Ceremonies at Sea: Everything You Need to Know About Cruise Weddings

For cruise-lovers and the travel-obsessed, a wedding on a cruise ship could be the ultimate and unique option. P&O Cruises offers a fantastic Weddings at Sea package for couples wanting to experience their own nautical nuptials. Here’s everything you need to know…

Weddings at sea. Credit: Emir Kaan via Pexels

With a cruise wedding, you can celebrate one of the most important days of your life in exotic locations, with plenty of entertainment, and with a variety of food, beverages, and activities – perfect for nomad newlyweds. P&O Cruises offer a variety of wedding packages to help couples plan their special day.

Fun Facts About P&O Cruises Weddings

There have been 413 ceremonies in 2023 including engagements, vow renewals, commitments and weddings.
In 2024, P&O are expecting over 500 ceremonies!
The most popular ships to marry on in the P&O Cruises fleet are Azura and Ventura.
Ships have welcomed wedding parties with up to 60+ guests.
P&O Cruises perform no more than three ceremonies per day at sea.
The ship needs to be 12 nautical miles out at sea to legally marry.
P&O has dedicated events managers that look after all ceremony guests.

If you’re thinking of hopping on board to make things official with your other half, we’ve rounded up all there is to know.

Everything You Need to Know About Cruise Weddings with P&O Cruises

Planning your Cruise Wedding

P&O Cruises ships that offer weddings include Azura, Ventura, Aurora and Arcadia. Arcadia is an adults-only ship while Azura, Ventura and Aurora are all child-friendly.

cruise-weddings — View of Azura while docked in Tenerife. Credit: Christopher Ison ©

On the big day, you can either a sea day morning (11am) or afternoon service (2pm or 3:30pm). The ship’s ceremony coordinators will book everything before you go, but the finer details will be finalised with you once on board, should there be any last-minute changes!

Depending on what you’re looking for from your cruise ship wedding, there are three different wedding packages to choose from:

Wedding at Sea:

Starting at £2700 for up to 10 guests, the Wedding at Sea package is the ultimate option to celebrate with your nearest and dearest with all the added extras. Here’s what’s included:

Pre-cruise wedding planner
On-board wedding planner
An elegant, private ceremony venue
The captain to conduct your ceremony
Priority check in when embarking in Southampton for the wedding couple
One- or two-tier wedding cake
Couple’s breakfast in bed the following morning
Pre-recorded ceremony music
Champagne for toasting
Complimentary bridal hair and make-up
Bridal bouquet and groom’s buttonhole
Dinner for the couple at a speciality restaurant
A commemorative certificate signed by the captain
Complimentary pressing of the couple’s attire

Optional extras include things like a floral package, commemorative champagne flutes and cabin decor.

Find out more about the P&O Cruises Wedding at Sea package here.

Just the Two of Us:

Planning on eloping or just want to keep things small and intimate? Starting at £2300, the Just the Two of Us package could be just what you’re looking for. Here’s what’s included:

On-board wedding planner
An elegant, private ceremony venue
The captain to conduct your ceremony
Priority check in when embarking in Southampton for the wedding couple
One- or two-tier wedding cake
Couple’s breakfast in bed the following morning
Pre-recorded ceremony music
Champagne for toasting
Complimentary bridal hair and make-up
Bridal bouquet and groom’s buttonhole
Dinner for the couple at a speciality restaurant
A commemorative certificate signed by the captain
Complimentary pressing of the couple’s attire

Find out more about the P&O Cruises Just the Two of Us package here.

Renewal of Vows:

Starting at £799 for up to 10 guests, the Renewal of Vows package by P&O Cruises is one for the real romantics. Here’s what’s included:

Pre-cruise ceremony coordinator
On-board ceremony coordinator
An elegant, private ceremony venue
The captain to conduct your ceremony^
Priority check in when embarking in Southampton for the wedding couple
Champagne toast for up to four guests
Bridal bouquet and groom’s buttonhole
Commemorative P&O Cruises Champagne flutes
Dinner for the couple at a speciality restaurant
A commemorative certificate signed by the captain
10% spa discount

How Does a Typical Cruise Wedding Run?

Of course, what your own wedding will look like from start to finish will be unique to your own wants and needs, but to get a little idea of what the rundown could look like, P&O Cruises have created the below ‘Day in the Life’ style graphic! Time to get excited…

The Food & Drink

It’s important that the food on your special day is just as delightful as the ceremony itself. From the executive chefs to the attentive waiters, P&O Cruises’ dedicated and experienced team is simply the best.

For something extra impressive, The Epicurean Restaurant is a triumph in fine-dining, fusing classic British cuisine with the best of modern British dining. You’ll be met by the most attentive hosts and waiters and sat down in front of pristine white-clothed tables in a beautifully contemporary setting. The Epicurean Restaurant is available onboard Azura, Ventura, Aurora and Arcadia as well as further ships in the fleet.

After the Wedding

Perhaps one of the greatest things about getting married on a cruise ship, is the fact that as soon as you say ‘I Do’, you’re already on your honeymoon! And the world really is your oyster in terms of where you’d like to to start your post nuptial celebrations.

Whether it’s tropical heat that you fancy or dramatic icy wonderlands, P&O Cruises can take you anywhere that your heart desires. With a plethora of onboard activities and facilities, you can choose to either indulge in pure relaxation from the comfort of the ship or explore and get active ashore.