Brinley Hineman
Valentine's Day may have have passed, but romance is still in the air on Riverside Luxury Cruises' sailings.
The river cruise line launched wedding group packages designed for couples who want to get married on the Rhone, Rhine or Danube.
Riverside will host smaller weddings in its Vintage Room, its private dining venue, which can accommodate up to 12 guests.
Couples can also charter the entire ship if they want a larger wedding, which enables them to hold their ceremony in any of the ship's public spaces.
The wedding packages include a chef-curated wedding dinner, wedding cake and floral arrangements created in collaboration with suppliers along the river. Riverside can also arrange other details, such as pressing wedding attire, adding in-suite touches and booking private excursions.
Riverside didn't share prices but said packages are customized for each wedding. Already, "a lot" of advisors have inquired, the company's spokesperson told me.
Though weddings on ocean cruises aren't uncommon, the destination wedding hasn't really made its way to the rivers. AmaWaterways offers a vow-renewal package but nothing specifically for newlyweds.
But as someone who is currently planning a wedding, I can see the appeal in pursuing a package like Riverside's. Having the venue, lodging and all details taken care of by one company rather than piecing the day together would alleviate a lot of stress for brides and grooms. And having their loved ones in one place for a week would keep the party going and transform one special day into seven.
And romance isn't out of place on the river. Most lines market an itinerary or two with "romantic" in the name or description. The scenery is spectacular, which bodes well for memorable wedding photos.
It also poses an opportunity to tap into a younger demographic -- an audience Riverside is already after -- and it allows the brand, which is owned by German group Seaside Collection, to flex its hospitality muscles, which impressed me during my Rhine cruise last year.