For guests
What to pack
A short, honest packing list for a wedding at sea, including the things people forget.
The Cruise Bride coordinates the sailing, the cabins and the guest travel. The cruise line runs its own wedding program where one is offered.
Tell us about your celebration
A cruise wedding specialist replies personally, usually within one business day.
Pack the ceremony outfit in your carry-on, not the checked bag. Cruise luggage is delivered to your cabin during the afternoon and occasionally arrives late. If the wedding is on embarkation day, the dress or suit does not leave your side.
Ships have formal or dress-up evenings on most sailings and the wedding itself will have a dress code from the couple. Beyond that, evenings are smart casual and days are shorts. Space is tight, so plan outfits rather than options.
The things people forget: a power strip without surge protection, motion sickness remedies, reef-safe sunscreen, a light layer for aggressively air-conditioned dining rooms, and any prescription medication in its original packaging.
The numbers couples ask for first
- $0.0k–$0k
- Typical cruise-line ceremony package, before the reception
- $000–$000
- Per guest, per night, inside cabin at double occupancy
- 00–00 mo
- Lead time we ask for when a group is coming with you
- $0
- What our planning costs you — the cruise lines pay us
Questions couples ask
Answers before you commit to anything
Most lines allow a bottle or two of wine per cabin at embarkation and prohibit spirits. Policies differ and are enforced at the scanner.
Yes, on almost every ship, usually with a bag-price special mid-cruise. Some ships also have self-service launderettes.
Irons are prohibited in cabins for fire safety. Ask us to arrange pressing through the ship's laundry, and book it early in the sailing.
More for guests
- How to book your cabinWhat to do, in order, when a couple invites you to their cruise wedding — and what not to do first.
- Passports and documentsThe one thing that stops guests from boarding — sorted out early, in plain language.
- Choosing a cabinInterior, oceanview, balcony or suite — what the difference actually buys you on a wedding sailing.
- What it will cost youAn honest breakdown of what a guest actually spends between the deposit and the last night.
- Guest questionsThe questions wedding guests ask us most often, answered without the sales voice.
- Get help as a guestTalk to a person about the couple's sailing, your cabin or your documents.
- Never cruised beforeHalf the guests at most cruise weddings are first-timers — here is everything they actually need to know.
- Bringing childrenKids' clubs, cabin configurations, documents for minors — the parents' edition of the guest guide.
- Older guests and mobilityAccessible cabins, wheelchair logistics, medical needs and the ports that work best for limited mobility.
- Dress codes, decodedWhat 'smart casual' and 'evening chic' actually mean on each line — and what to wear to the wedding itself.
- Travel insurance for a cruise weddingWhy 'I'll risk it' is the most expensive sentence in cruise travel — and what a policy should actually cover.
- Seasickness, honestlyHow likely it actually is, what prevents it, and what to do if it happens on a wedding sailing.
- Drinks packages, demystifiedThe arithmetic of whether a package pays for itself, the rules that catch people out, and the wedding-day exception.
- Extending the tripTurning the wedding week into a longer holiday — pre-cruise stays, post-cruise beach days and honeymoons that keep going.