Weddings at sea for everyone

Same-sex couples can now be legally married on Miami-based Celebrity Cruises.

Same-sex couples can now be legally married on Celebrity Cruises ships sailing in international waters, the Miami-based cruise line announced Wednesday.

The move follows the passage of a marriage equality law this summer in Malta where most of its vessels are registered, Celebrity said.

Malta’s legalization of same-sex marriage, which happened in July in a 66-1 vote by the country’s parliament, also means captains on its ships can now officiate these ceremonies.

“Celebrity Cruises has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and I cannot think of a more important time in our history than right now to do all we can to support inclusion,” Lisa LutoffPerlo, president and CEO, said in a news release. “This is one for the history books!”

Celebrity will begin taking bookings for same-sex weddings effective immediately, spokesman Bradley Norman said in an email after the announcement.

The cruise line “has already hosted many same-sex weddings in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean, where legal,” said Barbara Whitehall, managing director, The Wedding Experience, Celebrity’s official wedding service provider.

More are now expected in the wake of the ruling.

Celebrity offers a selection of onboard ceremonies and destination wedding packages for couples who want to get hitched while taking a cruise. From South Florida, its ships sail both from Port Everglades and Port Miami on cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico and other regions.

As of yet, no other cruise line has performed a legal same-sex wedding at sea in international waters based on information from The Wedding Experience, Norman said.

Industry competitors Princess, Cunard and P&O — all brands of Doral-based Carnival Corp. & PLC — have announced they will host legal same-sex weddings at sea starting in January 2018, he said.

In August, Cunard announced it accepted its first booking by a same-sex couple after a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages in Bermuda, where its fleet is registered.

“Cunard is proud to become among the first cruise lines to offer same-sex marriages at sea,” Josh Leibowitz, senior vice president, Cunard North America, said in a statement. “Cunard has brought people together through travel for over 175 years, and we’re proud to mark another milestone in our company’s history as we welcome our first gay marriage booking and many other marriages to come.”