After months of planning your big day, saving every spare penny for the wedding, managing the minefields of table plans and dealing with family politics, you deserve an amazing honeymoon to celebrate your life together as a newlywed couple.
But where do you start? How do you plan a honeymoon?!
The most important place to begin is to think about what it is you want from a honeymoon. Forget about what you’re told a honeymoon ‘should’ be, and look at that will make it the perfect trip for you and your new partner.
Decide what you want out of your honeymoon
For example, do you want a luxury beach holiday where you do nothing but drink cocktails and enjoy the spa, or do you fancy a skiing trip? Would you prefer a city break where you can soak up some culture or something in the middle of nowhere where you can be entirely alone? Think about the weather – do you want sun, snow or something not too extreme? Would a road trip or a cruise suit you better? Are there any experiences that you’ve always talked about that you might never get the chance to do again?
It’s important to remember that this is a trip dedicated to you as a couple. Forget what everyone else says about what you should do, and choose a destination and itinerary that suits you both perfectly. Tailor your trip to you as newlyweds, not what you think you are expected to do. Be totally and utterly selfish!
Set a budget
Once you’ve decided what sort of thing you are looking at, set yourself a budget. How much can you afford to save alongside the wedding? It might seem completely impossible to pay for both; however, there are a few ways you can make this a reality. Consider pushing your honeymoon to a few weeks (or even a few months) after your wedding. You’ll give yourself a little longer to save and potentially move the date to a time when flights are cheaper – for example, if you get married in August, wait until September for cheaper offerings as children will be back at school.
Basically, don’t go on honeymoon during school holidays (Easter, Christmas, August and the various half terms in-between), as you will save a lot of money on flights. Not only that, but the likelihood of your destination being overrun by shrieking and excited children will be much lower, too!
Make sure it’s more special than a normal holiday
A fantastic way to do this is by creating a honeymoon fund and letting your guests, family, and friends contribute to help you afford the holiday of your dreams. If you forgo the traditional wedding gift list, you could ask for money towards the honeymoon you want and your guests can be happy knowing that they’ve helped you with this once in a lifetime experience.
Keep to your budget once it’s set, but don’t forget to let yourself splash out a little more than a normal holiday – after all, you only do it once! Decide what you’d like to spend a bit more on and what you can afford. Perhaps as part of your honeymoon fund, you can ask people to pay towards these little upgrades to make your trip extra special.
Talk about it
Planning a wedding is likely to take up all your time and resources; however, it’s important to set aside time to discuss your honeymoon too. You don’t want to leave everything to the last minute and give yourself extra stress on top of everything else, make it something to be excited about and look forward to.
Make sure you let everyone know it’s your honeymoon! A lot of places will offer you special treatment or at the very least congratulations if they know you’re celebrating, so don’t be too shy to parade your love! Your partner might not be so keen, but why not treat yourselves to some cute/cheesy matching t-shirts – after all, you only get one honeymoon!