Ships and boats aren’t options in all areas (obviously), but can be creative venues for weddings. If you love the water, exchanging vows on the deck of a beautiful paddlewheel boat or sleek yacht might be your idea of heaven.
Keep in mind that not all your guests will be as sea-worthy as you, though and once the boat has set sail, there’s no getting on or off. If you decide on a shipboard wedding, try to make it shorter than a typical five hour reception to be considerate of guests who might not want to be on the water for so long. Seasickness patches aren’t a bad thing to stock up on, either!
It is crucial with a wedding on a boat to indicate on your invitations exactly what time the boat will depart. Showing up late after the ship has sailed is no fun!
Other details to consider when planning a wedding at sea:
--How many people can realistically fit on the boat. Usually space restrictions on a ship are set because of safety so there is not much wiggle room.
--Catering space--We have had to build catering tents on docks to accommodate large ship weddings! Most boast don't have lots of kitchen space so choose a caterer with experience doing shipboard weddings. You also may have to adjust your ideas to what works on a boat!
--Weather-- This can be a big issue. No one wants to be sailing in a storm and Mother Nature is one thing you can't control. Be sure you can enough inside space on the boat to hold all your guests in case your wedding day doesn't turn out to be sunny. If you do have a super sunny day, you might want to provide sunscreen towelettes for guests so they don't get burned standing on the deck for hours.
Coming up later this week at Bridal Bubbly: creative ideas for nautical weddings!
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