More couples cruise into matrimony with shipboard wedding

More couples are getting married at sea — and taking along a crowd.

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One New York couple plans on setting sail in May with a contingent of more than 100 guests, according to Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman Courtney Recht.

Today it's a lot easier to tie the knot either at sea or in ports around the globe. More cruise lines now offer shipboard wedding packages, amenities and wedding planning services, including legal marriages performed by ships' captains.

The notion of nautical nuptials was practically codified in 1998, when Princess Cruises, "the Love Boat" line, launched bona fide weddings at sea, performed by a ship's captain. According to spokeswoman Carol Maglione, more than 6,000 couples have since taken vows at sea or in port. Princess' weddings at sea are official, because the line's vessels are registered in Bermuda, which recognizes all marriages in international waters.

Besides weddings, many lines also offer honeymoon and vow renewal packages, bachelor and bachelorette parties, even programs for "popping the question" — the ultimate engagement party at sea.

Carnival Cruise Lines, which saw a 60 percent increase in wedding packages in the last decade, anticipates that 2,400 couples will marry aboard its "Fun Ships" this year, according to the line's spokesman, Vance Gulliksen.

And options on all lines can read like a vast menu of choices.

Shipboard ceremonies on Carnival, for instance, are available on embarkation day in U.S. ports and many Caribbean destinations. Prices for Carnival's Just for the Bride & Groom package start at $1,195 and include an official civil ceremony, a Champagne toast with keepsake flutes, flowers for both bride and groom, a wedding cake with cake topper, pre-recorded wedding music, a decorated bridal aisle and photographic services.

Add some guests, an hourlong open bar and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, a traditional two-tiered wedding cake and coffee service, and the cost increases to $1,635.

Celebrity Cruises' most popular wedding package is the Nautical Nuptials program, featuring a captain-led wedding ceremony at sea offered on all Celebrity ships except Celebrity Xpedition.

Since 2008, even intimate Azamara Cruises' vessels have made marriage at sea legal on their ships with captain-led wedding ceremonies. Couples tying the knot with Azamara and Celebrity captains can choose from packages that include anything from private receptions in the ship's specialty restaurant to cake, Champagne and more. Basic captain-performed wedding packages start at $2,500.

Costa's cruise weddings take place while the ship is in port, either onboard or on land, with the company's wedding planners taking care of all the details.

Crystal Cruises' romantic options include a candlelight dinner on the veranda of the couple's suite, onboard florists, a portrait studio and private shore excursions.

Brides and grooms on Disney Cruise Line can exchange vows aboard the ship or step ashore for a romantic beach-side ceremony on the line's private island paradise, Castaway Cay.

With 300 nuptials per year, Norwegian boasts an array of options to turn the basic wedding into an extravaganza. The line offers two wedding packages — Onboard Aisles and On Shore Aisles — available in ports in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Bermuda.

Both include a ceremony conducted by a local official plus all the features of a wedding, from music to cake and wine.

Onboard Aisles packages start at $1,100 per couple (for shipboard weddings held in most Southern U.S., West Coast and Canadian ports) to $1,450 (for Grand Cayman, St. Maarten and Northeast U.S. ports). The package includes priority embarkation for the couple and their guests (if the wedding is on embarkation day), snacks and refreshments upon embarkation, a ceremony conducted by a local official, recorded music, a wedding coordinator, a basic bouquet, a matching one-bloom boutonniere, professional photography service for one hour, one 8-by-10 photo, a private Web site to view and order photographs, gifts and favors, a wedding cake, one bottle of private-label Champagne and a keepsake certificate.

On Shore Aisles ranges from $1,450 in a colonial chapel in New Orleans to $2,450 in various locations in Florence, Rome or Venice.

On Royal Caribbean, betrothed couples can exchange vows while climbing the ships' rock walls or ice skating or even catching the waves on the shipboard surf simulator. The line's Royal Romance package features an hour wedding ceremony aboard ship or onshore on embarkation day.

Shoreside venues include hot-air balloons, the glaciers of Alaska, medieval European castles and an Italian vineyard.

As if hand-holding for the nervous bride and groom weren't enough, some cruise lines and travel agents now provide gift- registry service. With all these options, it's not hard to see why brides are going overboard for onboard ceremonies.