We’re married! Our wedding week on the MSC Seashore was beautiful, with a ceremony on their private island – Ocean Cay Marine Reserve!

I must confess that I was incredibly naive when we embarked on this journey. After deciding to have a cruise wedding, we hastily settled for the first travel agent we found on Facebook, and dove headfirst into planning. The experience provided us with an endless supply of waves, so seize your favorite cocktail (or two) and join me as I share how we navigated the experience.

Flowers: Sola Wood Flowers

A few months into planning, I learned we could not travel with real flowers, which led me to down a spiraling research path. I found Sola Wood Flowers on Pinterest and thought, “how hard can that be?” Despite having zero experience, I ordered around 1000 flowers, which turned out to be WAY TOO MANY! My husband found a YouTube tutorial to help us dye the flowers and we spent a day walking the beach to find the perfect seashells. While the boutonnieres and corsages were pretty easy, my bouquet was extremely difficult and took about 20 hours, and a lot of tears to complete. In the end, it looked beautiful, but if I had to do it over, I would probably just pay someone to make a silk bouquet for me. 

Tip: if you do make your own, check out these magnetic pins for the boutonnieres. (this is an affiliate link)

Hair and Photography: @hairbycassie and @kellyjophotography

Y’all! This was hands down the best decision we made throughout this entire process! I found Kelly through a glowing review on Facebook and working with her was amazing. She and her daughter Cassie, a talented hairstylist, became a seamless part of our journey. Prior to the cruise, Kelly was phenomenal in coordinating with us multiple times to plan out our hair and photo schedule, and to understand our vision. Once onboard, they immediately became an integral part of our families. The best part of having our own photographer was the extra moments she was able to capture, beyond the limited hours offered in the cruise packages. From the bachelor and bachelorette parties, to the preparations, the first look, countless reception photos, and a fun photoshoot of our families on 70s night aboard the ship, Kelly truly exceeded our expectations.

We received over 800 photos back in just a few weeks, and Kelly was great when we reached out to ask for additional editing, since some of the photos had shadows from the sunlight.
 
Cassie did a great job on my mom’s and I’s hair! We were able to do a trial the night before, which turned out to be perfect for the bachelorette party. It was also great having her on hand for a touch-up between photos and the ceremony and she helped us out by filming the ceremony on our go-pro, since we didn’t hire a videographer.

Now, let’s chat logistics.

I’ve been contacted by a few brides who are also planning weddings on MSC, and I want to answer all of their questions with complete honesty.

Travel agent: Sun Coast Travel

Prior to making the decision to tie the knot on a cruise, we embarked on an MSC ship to explore the island and potential wedding venue. The experience was magical, and we loved everything about it! After returning home, I found an advertisement by Suncoast Travel Agency on Facebook, offering MSC weddings. It felt like fate, and without hesitation, we put our trust in them. Little did we know, it was an error on our part. 

Our initial conversation with the agency’s owner, Nazy, left us with the impression that the entire process would be effortless, with their guidance ensuring a seamless experience for us and our guests. However, numerous issues arose, with our guests encountering difficulties in booking, some of which remained unresolved despite multiple attempts to communicate. This led to confusion aboard the ship, as several family members’ details were incorrect (names and birthdays). The lack of organization also resulted in them not including my husband and I in the paperwork for the drink and internet packages, causing us to spend a very stressful hour sorting it out on the first day.  

Approximately 25 days prior to the wedding, we were finally contacted to arrange the details. Suncoast enticed us with a “special gift” in the form of a sail away party for our guests, which sounded incredible at the time. However, after going back and forth with them about payment errors, we paid for part of this. Once onboard, the ship coordinator mentioned she has asked Suncoast multiple times to stop booking this specific location for welcome parties because they cannot accommodate it. They ended up putting us in a makeshift “private” area instead of the promised setup and were unable to provide us with our own bartended. Our guest spent half the “party” waiting in line for drinks at the pool bar. If we would have known that was the case, we would have asked to pay for our own welcome party in a different location on the ship, during the planning process.

And Lastly, the dining room never received the seating arrangement that we had been hurriedly asked to put together by Suncoast, causing chaos during dinner when guest played musical chairs to try and allow us to sit with our parents and find an extra table, since we were shorted a few seats. 

Overall, I highly recommend doing extensive research before picking a travel agent. They are the only real contact you have with the ship prior to getting on board, and you put all of your trust in them. I imagine we would have had a completely different experience with an agent who was better equipped to coordinate this type of event.

MSC Onboard Wedding Coordinator: Michou 

 Despite these challenges, the ship’s wedding coordinator, Michou, and her team worked tirelessly to fix the situations. They went above and beyond to ensure a flawless ceremony, even racing my dad back to the ship to retrieve my forgotten bouquet moments before the proceedings began. 

The island was a beautiful spot for our ceremony, and Michou wrote the script to incorporate our own vows and a ring warming ritual seamlessly into their traditional service. Our reception, although short to accommodate the DJ’s schedule, was an absolute blast! DJ Marlon provided great energy to the room and almost all of our guests were on the dance floor with us the entire time! Following dinner, we joined our fellow passengers for a tropical party on the pool deck, with the crew even inviting us onstage for a special dance. As the evening drew to a close, my husband and I savored a private moment with our siblings on the deck, as DJ Marlon played our song again.  

Despite the challenges, I cannot recommend a cruise wedding highly enough. The extended time with our families, coupled with the stunning surroundings of the ship and island, created an enchanting and unforgettable experience. Everyone is still talking about the trip and can’t wait to start planning another big family cruise for next year!  

Final recommendation:

I will be writing another post about this, but I highly recommend staying on the ship for an additional sailing after the wedding. The 4-day wedding cruise was amazing, but we were on the move the entire time. We splurged on ourselves and moved to a suite for an additional 10-day cruise on the same ship after our families left. The additional time to enjoy the ship and each other was a great way to kick off married life!  

If you have any questions about our experience, please reach out on Tik Tok or send me an email.

Keep embracing the current,

Paige