautifully as well and he brought a light with us for those pics.

 

I really wouldn't do anything different except really plan for a good budget for pics. We were really hoping to talk a deal with them. He eventually worked with us a little but I still left a little disappointed in what I got for what I spent.

 

Advice I have.. If you haven't been on the ship before that you plan to marry on take the tour!! It helps so much with the planning.

 

 

Thanks so much. I'm sure I'll have a million questions. My party will be around 30 people. You think the piano bar is too small? I am also the only wedding so I have options. Also glad I did the 2 hour package. I would love to see more of your pics! How much are you thinking my picture budget should be? I was hoping to keep it around 500, is that unrealistic?

 

 

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[CruiseBride926]

Thanks so much. I'm sure I'll have a million questions. My party will be around 30 people. You think the piano bar is too small? I am also the only wedding so I have options. Also glad I did the 2 hour package. I would love to see more of your pics! How much are you thinking my picture budget should be? I was hoping to keep it around 500, is that unrealistic?

 

 

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500 is the price for the smallest package. We didn't go in with a set budget but ended up with that one because we were able to get all the pictures we liked and at least one in every setting.

 

 

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[Jd2005]

Thanks again for sharing your pics and experience. I hope you post more [emoji3]

 

 

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[FutureMrsDiaz]

Thanks again for sharing your pics and experience. I hope you post more [emoji3]

 

 

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Honestly for us $500 wasn't close to enough. I just felt like out of the 150+ pics he took if I tried narrowing it down to 30 pics or less that I would be missing out or regret not getting something. I didn't really care about the other things like the canvas or the picture book that they say is worth ($1400!!) which is so crazy to me but between pics of me and my kids. Me and my dad. Lots of great pics of my husband(who NEVER takes pics) I just couldn't narrow it down to just a few.

[Jd2005]

Honestly for us $500 wasn't close to enough. I just felt like out of the 150+ pics he took if I tried narrowing it down to 30 pics or less that I would be missing out or regret not getting something. I didn't really care about the other things like the canvas or the picture book that they say is worth ($1400!!) which is so crazy to me but between pics of me and my kids. Me and my dad. Lots of great pics of my husband(who NEVER takes pics) I just couldn't narrow it down to just a few.

 

 

Yea. That's crazy! I'm sure there's a way to get you a canvas or picture book for much less. My best friend is bringing her professional camera that she dabbles with. I'm hoping that will cut down on the pics we buy.

Did you do your own hair and makeup or have someone on the ship do it?

 

 

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[ccruise87]

Do any Jewish brides know if there is an option for a chuppah at the ceremony? Thanks!

[CruiseBride926]

Do any Jewish brides know if there is an option for a chuppah at the ceremony? Thanks!

 

 

I'm not sure about that but I would definitely call or email and ask. We got married on a carnival ship and I know when we got our papers from a wedding for you (the company they work with) they had an option for the glass breaking so I don't think it would be out of the realm of possibility as they're clearly taking people's religious beliefs into account.

 

 

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[ccruise87]

Okay thank you! I will email Carnival and see what they say!

[makeese]

We were originally thinking about an island (We would love the beautiful beach setting) but between getting the marriage license internationally and for how many people are coming on ship it would be a hassle and costly. We are getting married on embarkation day then we get to enjoy the rest of the cruise as our honeymoon! :)

 

How was your embarkment day wedding? Me and my Fiance have been considering this option but it seems as though it could be either a really good experience or a really bad experience.. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

[CleBell]

Good Morning!

 

I'm considering Dec 2016 on Carnival Sensation or January 2017 on Carnival Vista. My preference is Vista but we shall see. I'm wondering for everyone who sailed out of Miami and held a welcome dinner, where did you hold it? And if you want to share, please share the costs. I'm debating whether to include it and if so, would need to budget.

 

Thanks in advance!

[CruiseBride926]

How was your embarkment day wedding? Me and my Fiance have been considering this option but it seems as though it could be either a really good experience or a really bad experience.. Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

 

 

We did an embarkation day wedding and it was great. It worked for us because nobody wanted to sail. What's funny is after my parents an grandparents who didn't want to sail saw the boat they ended up booking a cruise.

 

We did the time to celebrate package and didn't feel rushed at all. We had a great time and then went and took pictures before the muster drill. I liked it because I feel like we got to enjoy our cruise in its entirety rather than feel like we are losing a day because of getting ready and taking pictures.

 

 

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[makeese]

We did an embarkation day wedding and it was great. It worked for us because nobody wanted to sail. What's funny is after my parents an grandparents who didn't want to sail saw the boat they ended up booking a cruise.

 

We did the time to celebrate package and didn't feel rushed at all. We had a great time and then went and took pictures before the muster drill. I liked it because I feel like we got to enjoy our cruise in its entirety rather than feel like we are losing a day because of getting ready and taking pictures.

 

 

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Was the salon open day of embarkment or did you have the stylist and make up artist go to your hotel? Once you got onboard, what did the rest of your guests do until the ceremony? Did the cruise give you options or allow guests who were sailing to go to there rooms?

[leruskin]

Just got back from doing my own wedding via Carnival Valor in St. Thomas. I used Pam Larsen with Affairs to Remember, got married at Island Beachcomber and used Savanah Loftus as photography. I set it all up myself because Carnival wouldn't let me choose everything I wanted. The courthouse stop was literally 15 minutes. I however did have 70 friends with me and they decorated my ceremony site. But for an extra fee Pam can do all this for you. She was wonderful and professional. Just wanted to give out some feedback. Feel free to email me if you have an questions leruskin at yahoo.com

[CruiseBride926]

Was the salon open day of embarkment or did you have the stylist and make up artist go to your hotel? Once you got onboard, what did the rest of your guests do until the ceremony? Did the cruise give you options or allow guests who were sailing to go to there rooms?

 

 

The salon wasn't open but I'm a makeup artist so I did my own and then I winged it on the hair. Guests were allowed to walk around or grab something to eat. They were also able to wait in the chapel if they wanted. We didn't have any sailing guests so I can't speak to the other rooms from experience however I've read reviews about people requesting other rooms ready and they were.

 

 

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[cruiseonthebrain]

Ladies- I hope all of your days were perfect and wish you the best in the New Year!!!

[Carnival_Brides]

Was the salon open day of embarkment or did you have the stylist and make up artist go to your hotel? Once you got onboard, what did the rest of your guests do until the ceremony? Did the cruise give you options or allow guests who were sailing to go to there rooms?

 

Carnival's spa isn't open the ship during embarkation. They expect that hair and make-up is done before you arrive at the port because there isn't much time.

 

The Weddings Dept. will have at least two cabins available, so that the Bride and Groom can get ready. If you have sailing guests and they are FTTF or Platinum/Diamond than their cabins should also be ready soon after boarding. When we toured the Pride, the wedding guests for that day's wedding just looked around the ship and had lunch. Many of them were sailing because the embarkation bride's sister was getting married later in the cruise on a port day.

[heather9844]

Any advice for a future Royal Caribbean bride? We had our hearts set on Carnival Breeze only to find out that it was booked solid for the 2016 summer, so all my Carnival wedding research is now kind of useless. So now we're booking RC Liberty of the Seas for July 24, 2016. Any advice from the 2015 RC brides? It seems a lot more expensive than Carnival, but I'm also a lot more excited about what the Liberty of the Seas offers and so are some of my guests. I hear RC is more difficult to communicate with on planning. But they do real flowers at the wedding, which is nice. Just looking for any tips or advice! Thanks :)