Emerald Princess
Wedding At Sea
September 2010
by Pat Fernandez
This will not be the average cruise review, where someone describes food, stateroom, embarkation procedures, ports of call, and the typical how good or bad each moment was.
This is my daughter’s wedding at sea and it will help many people who want to be married, couples who want to renew their commitment, and many can now afford the experience late in their lives.
The cruise prior to ours had four weddings, on our cruise the Captain performed four, the following cruise had seven to celebrate.
Last month my family, friends and I experienced my daughter’s wedding at sea on board the Emerald Princess. This was absolutely a wonderful experience in every respect.
It all started months earlier when my youngest said she and her fiancé had decided on a date and a location.
Since I have cruised several times, they wanted my input. I became the family amateur wedding coordinator.
These days several cruise lines are NOT offering weddings at sea anymore. They will make suggestions and facilitate your wedding at ports and/or destinations where you can be married, but not on their ship by their Captain.
Princess has three ships that feature chapels; their Captain’s ceremonies are legal and they are experts willing to participate.
Our first step was to contact the cruise line wedding coordinators in Florida. That was the moment when our easiest, most efficient, pleasant, and memorable experience began.
The arrangements started, marriage license, choices, options, flowers, colors, specialty restaurants for before and after the wedding, cake, etc.
Months later, and as soon as we boarded, a young lady named Maria, who was born in Portugal, introduced herself as our wedding coordinator. Later Maria put us in contact with the ship’s Photo Dept, Top photographer Niko, his videographer, and an assistant. Maria and the photo team were super!
The wedding would take place on a “day at sea” so no port activities would disrupt. The women in our party went to the beauty shop, had their dresses pressed, etc. The charm and enthusiasm of the staff at the beauty shop was like opening night at the Grumman’s Chinese in Hollywood. Thank you wonderful people!
All events and needs in one place, right there and right now, no limousines required. The wedding would take place at 2.00pm.
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| Jennifer and Byron Wyatt cut their wedding cake after the reception dinner in the Crown Grill |
Let me add now that my daughter’s wedding was transmitted via Wed.cam to the computers of our relatives and friends on the mainland by these guys. We provided email addresses, done! I was amazed... in the past only the news, heads of State, and super rich could do this.
The Captain performed the ceremony with the details and flavor that the young couple requested. The elegant and distinguished Captain, with two ship officers attending, took care of the ceremony. Our party was simply delighted, amazed, and very impressed.
We received umpteen remarkable photographs, a couple CDs, several enlarged photos, 2 albums and a canvas, galleria-class portrait of the couple on the Promenade deck with the bluest of all seas as their back ground.
This most beautiful ship delivers the best food, service, decorations, friendship, efficiency. Every single person in the staff was outstanding.
The couple’s stateroom was in the second highest deck, the rest of our group was scattered in other decks. No couple or guest was super glued to others, we all had privacy, respect, choice of activities, etc. We did enjoy dinner together every day and one or two port excursions together, such as Conch at the Island of Turks (Caicos and Turks, sp.)
Princess cruises remains consistently excellent in every aspect, they have not taken short cuts at all. As a cruise this was one of my top 3 ever, as wedding location, top 2. My older daughter had a Disney Cruise wedding in the years when Disney did DO weddings at sea.
Emerald Princess has the most beautiful atrium, not too big or small, like a piazza where people enjoy a snack, great pastry, a glass of red, tapas or sushi, relaxation, fine service and smiles. Thank you Princess…!
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