Cruising into matrimony

More brides are going to sea than ever before. Some are even taking along a lot more than the groom.

One New York bride plans on setting sail in May with a contingent of more than 100 guests, according to Norwegian Cruise Line spokeswoman Courtney Recht.

On the briny, wedding business has increased by as much as 60 percent in the past decade, the 21 maritime members of Cruise Lines International Association report. The attraction, presciently noted years ago in a Royal Caribbean International survey, is that a whopping 95 percent of vacationers rated cruises as "extremely or very romantic," compared with landlubber vacations.

Another reason is convenience. According to the cruise association, almost 35 percent of the group's 16,000 agents say their clients want to combine a wedding with a honeymoon; more than 23 percent say the top reason for a cruise wedding is value.

As a setting for romance, more than 80 percent of agents say nothing beats the Caribbean and Bahamas as favorite wedding destinations.

Today it's a lot easier to tie the knot either at sea or in ports around the globe. More cruise lines now offer shipboard wedding packages, amenities and wedding planning services, including legal marriages performed by ship captains.

The concept of oceangoing nuptials was practically codified in 1998, when Princess Cruises, "the Love Boat" line, launched bona fide weddings at sea, performed by a ship's captain. According to spokeswoman Carol Maglione, more than 6,000 couples have since taken vows at sea or in port. Princess' weddings at sea are official, because the line's vessels are registered in Bermuda, which recognizes all marriages in international waters.

Carnival Cruise Lines, which saw a 60 percent increase in wedding packages in the past decade, anticipates that 2,400 couples will marry aboard its "Fun Ships" this year, according to the line's spokesman, Vance Gulliksen.

Say 'I do' while rock climbing

And options on all lines can read like a vast menu of choices.

Shipboard ceremonies on Carnival, for instance, are available on embarkation day in U.S. ports and many Caribbean destinations. Prices for Carnival's Just for the Bride & Groom package start at $1,195 and include an official civil ceremony, a champagne toast with keepsake flutes, flowers for bride and groom, a wedding cake with cake topper, prerecorded wedding music, a decorated bridal aisle and photographic services.

Add some guests, an hourlong open bar and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, a traditional two-tiered wedding cake and coffee service, and the cost increases to $1,635.

Brides and grooms on Disney Cruise Line can exchange vows aboard the ship or step ashore for a romantic beachside ceremony on the line's private island paradise, Castaway Cay.

With 300 nuptials per year, Norwegian boasts an array of options to turn the basic wedding into an extravaganza. The line offers two wedding packages -- Onboard Aisles and On Shore Aisles -- available in ports in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and Bermuda. Both include a ceremony conducted by a local official plus all the features of a wedding, from music to cake and wine.

Onboard Aisles packages start at $1,100 per couple (for shipboard weddings held in most Southern U.S., West Coast and Canadian ports) to $1,450 (for Grand Cayman, St. Maarten and Northeast U.S. ports). The package includes priority embarkation for the couple and their guests (if the wedding is on embarkation day), snacks and refreshments upon embarkation, a ceremony conducted by a local official, recorded music, a wedding coordinator, a basic bouquet, a matching one-bloom boutonniere, professional photography service for one hour, one 8-by-10 photo, a private website to view and order photographs, gifts and favors, a wedding cake, one bottle of private-label champagne and a keepsake certificate.

On Shore Aisles ranges from $1,450 in a colonial chapel in New Orleans to $2,450 in various locations in Florence, Rome or Venice.

On Royal Caribbean, betrothed couples can exchange vows while climbing the ships' rock walls or ice skating or even catching the waves on the shipboard surf simulator. The line's Royal Romance package features an hourlong wedding ceremony aboard ship or onshore on embarkation day.