So I realize the honeymoon is a separate event from the wedding, but I'd be remiss if I completely neglected any discussion of the honeymoon in my series of wedding planning advice. Because honestly, planning the honeymoon can be just as stressful as planning the wedding. And since you are probably planning the honeymoon at the same time you are planning the wedding, reducing the stress for one will inherently cause less stress for the other.
Now, last spring I talked a little about our honeymoon, and in my discussion shared a few pieces of advice. You can check out the post for all the details, but in a nutshell, here are some of the things that I think are important to keep in mind:
Be true to yourselves
Sure, everyone may think of white sandy beaches and lying around all day with an endless supply of fruity concoctions when they think of a honeymoon, but if that doesn't fit the style of you and your significant other, do something else! There's no unwritten rule that says honeymoons have to involve exotic locations and ample relaxation; I know plenty of people who have gone to non-traditional places and done non-traditional things and loved every minute of it (including some friends who spent their honeymoon cross-country skiing through the North Woods of Minnesota).
Be flexible in your destination
If sandy beaches and fruity drinks are your cup of tea, remember that there are lots of options when it comes to locations. While the Caribbean is certainly popular, places in Hawaii (and even Florida!) offer many of the same amenities, and without the added headaches of passports and international travel. If visiting wine country is more your style, avoid the chaos of the ever-popular Napa area and try visiting some of the more secluded wineries in the Pacific Northwest. You never know what hidden gems you may find if you expand your search outside of the box a little bit.
Don't lose sight of the marriage in the excitement of the honeymoon (and wedding)
Probably one of the worst ways to start a marriage is in a boatload of debt because of an over-the-top wedding and/or honeymoon. Obviously one way to save money on your honeymoon is to follow the suggestion above and look at non-premium locations. It's generally always going to be cheaper to stay within the country than to travel out of it, and locations that are a little more off the grid often come with lower price tags (and as a bonus, they are often less busy!). Another option is to splurge for only a night or two instead of the whole vacation. Treat yourself to that five-star luxury hotel for the first few nights, but then spend the rest of your honeymoon at a more economical place. That way, you still get the experience of being pampered, but without quite as much of a price tag.
Absolutely, positively make sure that you TAKE a honeymoon
I didn't address this in my post about our honeymoon, but I think it is incredibly important. Even if you are the most organized person in the world (and/or have the best wedding planner ever), you will probably still leave your wedding feeling frazzled and exhausted. Having even just a little bit of alone time with your new spouse will allow you time to relish in the excitement of your big day (and recover!) before getting back to your "normal" life. Consider spending just a night or two at a bed and breakfast if you can't afford something more extravagant (or don't have the time off work to go away for longer), even if the bed and breakfast is in the same town you live in. Trust me--it'll be nice to have just a day together without any pressing issues to worry about.
As a final note, one thing that Darrell and I did that I would definitely recommend is working an extra day into your honeymoon where you are back home from your vacation but not obligated to be at work. We used this day for one thing and one thing only: organizing our house. It certainly wasn't very relaxing, but we spent the entire day putting away wedding gifts, rearranging cabinets and closets, schlepping old house goods to a second hand store, etc. And since we technically considered this day to be part of our honeymoon, there were no distractions from jobs, family, or friends, and we were able to get nearly all of it done in one fell swoop. Which made the transition of going back to work and adjusting to married life so much easier; there were no worries about when we would find time to clean, whose job it would be to put stuff away, where we would put stuff, etc. It was all taken care of and the only thing we had to worry about in the evenings after work was being husband and wife and enjoying each others company. Sooo fantastic.
Hopefully you don't find wedding planning to be too terribly stressful, but in case you do, hopefully you are able plan a wonderful honeymoon where you can take some time to enjoy being in the company of your husband/wife!
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