The convenience of these cruise ships, along with their unique location and fun factor, have begun attracting New Jersey brides as they plan their big day. Since you’ll be utilizing ballrooms and cocktail lounges that would have otherwise been left empty while at port, the cruise lines are happy to pass along cost savings. In many cases, prices can be less than $50 per person, which may be just too good of an opportunity to pass up. Plus you’ll have unbeatable views of the New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and lower Manhattan.

Throw in a personal wedding coordinator, invitations, ice sculptures, chocolate fountains, flowers, custom cakes, private bridal suites, hair and makeup services, favors, tuxedo rentals, a yoga class before your ceremony, spa services, and even a wedding gown waiting in your stateroom, and you’ve got the recipe for a memorable, affordable, and—dare we say it?—stress-free wedding day.

“Cruise ship weddings have gained in popularity due to the affordability factor and the fact that bridal couples and their guests can have a week-long celebration for the same cost as a four-hour hometown wedding,” says Valerie Brizuela of the Wedding Experience (theweddingexperience.com), a wedding planning company in Miami that specializes in cruise ship weddings and plans up to 10,000 weddings a year for ten cruise lines, including those departing from New Jersey and New York. “The average cost of a 100-person wedding in a hometown is approximately $28,000—the cost for the same amount of people for a cruise ship wedding with reception is approximately $5,000,” she adds.

At those prices, you just might consider bringing everyone along on the full cruise. Or at the very least, you could afford to bring your closest friends to join in on the week-long party and vacation, still for less than the cost of a traditional reception wedding.

And “on top of the savings and the week-long celebration,” says Brizuela, “the bridal couple gets to experience unique and exotic locations as well as having the potential to experience the trip of a lifetime.”
Just keep in mind that these ceremonies and receptions usually take place in port during the day of departure—most likely between 12 and 3 p.m., before the cruises head out toward open waters. These celebrations tend to be intimate affairs, due to restrictions determined by the cruise line, but a number can accommodate up to 150 nonsailing guests. While you and your guests will receive priority boarding with escorts—don’t worry about being trampled by the rest of the cruising passengers—in many cases only a one- or two-hour-long luncheon is possible. So if you had visions of dancing ‘til dawn, this is not for you.