Gay and lesbian couples can now legally get married onboard Cunard’s three Queens; Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
Cunard has welcomed its first booking by a same-sex couple following a recent Supreme Court ruling in Bermuda enabling same-sex marriages. Cunard’s fleet of ships are registered in Bermuda.
Earlier this year a packed courtroom in Bermuda erupted into spontaneous applause after the court ruled in favour of allowing same-sex marriages. The ruling means that Cunard, which has offered weddings on its ships for the past five years and has married over 250 straight couples, is one of the first British cruise lines to be able to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies at sea.
Speaking at the Cunard gay marriage announcement, Josh Leibowitz, senior vice president of Cunard North America said, “[We are] proud to become among the first cruise lines to offer same-sex marriages, and we’re proud to mark another milestone in our company’s history as we welcome our first gay marriage booking.”
The Cunard gay marriage ceremonies will be performed by the ship’s Captain and the marriage license will be issued by Bermuda. On occasions where the Captain is unavailable, the Deputy Captain will be asked to conduct the ceremony in their stead.
More than 760 million people live in the 22 countries where same-sex marriage is legal, including most of Europe, the United States, Taiwan and Uruguay.
Same-sex couples can now purchase a Cunard Wedding at Sea package. These packages include a romantic ceremony at sea, floral arrangements, services of the on-board Wedding Coordinator, photographer and an official copy of the marriage certificate.
For more details visit the Cunard website.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
