By
Rebecca Gibson |
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas has authorised Royal Caribbean International to officiate at legal wedding ceremonies onboard its ships while they are in international waters.
The newly passed Marriage Act, recognised by the Bahamas, allows couples to be married in legal onboard ceremonies performed by the captain in waters outside the 12-mile limit of the territorial waters of the nation. The location of the ship during the ceremony is recorded in the Marriage Record book of the Bahamas.
“Thanks to the support of the Bahamas, our guests can now be married during the course of their Royal Caribbean International cruise and bask in the romance of the sea as they exchange their vows,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.
Senator Allyson Maynard-Gibson, attorney general and minister of legal affairs of the Bahamas, added: “The Bahamas is happy to participate in this venture with Royal Caribbean International. This premier cruise line has been bringing visitors to our beautiful country for many years, and we know that the Royal Romance weddings and vow renewal programme will encourage even more visitors to our beautiful shores.”
The ‘Royal Romance at Sea’ wedding programme offers couples a ‘multi-destination’ wedding, catering for both large and small wedding parties, as well as the choice of customised packages offering all of the essentials for a wedding. These include a ceremony performed by the captain, photography services, groom’s buttonhole, bride’s bouquet, cake, music and live soloist during the ceremony, specialty restaurant dinner for the bride and groom and champagne and strawberries in the couple’s stateroom.
A team of wedding specialists is also available to help with every aspect of the wedding, from the legal requirements before departure to the finer details once the couple is onboard the ship.
The cruise line also has an introductory ’Sweethearts at Sea’ promotion, offering couples a complimentary ‘Romance at Sea’ package when their party books twelve or more staterooms on a cruise of five or more nights in 2013. They are also able to enjoy a complimentary stateroom upgrade, an hors d’oeuvres reception and bar service if the party books twenty-five or more staterooms.
The Royal Romance programme also offers vow renewal packages, ceremonial services and customised proposals. In addition, family and friends are able to use RCI’s honeymoon registry to contribute towards the couple’s honeymoon cruise by covering the costs of onboard activities, excursions and even the cost of the cruise itself.