I decided to have a destination wedding?

Question

two months after we decided to do this my twin sister & maid of honor found out she was pregnant. I rescheduled my whole wedding for the next month so she cuold come. All of a sudden the cruiseline is not allowing a baby that young to go and we are now facing the fact that my twin wont be at my wedding. Its such a hard place to be, should she stay home with her month old baby and miss the wedding or go to the wedding if we find a family member or someone we trust enought to stay with baby for four days? This really stinks!

Answer 1

That's a very difficult situation. As much as you would like your twin to attend, the fact is most new moms would not be comfortable leaving their newborns with anyone for that length of time.

Changing the date seems like a daunting task if you're talking about other family and guests that would have to try and change their schedules with jobs and so forth.

I would say that your sister will have to miss the wedding and not feel guilty about it since in the scheme of things her baby is more important. You two are obviously very close and will always be, that is what is most important. Make sure the wedding is taped for her viewing later and share what you can with her.

Answer 2

It depends on how your sister feels about leaving her baby. I know a lot of people who have no problem taking a vacation and leaving their infant (as young as 2-3 weeks) with their parents. It would suck for your twin to miss your wedding, so if she's okay with leaving the baby, then don't change your plans again.

If she's not comfortable leaving the baby when it's still so young, I would first contact the cruise line and ask where it's written that they do not allow passengers that young and when this policy went into effect. If they have the policy in writing and it was in effect when you originally booked the cruise, then ask if they would make an exception to their policy and say you'll be willing to work within any conditions they may have (for example, they may not want her to take the baby off the ship in any foreign ports).

One thing you need to consider is that you need a passport to go on a cruise if the ship stops in any foreign ports. Passports are taking 8-12 weeks to get, and I think you have to have one for the baby. You might not have time to get it.

Answer 3

Honestly...i would try to arrange a person who was not going whom you can trust to stay with the baby... its only a few days, and she may need some time away anyways!  i would suggest to her to have someone on the fathers side watch the baby im sure they would be happy to and, she can get away and be at the wedding, after all you did change things around to accomidate her!  

Answer 4

Can you get married at home in a very small ceremony (so she can attend) and then use the cruise as your honeymoon?  Obviously it will suck if she's not on the cruise, but this way, she gets to attend the important part.

Answer 5

Personally I would reschedule again so that she could be there. I know that there are crappy fees with TWE for canceling but I would also consider this. As a mom I can tell you that she will not want to leave her baby that young and would not rely on that if she is saying this now because trust me it will change once the baby is born. Most infants are allowed to cruise once the baby is 6 weeks old. Another option would be to get married in port somewhere so that she could be there instead of on an island or at sea.

Answer 6

Would your sister mind leaving the baby with someone for a few days?  

Answer 7

Hi.  YES, I can tell you (as one that just got back from a cruise) that babies that young are not permitted on the cruise.

Now....have you asked your sister her opinion?  Is she planning on nursing the baby?  If so....leaving the baby with someone else will not be an option!  Also, most moms do not want to leave their newborn (yes, it will still be a newborn) with someone....even if it's family!

Is there any way for you to change your plans.....perhaps just you and your husband go on the cruise for your honeymoon and have the wedding at home?

Also....do you know that Princess Cruise Line is the ONLY cruise line that marries you at sea?  Perhaps you do know this.  All the others will only marry you before the cruise sails or when it is docked in another port.....or if you get off at one of the destinations and have it on a beach somewhere.

Answer 8

If you want your twin to be there then reschedule the wedding. There is no way in h**l I would leave my one month old at home with anyone. I barely left the house when my baby was that young. No way for 4 days on a cruise.  

Answer 9

  ohhh what a sticky situation...how much have you actualy PAID for thus far?

  your sister should most definatly be at the wedding, like, absolutly no doubt about it.  i think you need to sit down with your fiance, your parents, his parents, and your sister and her significant other and you all need to seriously sit and ponder the best way around this. because under no circumstanecs should she miss the wedding.

also, did the cruise tell you before hand that children that young were not allowed on the ship?  if not, you should definatly bring that up to them, and say "we were not informed that this would be an issue" and see if it helps you at all

  try your absolute best to remain calm about all of this. stressing super hard about it isnt going to help at all becasue then your just gonna be on edge and it will take absolutely ALL the fun out of planning.  so breathe, relax, and tackle this with the ones you love and it will all work out in the end.  i hope any bit of this helped you even a little because this really is a stupid sort of situation to be stuck in, so anyhelp i could provide to make your day smoother, well, yeah, i just hope i did.