Yacht wedding

For about 20 guests on a day charter, a classic package is about €20,000–€39,000 in the Balearics and €19,000–€38,000 on the Amalfi Coast. A mid-range day is about €39,000–€77,000 in the Balearics and €38,000–€78,000 in Italy. Signature Exclusive is about €81,600–€154,600 in the Balearics and €90,200–€172,800 on the Amalfi Coast. Ultra Exclusive is about €180,800–€329,200 in the Balearics and €196,200–€362,800 in Italy. In the British Virgin Islands the four days are about $18,300–$35,400, $37,400–$69,500, $75,000–$145,000 and $174,000–$331,600. In Miami they are about $20,500–$38,200, $40,800–$73,300, $73,700–$146,400 and $155,200–$309,800. Each total is the yacht, running costs, food and drink, flowers and the ceremony team. The two exclusive days add the show.

The classic package is a starting point: the yacht for about 20 guests with crew, classic catering and drinks, essential flowers and decoration, a celebrant, a day coordinator, a photographer, music and a cake. The mid-range package steps up to a larger or higher-calibre yacht, private-chef style catering, a fuller open bar with champagne, richer florals and styling, full planning support, more extensive photography, and live music such as a duo plus a DJ. Signature Exclusive is the party day: a higher-calibre yacht, a private-chef tasting menu, an open bar with champagne and spirits, statement flowers, cold spark or a permitted show, a live band or a DJ with sax or vocalist, a videographer as well as a photographer, a luxury cake and a full planner. Ultra Exclusive is the flagship day: sommelier-paired wines, champagne at Dom or Krug level, a floral takeover, a drone light show or permitted fireworks, a band with a DJ and a surprise act, a cinematic photo and video team, and late-night canapés with a dessert bar. An overnight for the couple, planned against two cabins, is separate from these day figures and only where the yacht and the charter terms allow it.

Ceremonies on board in Spain and Italy are symbolic. A civil marriage needs the registrar or notary process on land, with the paperwork that authority requires. Couples who want a legal marriage usually complete it separately and hold the celebration on the yacht.

Yes, with a BVI marriage licence. A special licence needs the couple to be present in the Virgin Islands and to have been there for at least one day. The application is made with a marriage officer, then in person at the Registrar General’s office, with passports, proof of marital status and two witnesses. The published special-licence stamp is US$220, the licence takes one working day, and it stays valid for three months. It is issued for a named officer and a named venue, so the yacht and the officer are agreed before the application. If the registrar travels to another island, ferry costs are extra.

Florida allows a legal marriage with a Florida marriage licence. There is no waiting period. The licence is valid for 60 days. Miami-Dade publishes a licence fee of $93.50. An ordained minister, a notary public or a judge can officiate. Both parties normally apply in person at a county clerk; some Miami officiants coordinate the paperwork for couples coming from abroad. The ceremony itself can be on the water once the licence is in hand and the vessel is lawful for the group.

Many yachts host more guests at anchor or in port than while cruising. The catalog separates a cruising guest count from an entertaining count. Overnight stays follow the cabins and the cruising figure. A day wedding can use the entertaining figure only when that yacht’s licence allows it on that date. A licence for 20–25 guests is confirmed per yacht and per date, especially in the Balearics, where a private day charter is often capped well below a large entertaining number.

Under United States Coast Guard rules, an uninspected passenger vessel of less than 100 gross tons may carry no more than 6 passengers for hire, and one of at least 100 gross tons no more than 12. Carrying more than 12 passengers for hire requires a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection. Foreign-flagged yachts also face coastwise limits and generally cannot carry passengers for hire between places in the United States. A day for 20 or more guests in Miami therefore needs a USCG-inspected vessel, or another structure that is lawful for that headcount. A catalog entertaining number is not that certificate.

In Mallorca and on the Amalfi Coast, June and September give warm sea, softer light and calmer harbours than the peak of high summer. Early July is possible and busier. A Friday is often a little easier than a Saturday. For this brief, Mallorca on a Friday in mid-September or June is the practical first choice: Palma logistics, sheltered coves, and a strong vendor base. The Amalfi Coast and Capri are the iconic alternative, a little more complex and slightly higher on flowers and coordination. In the BVI and Miami, December to April is the settled charter season. June through November is hurricane season, so a June, July or September date there needs a weather plan.

Often not as a traditional mortar show beside the hull. In Spain, professional pyrotechnics need municipal authorisation, and many ports will not allow mortars next to a yacht. On the Amalfi Coast the comune authorises a fireworks display, the process can take up to 60 days, and many venues only accept a water-based show or none at all. In the British Virgin Islands a fireworks display is prohibited unless a licensed technician obtains a one-off exemption. In the City of Miami a fireworks or pyrotechnics permit is required. Where a traditional show is restricted, the practical plan is cold spark, marine-approved pyrotechnics, or a drone light show, and only what the harbour, the fire authority and the yacht’s insurer will accept.

The tables show fuel, port or dockage and running costs as their own line, separate from the yacht. Taxes, final menus, supplier choices and the exact yacht are not fixed inside these ranges. Where a Miami day rate already includes fuel, that cost is not added a second time. Gratuity for the crew is customary and is not inside these figures.