‘Everyone was clapping, I felt like a movie star’: What it’s like to get married on a cruise ship
Cruise editor Marc Shoffman hears from a couple who fell in love and got married at sea – and reveals how you can tie the knot on the water
BigThink
Many couples will be celebrating their relationship this Valentine's Day and for Hannah and Mitchell Still, their romance started at sea on a cruise.
The couple, who have a baby and are approaching their one-year wedding anniversary, have credited cruise holidays for bringing them together.
And it all started with a cabin prank.
They met on P&O Cruises’ Ventura cruise ship in September 2019 while on separate holidays on a sailing to Amsterdam and Bruges.
Hannah, 25, who grew up in Southampton and has taken holidays with P&O Cruises since age 11, was on board with her family while Mitchell, 28, was with friends.
She met Mitchell’s friends in the onboard Brodie’s Bar on the first night of the cruise. Hannah explains: “I met his friends first and they said Mitchell was asleep in his cabin, it was his first cruise.
“They dared me to wake him up as a prank. I remember saying to him, ‘hello, it’s the girl of your dreams’ and somehow, I was right.
“I was 19 and convinced it was just a holiday romance.”
Read more: The best P&O Cruises holidays
But the couple grew closer throughout the sailing across the North Sea and their first date was ashore seeing the sights of Bruges.
Hannah reveals that their first kiss followed days later in Havana, Ventura’s Cuban-themed nightclub, awkwardly under the watchful eye of her dad.
“As it happens, my dad was in the vicinity when we had our first kiss,” says Hannah.
“He was giving Mitchell the ‘I have my eyes on you’ look like Robert De Niro from Meet the Parents.
“But there’s something amazing about being on a ship – you’re away from real life, work doesn’t exist, and you’re your best self.
“We spent so much time just talking, including an entire night at the buffet one evening.
Hannah says she cried the whole way home after the cruise and the couple later returned to the ship for a Canary Islands cruise.
In 2023, Mitchell proposed while the couple were cruising through the Norwegian fjords on Britannia and they got married aboard Azura in the Planet Bar during a Greek islands sailing in May 2025.
Hannah said: “Walking around the ship afterwards with everyone clapping was surreal – I felt like a film star.
“Even the entertainment hosts remembered us from our very first cruise years earlier and gave us a wedding gift. It honestly felt like all the stars had aligned.”
They had their first child Mae in November 2025 and are looking forward to introducing her to cruising, with a Norwegian fjords cruise already booked for June with extended family.
Hannah adds: “Cruising has always been part of my life, and continuing that tradition for Mae feels so special.
“Watching her look out at the fjords for the first time – I can’t wait.
“To know that P&O Cruises played such a huge role in our love story – and that we’re now continuing it as a family – feels incredibly special.”
How to tie the knot on a cruise
Cruise weddings are becoming more popular among passengers.
Travel agents and cruise lines have reported a surge in interest from people looking to tie the knot while on board their favourite ship. P&O Cruises last year said it saw a record number of bookings for weddings on the water, up 12 per cent. Several other cruise brands offer wedding ceremonies at sea, including Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Virgin Voyages and Holland America Line.
Wedding packages typically range from £1,000 to £3,000, on top of the cruise fare. Packages differ but may include a wedding cake, music, food, drinks and spa treatments.
In comparison, the average cost of a wedding in the UK is £20,822, according to Bridebook, so a cruise ceremony and party may work out cheaper – although you would have to convince your guests to pay to attend.
