Silver Wedding Anniversary on the Mein Schiff 2 in the Mediterranean - Renewal of wedding vows in the port of Ibiza

As previously mentioned, we decided to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary with the renewal of our wedding vows on the Mein Schiff 2. Tui Cruises has been offering this special service to its guests for several years. Since the entire Tui Cruise fleet operates under the flag of Malta, the captain is allowed to perform legally binding marriages at sea. The renewal of wedding vows, on the other hand, is performed by the cruise director. On each trip and ship, there is one opportunity to get married or renew your wedding vows. To book the 'wedding package', you need to contact Tui Cruises in advance through the registration form for wedding vows and inquire if there is still a possibility to renew your wedding vows on the trip. Then you book the basic package and confirm the date. The basic package for the renewal of wedding vows currently costs 590.00 euros and includes:

the solemn ceremony with musical accompaniment

the provision of 2 witnesses

a high-quality certificate

and the support of the concierge

In addition, you can also book a wedding cake, a sparkling wine reception, a bouquet, a hairdresser, makeup, a photo and video package, and a sparkling wine reception. It is also possible to reserve a table in a specialty restaurant. It will be beautifully decorated. For more information about the package, visit:

https://www.tuicruises.com/besondere-arrangements/eheversprechen-erneuern

After we sent our ideas for the day, including our two chosen songs, to Tui Cruises in Hamburg, we were invited to a meet-and-greet session with the cruise director, concierge, band, photo team, and hairdresser team three days before our big day. During the session, the final arrangements were made, and we told the cruise director our story so that it could be included in the wedding speech. Our two daughters, our mothers, and my mother's partner were present on our special day.

Finally, the big day of our silver wedding anniversary arrived. We were awakened by a knock on the cabin door. There was a waiter outside the door with champagne and chocolates. A congratulations from the ship. We decided to have breakfast together on our balcony and Ronald got us paninis from the bakery. So we started the day in a cozy atmosphere. Later, the others came to visit us to celebrate with us.

Then, together with my mother-in-law, we enjoyed our Champagne voucher at the Diamond Bar. We had ordered a Black Forest Cherry Wedding Cake (price: 40.00 euros) for 2:00 pm at the Tui Bar. It not only looked beautiful but also tasted delicious. After coffee, I retreated to our cabin with Jessi. Jessi took on the big task of creating an elaborate hairstyle for me. She accomplished this task with flying colors. It's no wonder. My daughter Jessica is the best hairdresser I know. We were all ready by 4:00 pm. The excitement and anticipation grew as we took the first photos on our way to the X-Lounge, where the renewal of our wedding vows was to take place.

My mother and Gerald, as well as my mother-in-law, were waiting for us and were already seated in the X-Lounge. It was beautifully decorated with a heart made of rose petals. The concierge brought me my ordered bridal bouquet. I had requested Calas and orchids for my bridal bouquet, and the bouquet, which cost 100.00 euros, exceeded my expectations by far.

To the song "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses, sung by the ship's band (they had specially rehearsed the requested songs for us in an unplugged version), Ronald walked down the aisle with Vanessa on his arm, and I walked in with Jessica holding my hand. It was a very moving moment for all of us. Our cruise director, Susann Fabiero, was already waiting for us. She had prepared a very personal and touching speech for us, which she delivered to us. We both said "I do" again for the next years of marriage and exchanged our wedding rings once more. Then we both said very personal words to each other, which brought tears to everyone's eyes. After the ceremony, the band played our second requested song, "Yesterday" by The Beatles, and we all toasted with champagne to the next 25 years. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and exactly how we had imagined it. I would do it exactly the same way again. The celebration lasted about half an hour.

Afterwards, the ship photographer took photos of us at some special locations on the ship. We had booked the photo package, which was not cheap, but it provided us with great photos of our day. We finished just in time for the ship to set sail and enjoyed it with a cool drink on the promenade deck. At 7:00 pm, we had reserved a table at Surf & Turf, which was beautifully decorated. We enjoyed steak, tartare, and scallops and opened a few bottles of wine. After looking at the photos and video of the ceremony with the photo team, we went to the pool deck, where the crew's farewell was taking place. We took advantage of the first song, "Ein Hoch auf uns" (A toast to us), for our very own disco fox wedding dance. When Susanne saw us and announced that we were celebrating our silver wedding anniversary and had renewed our wedding vows, we received a round of applause. We ended the night at the Überschau Bar for one last drink. A special surprise awaited us in our cabin late in the evening. The housekeeping staff had beautifully decorated our bed with rose petals, swans, and hearts. So we had one last beautiful night with the sound of the sea.