Valentine’s Day – and adventurous couples choose to get married at sea

It’s Valentine’s Day, the most romantic time of the year. And for 15 couples, this week will see them getting married at sea, on board P&O cruise ships. Another five will be renewing their marriage vows in front of a ship’s captain.
Ventura seems to be the favourite for nuptials – today it will be at the Caribbean island of Bonaire, in the Netherlands Antilles, and will later be visiting Aruba, Jamaica and Grand Turk.
The captain is going to have his hands full this week performing 10 wedding ceremonies and one renewal of vows, and the happy couples will no doubt be going on to celebrate with a wedding breakfast in Marco Pierre White’s White Room restaurant – or even under the stars on the restaurant’s terrace.
Two couples will be marrying on Oriana and two more on board Oceana. Another could be celebrating with a trip to the movies – or the big SeaScreen – on board Azura, which recently abandoned its London registry so that it could offer weddings.
All the ships are currently in the Caribbean, and each couple’s wedding certificate will show the exact nautical co-ordinates where their ceremonies took place.
A marriage at sea also guarantees that the couple are treated like VIPs for the entire cruise. What a start to married life!
Philip Price, P&O’s head of brand marketing, says: ” A wedding at sea with P&O Cruises is not only affordable but it is also a very romantic notion being married by a ship’s Captain. In 2010, 356 couples tied the knot on our ships and we are expecting this number to increase in 2011.
“Each wedding at sea is a special occasion on board with the couple being able to decide how they would like to celebrate. Some couples have an intimate ceremony alone and some bring large numbers of guests along to celebrate in one of the many venues on board.”
More couples than ever are choosing to marry abroad – almost 30,000 last year – and the average cost of the proceedings has been calculated at £6,585. P&O reckon they can do it for less than £5,500 – including a two week cruise, the flowers, the photos, and everything down to a two-tier cake.
Plan your own wedding at sea with the guide on P&O’s website.
And for another take on romance at sea, take a look at Cruise Diva’s guide to today’s Love Boats.