Last year, Tina took me to Wildwood as a surprise on June 20.  Little did she know I had a surprise for her.  On the 21st, we went to the boardwalk and I proposed to her on the ferris wheel. I asked her a week before what her ring size was, but she didn't think I was organized enough to get a ring for at least a few months. Ha.

We went on a cruise in April 1997 and we had an amazing time, and we decided that getting married on a cruise ship would be the thing to do.  We managed to find A Wedding for You who specializes in wedding on cruises and other odd places. So far they've been great and we haven't had to do a thing. 

There are some interesting things about a wedding on a cruise ship.  for one thing, the captain will not be marrying us. I guess he's got better things to do.  We're not allowed to have gifts brought aboard either. We also need to have the guest list to the ship way in advance.  Only guests on the list will be allowed aboard, and apparently everyone needs an ID.  They'll take your ID when you board and return it at the Security desk just before you walk down the gangway (more like a jetway, really).  Sorry, no stowaways. Finally, based on our last cruise experience, we know that before departure, the ship holds a lifeboat drill.  Imagine us fresh from the reception standing on deck in our wedding best and life jackets.  We plan to send everyone pictures.  This isn't all set in stone yet, so check back.  As we find out more, we'll put it here.

For those of you who are not aware, Tina is crocheting her wedding dress. Again. I do have to admit, I like the new dress better.

Updates

Feb. 9th:

We just talked to A Wedding for You and confirmed that a photo ID needs to be left behind, but they really just need something you'll come back for. In at least one case they took a blank signed check.  That way you could stay, but it wouldn't be cheap.  The ship will most likely be docked at Pier 88 of the NY Passenger Cruise Terminal (West Side Highway and 54th St.) and they want people an hour before the ceremony so there is time to get through security.  This is all outlined in the invitations, but just in case, it's here too.  The invitation mentions that parking is available, but fails to mention the $15 price tag. 

Apr 24th:

We just got back from seeing the ship. Today is the first wedding that A Wedding For You(AWFY) has scheduled for NY this year, and they invited us up to check out the ship and see what it's like for a wedding. This also gave us an opportunity to figure out directions for everyone. We met Karen, who's been setting everything up for us and had a seriously odd small world moment. For some background to make it really freaky, we went to a Bed & Breakfast a few years ago called Pineapple Hill in New Hope, PA. We had a great time and really liked the innkeepers, Kathy and Cookie. We later discovered that Kathy was the daughter of Tina's old boss at AT&T. We went down after arranging this whole cruise thing, and discovered that they got married on a cruise ship too.  Well, I've been writing back and forth with her planning a trip there for NY2K (New Year's 2000) and mentioned this web page.  She read it, recognized AWFY, called and talked to Karen and confirmed that she arranged their wedding. As a bonus weirdness, they knew Paolo Cucci before he got to Drew and became dean.

We got on the ship, and they accepted Tina's NJ driver's license even though it had no picture. Good news for some there, but you still need some form of ID. Karen and Sheryl (also from AWFY) showed us the dining room which is where the reception will be held. We will probably be in the center of the dining room, but we could be moved off to the side if another event takes precedence. Tina and I then ran up to see our room, since all of the rooms were open for cleaning. It's not huge, but we don't really expect to be there that much. Then we went up to the Fleet Bar to see where the ceremony will be held.  It's going to be a little surreal because it is a bar and because the tables are bolted down.  They won't move during rough seas, or for weddings.  I don't think drink orders will be taken during the ceremony.