Vacation Resorts: Artisans and Travel in Mexico

Weddings Onboard Cruise Ships

Last year, P&O Cruises ensured that the enduringly romantic notion of being married at sea became a reality, as they fully introduced their weddings at sea program. P&O Cruises have now reported that the first year saw busy captains perform no less than 184 ceremonies, and have confirmed a 40% rise in the programs second year. It seems then, that the romance of the sea is still working its magic.

So what is it that is pulling people away from the church and onto a cruise ship? A major factor is the price. Interestingly, a report carried out by the Carnival UK Group has shown that about 3 quarters of all couples using P&O Cruise?s wedding service will have been married at least once before, therefore, they are fully aware of the tremendous costs of a traditional wedding which can average anywhere between a huge ?15,000 and a staggering ?25,000.

A basic ceremony onboard a P&O cruise ship starts from ?948, once optional extras have been added on, such as a photographer, the average cost is coming in at a modest ?5000 ? this including the honeymoon cruise. When you compare this to the traditional wedding, you?re looking at paying under a third of the cost, excluding the honeymoon.

Cost is a particular issue because although couples who are marrying again tend to be older and therefore may be better off than they were the first time around, they are also likely to be stumping up the entire cost themselves. Infact, wedding planners at P&O Cruises have disclosed that the payment almost always comes from the couples themselves, and there is no evidence that the fathers bride is coughing up the funds for a second time, this is also true of the one in four couples for whom the wedding is the first time.

A further interesting find was that there has been a distinct shift northwards in those couples choosing to marry onboard. Southampton, P&O Cruises? home port, has always been a winner for those in the South for the convenience, but statistics have shown that in comparison to 2006 where 44% of all P&O Cruise?s wedding couples came from Southern England, and just 30% from Northern England, 2007 saw a complete turnaround with 59% coming from the North and just 30% from the south. Couples marrying onboard tend to be younger than the typical passenger, with an average groom age of 45, and brides averaging 41. The youngest couple of all those tying the knot in 2007 was just 21, with the oldest being a groom of 87 marrying his bride who was 74 years old, who said romance was dead..?!

Aside from the lower cost, the incorporated honeymoon and the magic of tying the knot at sea, there is a final, rarely admitted plus point which makes running away to sea a very tempting option for many couples. Weddings held in the UK often have huge guest lists filled with people you feel you should invite, but don?t necessarily want to invite! We?ve all got a relative or ?friend? out there who could potentially put a downer on your day, whether it?s the dress, the flowers or even your future husband they have taken a dislike to, a wedding at sea can save you all this bother.

In 2006, the average guest party size was 6, with a rise to 8 in 2007. This increase may be due to booking discounts offered to groups of 10 or more. Out of all the couples marrying onboard, nearly half of them choose to invite no one at all, and the largest guest list was seen in 2007, where the ceremony was performed infront of a record 67 friends and relatives.

Unless the lucky couple are extremely generous and decide to pay for their guests, the etiquette for inviting friends and family to a wedding at sea is for the couple to send invites to their proposed guests, with information included on how they can book and pay for the cruise, if they decide to join the couple onboard.

Genna Roberts is web editor at Inside Cruise - an online cruise community with all the latest cruise news, features and reviews.

Come join us! www.insidecruise.co.uk

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