Carnival Vista Cruise Wedding BAM! (pic heavy) and At Home Reception

The wedding itself was a bit rushed. We got married in the port of Grand Cayman. That is a tender port and the coordinator had some issues with the limo service meeting the groom and guests on the dock, so she wound up getting back to get me and the bridesmaids about 30 minutes late. If we were told that we could have gone down and got in line for a tender while she was dealing with the issue and we wouldn’t have been late. The ceremony was wonderful and I loved every moment of it. The photographer was so-so. We only took 3 pictures of just the bride and groom and none of the wedding party. Then it started to rain so she cancelled the rest of the time on the island and just left. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get many pictures on the island after paying extra for extra time with the Cayman photographer I requested.

We went back to the ship and had about 30 minutes before the reception. That also got started a little late because 2 bridal party members went back to their rooms to try and blow dry their outfits after getting caught in the rain. It didn’t matter one bit if they were wet since myself and the groom were also soaked, but alas I waited for them to come so we could do the introductions. My sister would have freaked out if we went in without her. The reception had a beautiful ice carving, open bar and a spread of delicious appetizers. We had a DJ who was wonderful. He played whatever we wanted and kept the room dancing. The cake was beautiful and the cake cutting was priceless! My husband is never going to live that one down. As soon as we cut the cake he took a bite rather than waiting to feed me, lol. The whole crowd broke out in laughter. It’s definitely one of my favorite moments.

After that we took some photos around the ship with a carnival photographer. The photos came out great and I absolutely love the video and album he put together. He was very easy to talk to and work with. He wasn’t pushy at all and let us choose what we wanted without trying to do a hard sell. In my opinion he did a much better job than the actual wedding photographer from the island. I enjoyed our experience and recommend it to anyone who loves cruising.

As for our NJ reception, I loved every moment of that experience as well. We didn’t do a ceremony or anything, just an entrance/introduction with us and the bridal party. I was happy my one year old nephew got to be included this time as they left him with another family member for the cruise. I debated on hiring a photographer for this reception, but after not getting the pics I wanted at the ceremony I was happy for the chance to get them in NJ. The photographer was awesome and made sure we got a variety of pics of just the bride and groom.

We had a brunch reception and it was a perfect day. We had a mix of breakfast and lunch items including a mashed potato bar, sushi, and omelet station. We also had a Mimosa fountain which was awesome! We had open bar, a DJ, and photobooth. The guests loved everything and keep complementing me on how lovely everything was. I made the centerpieces and had 2 different kinds. They were a big hit and most people took them home. We only have 1 set of hurricane vases left and 2 of the bottles. We had 8 people RSVP yes and not show; but on the flip side we had 6 guests that RSVP’d as no show up due to canceled travel plans courtesy of the hurricanes.

I had a display table of some cruise pictures and items we had in the welcome bags/reception and everyone took those as well. We had some extra personalized sunglasses and sunblock leftover so I figured I’d bring them just in case and everyone loved them. For the table cards I did mini bottles with sand and sea shells and those were also a big hit.

Overall I’m very happy with how everything turned out. And best of all.. I’m now married to my best friend and we are loving married life. My husband is very proud of our events and he usually doesn’t care about stuff like that. He was nothing but smiles all cruise and the whole time at the NJ venue, even while helping me set up. He likes to hold up his ring hand say look at my bling, lol.

Wedding wands I made since we couldn't throw rice or confetti on the beach.

I legit didn't even know one could get married on a cruise. I'm absolutely drooling at your brunch reception. Mashed potatoes and sushi! Shove that in my face hole rn, please!!!

Sand brushes I also made

Our rings

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This sounds amazing!

Congrats! That sounds really great overall.

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In the Havana Bar on the cruise

Congrats! lovely pics!

My sisters walking me down the 'aisle'

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My friend made all of these gorgeous flowers!

First kiss!

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Love this picture!

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