Me and Pop had probably been together for less than a year at this point. We were finally teaming up together as elopement photographers. It’s our first time traveling together on a plane and for an elopement. Well, this elopement was more like a microwedding but it had elopement vibes. Let’s rewind.
Planning a Destination Cruise Wedding with our Couple
Before R & R hired me hey had decided on a cruise destination wedding. On one of the stops, in Cozumel, Mexico, their ceremony would take place. We threw out some ideas. The jungle called for booking 4×4 rentals to get them to the resort. We suggested doing a first look at the Southern most point possibly at a lighthouse. Back to the beginning of our trip.
The Plan
March 24
-Arrive in Fort Lauderdale to check into our boat Air BnB
March 25
-Embarkation Day on Carnival Cruises
March 26
-Key West stop
March 27
-Cozumel, MX stop – Wedding Day!
March 28
-Day at Sea
March 29
-Disembarkation Day
March 30
-Fly home
Behind the Scenes – Fort Lauderdale, FL
Pop and I hop on a flight to Fort Lauderdale to begin our journey to Miami where we would embark on my very first cruise. Pop had spent plenty of time on ships being in the Navy and all. I, on the other hand, do not have my sea legs. I wasn’t sure how I would fare so I booked a 1-night stay on a docked yacht in Fort Lauderdale.
Our flight lands before sunrise so we drop off our things on the boat. Then we’re off to find a breakfast spot. We eventually find a beautiful spot right on the beach where we watch the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful, memorable sunrises ever but I didn’t photograph it. It’s lost in Snapchat history, but those puffy clouds live rent free in my mind. Some things are only meant for the memory.
We head back to the boat after picking up some provisions. The inside of our birthing is itty bitty, so if you’re claustrophobic, definitely wouldn’t recommend it. We do, however, have our own bathroom. We take the first few hours to freshen up. I take a nap. When we emerge from the birthing we’re feeling brand new and notice they have kayaks and stand up paddleboards. I love kayaking, but Pop wants to paddleboard. I’m worried, but I’d never say no to trying something new. The owner of the boat helps us bring them down to the water.
As we’re on the dock Pop is getting ready and I’m already in the water. Somehow he falls in and scratches himself rendering himself cut and bloody from the and unable to continue because, “Sharks can smell blood from a mile away,” Pop exclaims. I turn around to the best of my ability and begin to head back. On my way back to the dock I realize that I didn’t get the course in getting off the paddleboard. So I fall into the water too. The only thing is, I can’t get out of the water unto the dock because my upper body strength is just not there. So the boat owner kindly pushes the boat out a bit to let the ladder out. Our adventure is short lived but it lives in infamy and of course as it’s told today, I’m the one to be blame.
Embarkation Day
With our boat adventures behind us and a little of our pride left out in the harbor we head to Miami to meet with our clients, R + R and their families to embark upon our Carnival cruise. It hits me. We’re shooting our first destination cruise wedding.
Now, I’ve never been on a cruise. I have no idea about the crazy party environment that I’m about to enter. But first, the check-in process. It’s similar to the check-in process with the TSA where you show them your ID, hand over your bags for x-ray. The only difference is you leave them and they drop them off in your room.
Then you hit the party on the ship. It’s something completely out of this world, a whole vibe. Imagine boarding a ship, there’s the faint sound of bass bumping from somewhere you can’t see yet, so you follow it. And when you arrive to where it is, there’s people everywhere – dancing, lounging on the deck taking in the sun, pools filled with kids and adults just chilling, a bustle on the sea. I know, my post-COVID anxieties are buzzing thinking about it. But this is before COVID, and I’m really enjoying the energy.
On this day, we were also hired to do engagement photography for one of the guests of R & R. So we finished our evening with a session.
Key West, FL Stop
Our first stop on the cruise is Key West, a quaint little city that’s part of the Florida Keys archipelago. The first thing we do is make our way from the rest of the tourists and find a sweet tiki bar spot where R & R meet us for some drinks and a little walk around Key West before we have to board again.
Cozumel, MX Wedding Day
Today is the day and Pop being the prepared man he is gets everything ready for me. He charges my batteries, fills up our water bottles, and irons our clothing. We start by photographing the bride and groom as they get ready in rooms far away from each other. The ship accommodates our disembarkation first, which is awesome because the port at Cozumel disembarks a bunch of people from a bunch of other ships and bottle necks them through their duty free shop, a fact I’m not aware of until we’re well on our way and stuck in foot traffic.
Disembarkation
We make our way to a taxi that takes us to the car rental location we found to rent jeeps. It all takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to go from ship to car rental location. Luckily, our bride and groom speak fluent Spanish so we’re in and out quickly. None of the ladies with me drive stick so my job moves from elopement photographer to wedding party driver. Once we drive through the busyness of the port and all the touristy spots we head through the jungle and move South to the tip of the island. The gentlemen are not too far behind in their own jeep. What I don’t know at the moment is that Pop is taking his sweet time, stopping for drinks, and partying it up with the gentlemen.
The rental company has agreed to come pick up the jeeps later this evening so that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about.
First Look
Our intention is to do a first look at a lighthouse. Upon arriving we discover that the lighthouse is part of a tourist trap that we don’t want to pay to visit but there are perfect views not too far from the lighthouse where we already parked. Luckily for our bride, there are bars all over and she decides to go imbibe while she nervously awaits her groom for their first look.
The last minute spot we choose is a spot on lava rock. The rock is unusually sharp. Pop has these handmade shoes on that he got when he was in the Philippines on tour with the Navy. They’re leather loafers with sole reinforcements on the toe, heel, and ball only. The rocks absolutely destroy them and he spends the rest of the day barefoot. He isn’t one to complain but I know he’s upset. I can read it all over his face. Not only does he have to get rid of his destroyed shoes that mean a lot to him, he has to work barefoot for the rest of the day, and the ceremony hasn’t even started yet.
Ceremony
For the guests, nothing is amiss because the ceremony is on the beach. But I can see the steam forming over my boyfriend’s head at the loss of his shoes. He’s a good sport though and shoots like nothing happened.
The rest of the evening is fine and I can see Pop start to loosen up, hopefully forgetting about his shoes. It’s not until the end of the evening when things start to go downhill again.
With the wedding done everyone begins making their way back to the ship. We are told that the venue has rides planned for us but that’s proving to not be the case and we all frantically begin finding taxis back to the port. We’re quickly approaching the time where we’re supposed to be back on ship and we have no ride. Along with a few of the other guests we’re stranded at the venue and waiting patiently for our ride that we requested.
Most of the resorts, including this one are tucked into the jungle behind lots of trees so when Pop goes out to see the main road, he’s confronted with pitch darkness and lots of jungle noises which makes him turn back. Mind you, the man is still barefoot.
Our car finally makes it. The drive back feels like forever. We get to the port and still have to walk through the mall of closed shops to get to the ship. We are the last ones on the ship. I imagine people were looking down from their rooms and balconies shaking their heads and angry with the ones who didn’t get back in time so that we could leave already. Thankfully, one of the couples’ guests was a lawyer who was standing by the door making sure they didn’t leave us. Imagine the shit show it would’ve been. And again, Pop did the whole thing barefoot. Poor thing.
Over the last couple days of travel and after we got off the ship in Miami we visited with some of Pop’s family. It was my first time meeting everyone. I had conch for the first time and we enjoyed the last of our time in Miami talking shit about the traffic.
What We Learned
- Cruises are pretty dope.
- You can, in fact, sneak on alcohol unto a cruise pretty seamlessly.
- Don’t forget the dramamine for when the seas aren’t so friendly.
- Even when shooting from the hip, be highly aware of all the elements during a first look, including and especially the lava rocks.
Things Couples Should Know About Destination Cruise Weddings
- You can get married on the ship but you must consult with the cruise company to set it up, the exception is if you’re eloping with very few of you. More than 10 people gathering might be a red flag.
- If you’re getting married off ship at one of the stops, make sure everything is set in stone before you get there. Then confirm everything when you get there. The resort said they’d prepare our transportation back to the ship, and if we hadn’t found a ride we could’ve very well missed our ride off the island.
- Get help from someone who speaks the language. Luckily our couple were Spanish speaking which made the whole experience exponentially easier.
- Take your time, but be respectful if you have guests. Nobody’s doing a damn thing without you, but if you have guests, make sure you’re being considerate of their time and tummies.
- Essentially, your elopement/micro wedding/destination wedding could be one huge free reception if you get married during a cruise.
- You don’t have to get married on the cruise to have a cruise wedding.
A Destination Cruise Wedding Might Be Your Jam if
- You’d like your guests to enjoy a free for all type of environment.
- Creating a loose itinerary for your guests is your goal.
- You want to be in one location with all of your guests. It’s easier to heard everyone to where you want them to go.
- You and your guests are just slightly adventurous. You’ll have all the comforts of home but still be able to have a good time.
- You’d like to hit a few locations on one vacation, this is definitely an efficient way to do it.
